ANDRE MOUTON'S

STRANGER THINGS 5

STRANGER THINGS IS OWNED BY NETFLIX AND THE DUFFER BROTHERS.

(Inspiration for this draft was from On Her Majesty's Secret Service, Forrest Gump, John Carpenter's The Thing, Tim Burton's Batman Films, and Shin Godzilla. The creature Mortifier was loosely based on the disturbing things serial killer and body snatcher Ed Gein created in his home. He made almost everything in his house out of parts of a human. How Vecna is killed at the end was heavily inspired by the end to Jaws 2, where they electrocute the shark.)

NEW CHARACTER ANALYSIS

New Character Name: UNKNOWN (Calls himself Joseph)

Date Of Birth: Early 1971

Lab Number: 014

Joseph was one of the many children kidnapped by Martin Brenner. Joseph always had an absolute hatred of Brenner. He was also the most poorly treated kid in the lab, constantly in solitary confinement. Because of him being locked up for so long, he never had any time to learn much emotions. He never knew happiness, joy, nor love. He not only has telekinetic abilities, he also is able to see into the future.

MORTIFIER DESCRIPTION

It is a terrifying Lovecraftian creature, which has 3 forms, changing throughout the course of the season. It is another one of Vecna's creations. This abomination is meant to be the embodiment of suffering. Every time it walks, it appears to limp and whimper. The only reason it kills is because it is on the move to survive by any means necessary. The creature is in constant pain, and every time it roars, it's a cry for help, even though it knows that no one will ever understand its struggle, like Frankenstein's Monster. Even though it's a haunting sight, you feel very sorry for it.

Description of Mortifier Forms

1st Form: This form is 50 ft tall, has a body like a scorpion and a head like a great white shark. Its body is composed entirely of human flesh. It has dozens of Demogorgen-like mouths on its belly and back that can shoot rope-like tentacles out of the mouths to grab prey from a long distance. It also constantly oozes a lot of blood from its mouth. It has an almost demonic look. Its eyes are pure white with no pupils. The creature is a bright red color, and turns a slightly darker shade of red every time it kills.

2nd Form: This form is 70 ft tall, retains the same appearance but has slightly less blood oozing from its mouth, and takes on an upright but slouched stance.

3rd Form: This form is 90ft tall, and 100 ft wide. Appearance is now a shapeless, moving mass of human flesh, and has what appears to be multiple eyes all over its mass, as well as multiple human limbs. When it touches an organism, that organism is usually melted and assimilated alive. When there is a lack of food, it is able to split into smaller creatures that take on a life of their own. The only way to kill it completely is to destroy every single piece of it.

SUMMARY

The first episode begins with this quote over a black screen,

"Monsters are tragic beings. They are born too tall, too strong, too heavy. They are not evil by choice. That is their tragedy. They do not attack people because they want to, but because of their size and strength, mankind has no other choice but to defend himself. After several stories such as this, people end up having a kind of affection for the monsters. They end up caring about them."

— Ishiro Honda

We begin just seconds after the ending of Season 4, with the red thunderstorm closing in on an utterly destroyed Hawkins. The gang go to a weapons shop to get hundreds of weapons, while Eleven tries to warn everyone in a scene that is out of Invasion Of The Body Snatchers. She runs through every building trying to get everyone to evacuate Hawkins. No-one listens. She runs through building after building, even running through traffic to try and warn someone, anyone who will listen to her pleas, but it's of no use. Now she's desperate, Now she's panicking. She starts stopping traffic in an attempt to get people to listen, but again, it's of no use. The storm is very close now, almost directly above them. Eleven is having a panic attack. She starts calling everyone fools, saying that the creatures are coming, yet still, her cries are unheard.

We cut to black, and the familiar intro plays, this time with an orchestral rendition of the theme with a gigantic choir. A fitting way in my opinion to kick off the final season.

It is now December 1989. The old Hawkins gang has moved on with their lives. Mike and Eleven have split up due to Eleven's belief that she keeps putting everyone else in danger, and that humanity is doomed. The first 5 minutes are dedicated to where they are now. They are planning on what to do about the possible entities that could cross over to their dimension, except for Eleven.

The next few minutes focus specifically on Eleven, who is not doing well mentally.

