Content & Trigger Warnings for Stranger Things (2016)
26 content warnings identified across 4 seasons for this show.
Quick Summary
Yes, Stranger Things (2016) contains 26 content warnings : Homophobia / transphobia (depicted), Racial slurs / racism (depicted), Stalking / harassment, Death of a child, Death of a parent, Forced institutionalization, Grief / bereavement (major focus), Suicide (discussed or ideation), Terminal illness, Gaslighting / emotional manipulation, Kidnapping / abduction, Blood / medical gore, Body horror, Confined spaces (claustrophobia), Drowning / underwater scenes, Flashing lights / strobing (epilepsy risk), Jump scares, Spiders / insects, Alcohol abuse (depicted), Drug use (depicted), Animal cruelty / animal death, Child abuse / harm to children, Gore / graphic violence, Gun violence, Self-harm / suicide (depicted), Torture.
The most severe warnings are for Death of a child (severity 4/5), Forced institutionalization (severity 4/5), Grief / bereavement (major focus) (severity 4/5), Suicide (discussed or ideation) (severity 4/5), Kidnapping / abduction (severity 5/5), Blood / medical gore (severity 5/5), Body horror (severity 5/5), Jump scares (severity 4/5), Child abuse / harm to children (severity 4/5), Gore / graphic violence (severity 5/5), Gun violence (severity 4/5).
Check the full breakdown below before you watch.
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Does It Get Worse?
9 series-wide warnings apply across all seasons.
| Warning | Season | Severity | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Identity & Discrimination | ||||
| Homophobia / transphobia (depicted) | S4 | 2/5 | Depicted | A character struggles with his sexuality and faces social ostracism in 1980s America; subtext of homophobic attitudes |
| Racial slurs / racism (depicted) | S3 | 2/5 | Depicted | Period-accurate racial tensions in 1985 small-town America briefly depicted |
| Stalking / harassment | S1 | 2/5 | Depicted | Government agents surveil and pursue children; a photographer takes inappropriate photos at a party |
| Stalking / harassment | S4 | 3/5 | Depicted | A character is hunted by government agents; characters are pursued relentlessly |
| Mental Health & Emotional | ||||
| Death of a child | S1 | 3/5 | Depicted | A teenage girl is killed by the creature; a young boy is believed dead for most of the season |
| Death of a child | S4 | 4/5 | Depicted | Teenagers are killed in extremely graphic ways; a flashback shows children being massacred |
| Death of a parent | S3 | 3/5 | Depicted | A father figure sacrifices himself to save others; a surrogate parental relationship ends in death |
| Forced institutionalization | S1 | 4/5 | Depicted | A child is held captive in a government facility and subjected to experiments against her will |
| Forced institutionalization | S2 | 3/5 | Depicted | Continued revelations about the government lab; other children were subjected to similar experiments |
| Forced institutionalization | S4 | 4/5 | Depicted | Extended flashbacks to a government facility where children are held captive and subjected to cruel experiments |
| Grief / bereavement (major focus) | S1 | 4/5 | Depicted | A mother's desperate grief over her missing son is central to the story; intense emotional anguish depicted |
| Grief / bereavement (major focus) | S2 | 3/5 | Depicted | Characters process trauma from the previous season; a boy struggles with PTSD-like symptoms from his abduction |
| Grief / bereavement (major focus) | S3 | 4/5 | Depicted | A beloved character dies heroically; the season ends with profound loss and a family separating |
| Grief / bereavement (major focus) | S4 | 4/5 | Depicted | Characters carry deep grief and trauma that the villain exploits; a beloved character dies at season's end |
| Suicide (discussed or ideation) | S4 | 4/5 | Depicted | The villain exploits characters' trauma, depression, and suicidal thoughts; a character's guilt and despair are weaponized against her |
| Terminal illness | All | 3/5 | Depicted | A character deals with a serious illness that threatens their life over an extended storyline |
| Other | ||||
| Gaslighting / emotional manipulation | S3 | 3/5 | Depicted | A character is possessed and manipulated by an evil entity; mind control used to deceive friends |
| Kidnapping / abduction | S1 | 4/5 | Depicted | A young boy is abducted into an alternate dimension; his disappearance drives the entire season's plot |
| Kidnapping / abduction | S2 | 2/5 | Depicted | A girl is kept hidden in a cabin by a protective figure; she feels trapped and isolated |
| Kidnapping / abduction | All | 5/5 | Depicted | Child abduction is the central plot driver with multiple children taken to another dimension |
| Phobias & Sensory | ||||
| Blood / medical gore | S1 | 3/5 | Depicted | Blood from nosebleeds when using psychic powers; blood in creature attack scenes |
| Blood / medical gore | S2 | 3/5 | Depicted | Blood in creature attack scenes and during the possession storyline |
| Blood / medical gore | S3 | 4/5 | Depicted | Significant blood when characters are injured by the creature; blood from wounds shown in detail |
| Blood / medical gore | S4 | 5/5 | Depicted | Extreme blood during Vecna's kills and in flashback massacre scenes; nosebleeds from psychic strain |
