The ’80s Homage in “Stranger Things“ is not only limited to the general setting of the story and the numerous pop culture references to the decade, the 80s love of the makers behind the Netflix series is also reflected in the cast, with smaller and larger appearances by stars of 80s cinema recognizable again and again – whether it is Matthew Modine, known from “Full Metal Jacket”, as the shady Dr. Brenner, “Aliens” star Paul Reiser as his colleague Dr. Owens or “The Goonies” and “Lord of the Rings” fan favorite Sean Astin as good-natured Bob.
And in Season 4 there is another such cult star to be discovered, who, matching the even more sinister paintwork of the new episodes, is a genuine horror icon. The 74-year-old actor should be a little harder to spot this time for two reasons. For one thing, his character in “Stranger Things’ was quite disfigured and on the other hand his face was hidden behind a mask most of the time, even in his star role.
Namely, none other than Robert Englund plays Victor Creel, who is imprisoned as a murderer in a psychiatric institution and is visibly markedwho tells Nancy (Natalia Dyer) and Robin (Maya Hawke) about his tragic experiences with the cruel upside-down monster Vecna.
For slasher fans, of course, the name immediately rings: Robert Englund played the scarred and clawed child killer Freddy Krueger in the seven installments of the original Nightmare On Elm Street series and in the Friday the 13th crossover Freddy Vs. Jasonwho still years after his death as a supernatural being murders his victims in their dreams and thus also in the real world.
Metropolitan Film Export
Robert Englund as Freddy Krüger with and without a scar mask in “Freddy Vs. Jason”
The curious thing about it: Just one episode after Englund’s guest appearance, Freddy Krüger is also prominently referred to when Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo) compares his powers with those of Vecna. An 80’s pop culture nostalgia festival wouldn’t be complete without “Nightmare On Elm Street”.
