One of the visual effects supervisors for Stranger Things has broken down how they improved the Demogorgon for the latest season.
The first season of Stranger Things featured a monster that became known as the Demogorgon. This type of monster was noticeably absent from the show’s second season but one did make a small appearance at the end of the third season. That Demogorgan became one of season 4’s biggest antagonists.
In Stranger Things‘ fourth season, it is revealed that Hopper had been taken to a Russian prison that also happened to be where the Soviets were experimenting on creatures from the upsidedown. Eventually, Hopper’s captors decided he was more trouble than he was worth and opted to feed him to the Demogorgon. Hopper was eventually able to decapitate with a sword from Conan the Barbarian.
Something interesting that fans may have noticed is how different the Demogorgon was from the first season. While the design wasn’t radically altered, it was clear that there was a difference between the two in terms of design and animation. In a recent interview with Collider, visual effects supervisor Julien Hery discussed how they were able to improve on previous versions:
“We worked on the fight between Hopper and the Demogorgon, I think it’s in Episode 7. It was definitely a very interesting challenge for this season. We basically, at Rodeo, took all the assets from the previous season, and we tried to improve them and make them better, and I like to say 2022 compliant. The VFX standards tend to change from year to year. And you have new technologies, new software, everybody improves. So, we took all those assets, and we improved them quite a bit. “
Here is the synopsis for the fourth season of Stranger Things:
“It’s been six months since the Battle of Starcourt, which brought terror and destruction to Hawkins. Struggling with the aftermath, our group of friends are separated for the first time – and navigating the complexities of high school hasn’t made things any easier. In this most vulnerable time, a new and horrifying supernatural threat surfaces, presenting a gruesome mystery that, if solved, might finally put an end to the horrors of the Upside Down.”
Created by the Duffer Brothers, the Netflix series stars Winona Ryder, David Harbour, Finn Wolfhard, Millie Bobby Brown, Gaten Matarazzo, Caleb McLaughlin, Noah Schnapp, Sadie Sink, Natalia Dyer, Charlie Heaton, Joe Keery, Maya Hawke, Priah Ferguson, Cara Buono, Brett Gelman, Jamie Campbell Bower, Eduardo Franco, and Joseph Quinn.
All four seasons are available to stream on Netflix. Stay tuned for all the latest news on Stranger Things and be sure to subscribe to Heroic Hollywood’s YouTube channel for more original video content.
Source: Collider
