Victor Creel Breaks Stranger Things’ Smartest 1980s Actor Trend
WARNING! Minor spoilers ahead for Stranger Things season 4.
Stranger Things is notable for casting many actors from the 1980s, but Robert Englund playing Victor Creel has finally broken the series' smartest trend in terms of referencing the stars' characters. With Heathers’ Winona Ryder as Joyce Byers and Full Metal Jacket’s Matthew Modine as the antagonistic Dr. Brenner, Stranger Things has always made a point of including iconic 1980s actors in its cast, thus improving the series’ ‘80s nostalgia.Stranger Things then added more 1980s actors to the cast in seasons 2 and 3, including The Goonies’ Sean Astin, Aliens’ Paul Reiser, and The Princess Bride’s Cary Elwes – but had never explicitly mentioned their movies during these seasons.
As Stranger Things season 4 approached, one of the biggest questions was about which ‘80s actors would join Netflix’s nostalgic series. Perhaps one of the greatest casting choices Stranger Things could have made, season 4 recruited Freddy Krueger actor Robert Englund to portray Victor Creel, a Hawkins man living in Pennhurst Mental Hospital for supposedly murdering his wife and children. Englund is the only new ‘80s actor to join the Stranger Things season 4 cast, with his most iconic A Nightmare on Elm Street character also playing an influential role in Vecna’s evil plan.
Related: Stranger Things Season 4 Cast & Character Guide
While Robert Englund as Victor Creel was an excellent casting choice, with his own character even paying homage to Freddy, the Stranger Things season 4 makes several explicit references to A Nightmare on Elm Street, thus breaking the series' trend of never specifically mentioning its ‘80s actors’ roles. While The Goonies was a major inspiration for Stranger Things
Read more on screenrant.com