| Body horror | S1 | 3/5 | Depicted | The Demogorgon's face opens like a flower of teeth; the Upside Down is a decaying mirror dimension with organic growths |
| Body horror | S2 | 4/5 | Depicted | A boy is possessed by a shadow entity that grows inside him; tendrils are shown spreading through his body; slug-like creatures emerge from mouths |
| Body horror | S3 | 5/5 | Depicted | People are dissolved and absorbed by the Mind Flayer to form a flesh monster; bodies melt and merge into a creature made of human remains |
| Body horror | S4 | 5/5 | Depicted | Victims' bones snap and eyes implode on screen as they are lifted into the air and killed; the most graphically disturbing deaths in the series |
| Confined spaces (claustrophobia) | S1 | 2/5 | Depicted | A child is confined in a sensory deprivation tank; the Upside Down features claustrophobic environments |
| Confined spaces (claustrophobia) | S3 | 2/5 | Depicted | Underground tunnels and enclosed spaces feature in several tense sequences |
| Confined spaces (claustrophobia) | S4 | 3/5 | Depicted | Characters trapped in the Upside Down; a Russian prison with cramped cells; sensory deprivation tank |
| Drowning / underwater scenes | All | 2/5 | Depicted | A character nearly drowns in a tense underwater scene |
| Flashing lights / strobing (epilepsy risk) | All | 3/5 | Depicted | Flickering lights are a central visual motif used to signal the presence of the supernatural |
| Jump scares | S1 | 3/5 | Depicted | Multiple jump scares throughout when the Demogorgon appears; flickering lights build tension before creature attacks |
| Jump scares | S2 | 3/5 | Depicted | Multiple jump scares with creatures emerging unexpectedly; tension-building sequences with sudden reveals |
| Jump scares | S3 | 3/5 | Depicted | Sudden creature appearances and attacks; the flesh monster bursts through walls and ceilings |
| Jump scares | S4 | 4/5 | Depicted | Frequent and intense jump scares; Vecna appears suddenly in hallucinations and visions |
| Jump scares | All | 4/5 | Depicted | Frequent jump scares throughout all seasons involving creature reveals and sudden attacks |
| Spiders / insects | S2 | 3/5 | Depicted | Slug-like parasites and Demodogs resemble oversized insects; creatures swarm in tunnel scenes |
| Substance Use | ||||
| Alcohol abuse (depicted) | S2 | 2/5 | Depicted | An adult character drinks beer excessively as a coping mechanism for past trauma |
| Drug use (depicted) | S3 | 2/5 | Depicted | Drug references in a subplot; mind-control is likened to chemical influence |
| Drug use (depicted) | S4 | 2/5 | Depicted | A character smokes marijuana throughout; casual drug use played for comic relief |
| Violence & Physical Harm | ||||
| Animal cruelty / animal death | All | 2/5 | Depicted | A cat is killed by a creature off-screen and a deer is shown dead |
| Child abuse / harm to children | S1 | 4/5 | Depicted | A young girl has been raised in a government laboratory undergoing painful experiments and sensory deprivation |
| Child abuse / harm to children | S2 | 3/5 | Depicted | Flashbacks to laboratory experiments on children; a girl discovers others who were similarly imprisoned and tested |
| Child abuse / harm to children | S4 | 4/5 | Depicted | Flashbacks reveal children were imprisoned and experimented on in a lab; a child commits a massacre while under duress |
| Gore / graphic violence | S1 | 3/5 | Depicted | The Demogorgon kills victims with visible blood; a deer carcass is shown partially consumed; body found in quarry |
| Gore / graphic violence | S2 | 4/5 | Depicted | A man is torn apart by creatures in a tunnel; Demodogs attack and kill multiple people graphically |
| Gore / graphic violence | S3 | 4/5 | Depicted | The flesh monster attacks with extreme violence; people explode into biological material; a creature is pulled from a wound |
| Gore / graphic violence | S4 | 5/5 | Depicted | Vecna kills by contorting and mutilating bodies with every bone breaking visibly; extremely graphic death scenes |
| Gun violence | S1 | 2/5 | Depicted | Government agents carry and use firearms; a man is shot during a confrontation |
| Gun violence | S2 | 2/5 | Depicted | Soldiers and agents use firearms against creatures; some human-on-human gun violence |
| Gun violence | S3 | 3/5 | Depicted | Russian soldiers use firearms; military confrontations with shooting |
| Gun violence | S4 | 3/5 | Depicted | Military and government agents use firearms; a shootout in a house; armed confrontations |
| Gun violence | All | 4/5 | Depicted | Government agents and soldiers use firearms frequently, including shooting at children |
| Self-harm / suicide (depicted) | All | 3/5 | Depicted | A character's backstory involves a traumatic event linked to self-harm and characters sacrifice themselves |
| Torture | S4 | 3/5 | Depicted | A character is captured and tortured for information by Russian soldiers |
| Torture | All | 3/5 | Depicted | Characters are held captive and subjected to physical and psychological torture in later seasons |
Identity & Discrimination
A character struggles with his sexuality and faces social ostracism in 1980s America; subtext of homophobic attitudes
Period-accurate racial tensions in 1985 small-town America briefly depicted
Government agents surveil and pursue children; a photographer takes inappropriate photos at a party
A character is hunted by government agents; characters are pursued relentlessly