She is suffering from PTSD, paranoia, and has frequent nightmares, (with one of them being Max Mayfield running from her, covering her face. She ends up in Victor Creel's old house, which looks like it's about to collapse. Eleven pleads, "Max please! Let me help you! Max shouts, "STAY BACK! You saw what was going on, you knew something was up with me, I thought we were friends!" She reveals her face, which is hideously deformed. The house collapses with Max in it. "Why couldn't you save me?" Max wailed as she disappeared from sight.)

She has cut off all contact with her friends. She has severe depression, and has since started drinking heavily, pretty much accepting that the world is going to end. She has contemplated suicide on occasion, but was able to stop herself every time. She has recently been prescribed medication which has helped so far.

One day while driving, Eleven sees a car heading toward an otherwise empty Tower Bridge and stopping halfway across. Suspicion takes hold of Eleven, who proceeds to follow the car. She sees a man coming out of the car, attempting to jump off the bridge, but she saves his life.

Eleven takes the man to her car and asks him where he lives, and when he doesn't respond, she attempts to drive him to the police station, but the car starts to run out of gas.

Eleven stops the car close to a gas station and runs to a payphone. The man crushes the phone, cutting up Eleven's right hand, and leaving permanent scars on it. She looks back just in time to see him running off into the nearby woods, and Eleven starts pursuing him. The chase doesn't last too long as Eleven knocks him out.

She takes him to her house, and notices that there are scars all over his wrists and neck. She starts asking questions about why he attempted to kill himself, and why he ran off into the woods. He notices her number tattoo on her left wrist, and after much hesitation, the man pulls up his shirt sleeve, revealing a scarred number underneath which reads, 019. This makes Eleven's eyes widen. She walks over to a phone, at first to call the police, but worrying the police wouldn't believe her, decides to call her old friends due to the fact that the man is one of the Hawkins Lab experiments.

They arrive in about 5 hours. Eleven immediately embraces the gang, who haven't been together for years.

Eleven immediately forgets why she called them and asks what's been going on with their lives. Everyone is doing great with them. But when the unknown man catches Dustin's eye, he obviously asks who the hell he is. Eleven now remembers why she called them up and tells them about the man. When they attempt to talk with him, even with Lucas saying that he can trust them, the man doesn't even move an inch. They decide to leave him be, and try to talk with him in the morning.

The next morning arrives, and everyone is preparing their breakfast, when one of them notices the man is missing. They venture out to find him in the backyard. After a while, they find him by a tree tying a noose. Eleven tries to console the poor man and bring him back inside the house, but it's unsuccessful. When the gang asks for his name, he says that he doesn't know his true name, so he goes with Joseph. After a lengthy conversation, they are able to bring Joseph back inside. He is visibly afraid. His entire face looks almost frozen over, especially the eyes with the pupils barely visible. He looks like he stepped out of Antarctica without any winter gear.

Meanwhile Hawkins is now a near ghost town because of previous tragedies. People still live there, but not as many as there used to be. Almost everyone left due to growing belief that the town was cursed, and the destruction caused by the "earthquake" had not been repaired or rebuilt. Most of the police force is gone too. The town is barely functioning. Crime is skyrocketing. People are being mugged, raped, or worse, and there is barely a police force to help them. Jim Hopper has been reinstated as police chief, but even he can't keep the rising crime rate under control. He also ends up leaving the town, leaving most to fend for themselves. Hawkins is losing more and more money and more and more people and then, a mysterious investor emerges and offers the mayor a lucrative investment deal in building a brand new hotel. The mayor, desperate for cash to save the sinking town, immediately signs the contract without even checking where the money is coming from and who is building this hotel. This is left ambiguous as to who is building it, but it is implied to be the mafia. People in churches start developing new religions to worship the creatures, and hopefully appease them. People have started to turn on one another, which mainly started the rise in crime. Many are killed every day. Some in ritualistic ways, like crucifixion, as they believe this will appease the creatures.

Back in Sacramento, Eleven is still skeptical of Joseph, and believes he may attempt suicide again.

She goes to her bedroom, puts on a blindfold and travels into The Void to keep an eye on Joseph. She can't let him run off again. Joseph is seen crying.

