The Stranger Things Season 4 Action Scene Fans Can't Believe Was Shot In One Take
Contains spoilers for the "Stranger Things" Season 4 episode "Chapter 4: Dear Billy"
"Stranger Things" has shot some pretty extraordinary scenes during its first three seasons. Often, the filmmaking itself supercharges these already emotional moments, such as in Season 1, Episode 8, "The Upside Down," when the scene cuts back and forth between Hopper (David Harbour) and Joyce (Winona Ryder) trying to save a dying Will (Noah Schnapp) and Hopper in the hospital watching the doctors and nurses trying to resuscitate his daughter. Powerful, overlaid scenes like these are one of the reasons viewers have been so drawn to the show. And so far, Season 4 is no exception
The other draw is, of course, the intense action. Watching Billy (Dacre Montgomery) save Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) and take on the Mind Flayer in the Starcourt Mall in the Season 3 finale is just one notable example of how the series has delivered some tense, edge-of-your-seat moments. Thankfully, there is plenty of action in Season 4, and one sequence, in particular, has fans online marveling.
The one-take shootout scene was thrilling for both the viewers and the actors
In Episode 4 of Season 4 of "Stranger Things," fans are treated to a chaotic, shaky scene in which Will, Mike (Finn Wolfhard), and Jonathan (Charlie Heaton) are in a house being protected by two armed agents when a military squad bursts in and opens fire. As the house is being riddled with bullets, Agent Harmon (Ira Amyx) not only proves that he's well-versed with a gun but is also able to get everyone out of the house and away from trouble. To top it all off, the entire thrilling scene is filmed in one continuous shot.
"So, yeah, this was a pretty tricky shot to film," Heaton told British GQ while discussing the scene. "It's all one Steadicam shot. So as you see, the camera's just always just kind of moving around and capturing us. It was really cool that they kind of shot it like this rather than breaking it in pieces. It makes it feel, you know, for an actor at least, it makes it feel so much more real."
In a Reddit thread about the scene, u/FlimsyManagement wrote, "This was W I L D. I audibly gasped when this scene was going on. I couldn't believe they pulled this off so seamlessly like that." Fellow fan u/gonzothegreat13 agreed, adding, "One take scenes are always amazing. This scene had major Daredevil vibes."
With Season 4, Volume 1 turning up the intensity of the action scenes, fans are no doubt eager to see what else is coming when Volume 2 of Season 4 drops on July 1.