Stranger Things Season 5 Opening Scene Reveals Will Byers’ 1983 Ordeal
At Netflix TUDUM on November 6, 2025, fans were treated to the first five minutes of Stranger Things Season 5. The event, held at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, presented an exclusive preview followed by red-carpet interviews. After two hours of anticipation, the premiere sequence stunned viewers with its intense and brutal tone.
Will Byers’ Terror in the Upside Down
The season opens in 1983, showing what happened to 12-year-old Will Byers shortly after his kidnapping by the Demogorgon. He lies unconscious in the Upside Down forest, murmuring “Should I Stay Or Should I Go” in his sleep. Suddenly waking in fear, Will hears the Demogorgon approaching.
- Will grabs a gun and fires at the creature, but it has no effect.
- He runs and climbs a tree, pursued closely by the Demogorgon.
- While leaping to another tree, Will falls and loses consciousness.
Encounter With Vecna
The Demogorgon drags Will to a dark location where Vecna awaits, appearing as terrifying as ever. Tentacles seize Will and press him against a wall, their grip tightening ominously.
“We finally get to see what happened to him moments after he was kidnapped by the Demogorgon in 1983.”
This chilling opening sets the tone for a season poised to exceed expectations with its darkness and intensity.
Author’s Summary
The Season 5 premiere reveals Will’s traumatic encounter in 1983’s Upside Down, blending horror and suspense to promise a gripping, brutal story ahead.