However Joseph actually knows Eleven is looking right at him, and looks right in her direction. He says that she doesn't need to hide. Eleven has never seen anyone able to talk with her in The Void before. A conversation between her and Joseph begins, with Joseph asking why Eleven is spying on him. Eleven replies that she just didn't know what else to do, and that she was worried that he would run off. Joseph replies, "Well is there privacy in this household?" Eleven replies, "Yes there is. What I'm trying to say is that I admit I was paranoid for you. I didn't want you to run off and make an attempt on your life again." Joseph sighs. "Alright I understand."

Eleven asks him again why he attempted to end his life. Joseph, on the brink of tears says, "You wouldn't believe me. No one ever believes me." Eleven replies "Why would nobody believe you? Why do you want out of the world so bad? Please. Tell me. I can get you good help." Joseph responds hesitantly with this monologue, and all you see is him talking, and Eleven's reaction to the story, like Quint's Indianapolis Speech from Jaws. He starts in a psychotically calm tone, but slowly escalates to a mental breakdown.

"I really just wanted it all to end. I mean, why do I exist? Just to suffer? Just to be ignored? Just to be forgotten? Just to live the rest of my life as a goddamn lab rat?! What they did in that hellhole of a lab, I will never forgive, or forget. That wasn't a lab. It was a horror show. I always heard these blood curdling screams as if someone was being butchered alive. I didn't pray for them for long, it seemed pointless. What god would ever allow this? I remember this one morning, night, whatever the hell time it was, I was staring at a wall, I heard the screams again, which at the time I had gotten used to, but these screams were louder, longer, and really horrified me. I peeked through a crack in the door, trying to see what was going on outside. I finally mustered the courage to leave my room during a time like this and what I saw, no amount of alcohol or drugs will ever get rid of. The walls were painted red, with the blood of children all over the place, they were in their rooms, in the hallways, Their eyes were gouged out. I had to play dead, but even then I didn't feel safe, and I waited for a couple of minutes, waiting for my turn to see the light, and hoping it would be quick. I finally got the courage to stand up and find out what was going on.

I ran up to the play place in an attempt to find help, or at least I think it was a play place, anyway I saw from afar, you, with blood covering you and your eyes literally bloodshot all over, and the thing that scared me most wasn't the blood, but the lifelessness that lay in those eyes. It was like I was looking right at the daughter of Lucifer. I immediately knew you were the one who did all this. I felt sorry for you and thought you just couldn't take it anymore, so I forgave you despite what you did. I escaped the lab after seeing that, because my sanity wouldn't last another day in that place. It was easier than I thought it would be to escape. After that I've wanted to live a normal life, but it all just seems pointless. But most of all, I wanna find out who I am, by finding my parents, learning my true name. Simple stuff that the good people of Hawkins take for granted. But everything and everyone seems to be against me and I guess it's because they think I'm crazy. I started seeing these horrible tragedies before they actually took place, and I tried to warn everyone there, but no-one ever believed me. I felt alone. So that's why I tried to jump off that bridge and quite frankly El, you should have just left me there to die."

Eleven knows what he is talking about, but she can't help but feel sorry for him. She attempts to reply, but Mike yanks the blindfold off her face to tell her that they found something really bad outside. She immediately goes out into the backyard with the rest of the gang.

They find the remains of a family of three. The bodies have been stripped of their skin, and they have been gutted like deer. It's a disturbing sight. One of the gang members literally vomited off camera. They immediately call the police, who search the entire property.

After an extensive search, no evidence was found. Throughout the next few hours, multiple people turn up in a similar state. They were always groups of people instead of just one person at a time. The gang is now starting to think the worst. They aren't taking ANY chances this time around and immediately start packing their bags, getting ready to get the hell out of Sacramento.

During the drive, we see Joseph is seen sitting in the far back all by himself. Mike notices this and switches seats so Joseph doesn't sit by himself. Joseph is shaking. Mike asks what's wrong. Joseph says, "At Noon, Something Wicked This Way Will Come." Will, realizing what he means, turns the vehicle around and starts speeding toward Hawkins.

We cut to a shot of the car, with a dead body in the foreground being dragged away by an unseen lanky creature. After a long drive the gang finally made it to Florida. The reason they chose Florida was because they hoped that the tropical climate would make them forget their troubles for a while. But the creature actually follows them there, and is the hype man of an almost inconceivable Lovecraftian entity, called Mortifier, (Latin for bringer of death) which is a creation of Vecna's.

