Who is Victor Creel in ‘Stranger Things’ season 4?

Stranger Things is back. The official trailer for season four has finally dropped, and fans are not only freaking out over how epic it is, but also obsessed with the first real-time look at some of the newest characters joining the cast.

When Netflix announced the list of over a dozen new characters joining season four, one very famous name stood out from the crowd: horror movie icon Robert Englund. In Stranger Things, Englund’s character will go by the name of Victor Creel, and we don’t know about you, but Englund’s reputation mixed with Creel’s background story mixed with what we saw of Creel in the new trailer makes it feels like he could perhaps be the eeriest, most deranged and frightening character we’ve ever seen in Stranger Things.

Could someone please pass the popcorn?

Who is Robert Englund?

Ever since his portrayal of Freddy Krueger in Wes Craven’s A Nightmare on Elm Street, Englund has become something of a horror movie icon. Over the course of his almost 50-year career, Englund has appeared in over 75 feature films, from Nightmare on Elm Street to The Phantom of the Opera. His characters have run the gamut from terrifying to hysterical, and even after all these years, in whatever film or TV show he appears in, Englund’s reputation precedes him, which is why fans are so excited to see him in Stranger Things.

In an interview with Gibson TV, Englund revealed a surprising detail that his character Victor Creel could potentially be in only one episode.

“Well I’m waiting for season 4 of Stranger Things. But because of covid, and the pandemic, and the fact that all the kids and David Harbour and everyone on that show is a star now, they’re a little behind. But I’ve shot my episode, so I’m looking forward to that because I’m a fan of the show.”

Even if Creel is only in one episode, the waves created by his character will undoubtedly be felt throughout the season, especially given the continuous usage of the grandfather clock that resides in the attic of the Creel House and the ominous aura surrounding his character.

What do we know about Victor Creel?

In the clip above, titled “Creel House,” we see what appears to be a younger version of Victor Creel and his wife and kids. Right before the scene transitions to the present moment, we see Creel standing over the limp (and lifeless?) bodies of his two children. The vibe feels very much like a haunted house storyline. When our band of nerds enters the abandoned house, we hear Steve Harrington ask, “Would you maybe clarify what sort of clues we’re supposed to be looking for here?” Great question, Steve. What clues are we looking for?

Back in 2020 when Netflix tweeted about the new cast members joining Stranger Things, they described Victor Creel as “a disturbed and intimidating man who is imprisoned in a psychiatric hospital for a gruesome murder in the 1950’s.” Based on the limp bodies of his children, it’s safe to assume that the murders Creel committed were those of his own family members.

In another tweet, Netflix released a short clip showing a series of newspaper clippings about the Creel House murders. If you pause to read the newspaper headlines, you’ll see that Creel, a Hawkins resident, claimed his family was killed by a “vengeful demon.” Like Will Byers in season two, it seems that we might have another case of possession on our hands. Why our band of nerds is getting involved is a question we’re all eager to have answered.

Even though Englund said he apparently filmed only one episode, some fans can’t help but wonder if the villain we see at the end of the new trailer, who will go by the name of Vecna, is some sort of upside-down version of Englund’s character. The Duffer Brothers have made it clear that this season will be more overtly horror-themed than the previous three, so what better way to accomplish that than by bringing in the most iconic horror character of all time?

Needless to say, we’re all eager to see how Englund’s Victor Creel will fit into the storyline. Will he escape the psychiatric hospital he’s imprisoned in? Does he have anything to do with the creepy villain shown in the trailer? Why on earth are his eyes disturbingly sewn shut?

All of these questions and more will be answered soon enough, but for now, we patiently inch closer to the much-anticipated May 27 release of Stranger Things season four, Volume 1.