Stranger Things: Tales From ’85 is reinventing the Demogorgon.

The final season of *Stranger Things* unveiled the origins of the Upside Down and the link between Vecna and the Mind Flayer, yet it left many mysteries surrounding the creatures haunting Hawkins, Indiana. The first teaser for the animated midquel *Stranger Things: Tales From ‘85* hints at a deeper exploration of Demogorgons, showcasing a perilous organism that evolves into various forms.

Set between seasons 2 and 3 of the Netflix series, *Tales from ‘85* is set to debut on April 23. It adopts the vibe of a Saturday morning cartoon, blending nostalgic fun with the horror elements fans love from the main series. The trailer features Hopper (Brett Gipson) confronting a jittery Mike (Luca Diaz) as he picks up Eleven (Brooklyn Davey Norstedt) for a day filled with winter activities. However, their plans for flirting, snowball fights, and kicking off a Dungeons & Dragons campaign are derailed by the emergence of a new menace.

In the trailer, a lizard-like creature with a Demogorgon-esque mouth is seen being chased by an individual in a hazmat suit wielding a flamethrower, suggesting it has escaped from some form of containment. As the kids pursue it, they discover that it’s mutating. One version is depicted using a pumpkin as a head to form a menacing jack-o-lantern, while its elongated claws are prominently displayed as it prowls the halls of Hawkins High School. The group also faces threats from toothy vines, encounters a massive vine-covered maw in the woods, and battles a hulking creature that resembles a distorted bear or wolf.

Hawkins appears to be under siege by a creature from the Abyss that has been subjected to experiments, making it more susceptible to mutation. Alternatively, this creature might illustrate how extradimensional monsters rapidly adapt to their surroundings. Demogorgons undergo several transformations to reach maturity, a lesson Dustin learned the hard way when he took in a very young one. The creatures in *Tales of ‘85* seem to share a similarly intricate lifecycle influenced by local flora and fauna.

Eric Robles (known for *Fanboy & Chum Chum* and *Glitch Techs*) is the showrunner for *Tales from ‘85*, with Flying Bark Productions handling the animation and the Duffer Brothers serving as executive producers. The series is set to premiere on Netflix on April 23.