Mental Health & Emotional
A teenage girl is killed by the creature; a young boy is believed dead for most of the season
Teenagers are killed in extremely graphic ways; a flashback shows children being massacred
A father figure sacrifices himself to save others; a surrogate parental relationship ends in death
A child is held captive in a government facility and subjected to experiments against her will
Continued revelations about the government lab; other children were subjected to similar experiments
Extended flashbacks to a government facility where children are held captive and subjected to cruel experiments
A mother's desperate grief over her missing son is central to the story; intense emotional anguish depicted
Characters process trauma from the previous season; a boy struggles with PTSD-like symptoms from his abduction
A beloved character dies heroically; the season ends with profound loss and a family separating
Characters carry deep grief and trauma that the villain exploits; a beloved character dies at season's end
The villain exploits characters' trauma, depression, and suicidal thoughts; a character's guilt and despair are weaponized against her
A character deals with a serious illness that threatens their life over an extended storyline
Other
A character is possessed and manipulated by an evil entity; mind control used to deceive friends
A young boy is abducted into an alternate dimension; his disappearance drives the entire season's plot
A girl is kept hidden in a cabin by a protective figure; she feels trapped and isolated
Child abduction is the central plot driver with multiple children taken to another dimension
Phobias & Sensory
Blood from nosebleeds when using psychic powers; blood in creature attack scenes
Blood in creature attack scenes and during the possession storyline
Significant blood when characters are injured by the creature; blood from wounds shown in detail
Extreme blood during Vecna's kills and in flashback massacre scenes; nosebleeds from psychic strain
The Demogorgon's face opens like a flower of teeth; the Upside Down is a decaying mirror dimension with organic growths
A boy is possessed by a shadow entity that grows inside him; tendrils are shown spreading through his body; slug-like creatures emerge from mouths
People are dissolved and absorbed by the Mind Flayer to form a flesh monster; bodies melt and merge into a creature made of human remains
Victims' bones snap and eyes implode on screen as they are lifted into the air and killed; the most graphically disturbing deaths in the series
A child is confined in a sensory deprivation tank; the Upside Down features claustrophobic environments
Underground tunnels and enclosed spaces feature in several tense sequences
Characters trapped in the Upside Down; a Russian prison with cramped cells; sensory deprivation tank
A character nearly drowns in a tense underwater scene
Flickering lights are a central visual motif used to signal the presence of the supernatural
Multiple jump scares throughout when the Demogorgon appears; flickering lights build tension before creature attacks
Multiple jump scares with creatures emerging unexpectedly; tension-building sequences with sudden reveals
Sudden creature appearances and attacks; the flesh monster bursts through walls and ceilings
Frequent and intense jump scares; Vecna appears suddenly in hallucinations and visions
Frequent jump scares throughout all seasons involving creature reveals and sudden attacks
Slug-like parasites and Demodogs resemble oversized insects; creatures swarm in tunnel scenes
Substance Use
An adult character drinks beer excessively as a coping mechanism for past trauma
Drug references in a subplot; mind-control is likened to chemical influence
A character smokes marijuana throughout; casual drug use played for comic relief
Violence & Physical Harm
A cat is killed by a creature off-screen and a deer is shown dead
A young girl has been raised in a government laboratory undergoing painful experiments and sensory deprivation
Flashbacks to laboratory experiments on children; a girl discovers others who were similarly imprisoned and tested
Flashbacks reveal children were imprisoned and experimented on in a lab; a child commits a massacre while under duress
The Demogorgon kills victims with visible blood; a deer carcass is shown partially consumed; body found in quarry
A man is torn apart by creatures in a tunnel; Demodogs attack and kill multiple people graphically
The flesh monster attacks with extreme violence; people explode into biological material; a creature is pulled from a wound
Vecna kills by contorting and mutilating bodies with every bone breaking visibly; extremely graphic death scenes
Government agents carry and use firearms; a man is shot during a confrontation
Soldiers and agents use firearms against creatures; some human-on-human gun violence
Russian soldiers use firearms; military confrontations with shooting
Military and government agents use firearms; a shootout in a house; armed confrontations
Government agents and soldiers use firearms frequently, including shooting at children
A character's backstory involves a traumatic event linked to self-harm and characters sacrifice themselves
Characters are held captive and subjected to physical and psychological torture in later seasons