We cut back to the gang, who are in a house close to the sandy beaches and calming waves of the Gulf of Mexico. We cut to Mike, who while unpacking his suitcase, reveals a DIAMOND RING. He has been waiting for a while to propose to Eleven, but didn't know the right time to do so. He closes up the suitcase, with the ring still inside. We see Joseph standing on the balcony, which has a fantastic view of the sunset. Mike walks out. They engage in a friendly conversation.

Meanwhile Eleven goes to bed, and almost immediately starts to have a nightmare. It shows all her friends being killed in grotesque ways by an unseen entity. Eleven wakes up in a state of panic, and starts to become paranoid once again. We cut to her boarding up the windows and drinking heavily. Mike sees this and throughout a lengthy conversation is able to talk her out of it. Eleven starts to question herself, thinking she might be going insane.

Back in Hawkins, everyone is going about their day, when a massive fissure opens in the middle of town. The time is 12:00 PM. A red mist erupts from it, lasting about 10 seconds. For another 15 seconds, everyone present looks at the fissure. No music is playing. Then a hand bursts from the fissure, the music kicks in, and it triggers man's natural fight or flight instinct. They obviously run. Another hand emerges, and then a head. It's MORTIFIER, in its first of three forms. It is 50 ft tall. It has the body of a scorpion and the head of a great white shark. It has blood constantly oozing out of its mouth, and has Demogorgen-like mouths on its belly and back, constantly opening and closing. Thousands of Demogorgens, and other new and disturbing creatures emerge from the fissure. Chaos explodes across the street. Everyone runs away, trampling each other. Some are eaten by the Demogorgens, very few by Mortifier, most people are trampled by their own friends and family, and suffocated to death. After A Few Moments, Mortifier starts to change rapidly, screaming a disturbingly humanlike scream, which sounds like millions of voices crying out at once. The creature is now bipedal, and is a darker shade of red.

Back in Florida, the gang are watching Tv, with Eleven sitting at the dinner table all by herself, starting to drink away her sorrows, thinking she is going insane. Mike goes to comfort her. The show is interrupted by a news bulletin that shows the attack on Hawkins. The gang is shocked. The world now knows about these creatures.

Throughout the season, Eleven is constantly trying to shove the past aside and move on with her life. Joseph starts to look up to the gang as if they are family, specifically to Mike as a father, as they were the only people who cared for him, or at least he thought. He still only talks to Eleven, as she is the only one who fully understands what she went through, like a Vietnam veteran talking to another Vietnam veteran. They all know what they have been through, so they don't really have anything to hide.

Eleven meets her biological father, Robert Ives (in this draft he's played by MICHAEL KEATON) who spends the first half of the season trying to convince Eleven that he is her biological father and tries to bond with her, but Eleven understandably believes he is stalking her.

Tension starts building between Eleven and Joseph, where he believes that Eleven is a loose cannon, especially when she drinks. This escalates into a physical confrontation between the two, with Eleven saying to Joseph, "I won't kill you!" Joseph replies, "It's too good to be true. What's that lethal curl of the lip? What's that homicidal gleam of the eye? You're a killer too, and you know it!" This fight gets so intense, the gang has to break up the two.

In the middle of the season, Eleven's personalities split into two people, creating a good and evil Eleven. This existential battle takes place in The Void. After Eleven defeats her evil self, that being vanishes, and she comes out of The Void completely confident with herself.

Joseph and Eleven eventually start to tolerate and respect one another. Robert Ives and Jim Hopper start getting along well. Joseph and Dustin end up becoming very close friends with one another throughout the season.

The gang finds a 1988 Fleetwood Bounder RV in an abandoned parking lot, and Mike says, "These things have terrible gas mileage, we'll never make it in time! Joseph snaps back, "Don't give me that shit I can get some gas cans! And besides, we will need all the rest we can get. That's why I got this." Mike reluctantly says, "Fair Enough." Robert and Jim agree to follow behind.

They drive to the United Nations to convince the powers of the world that if they put aside their differences and work together, they can stop this threat.

While driving, Will starts behaving erratically. He yells at another car, "Idiot! Move it you jerk! The others look at him with surprised looks on their faces. Will starts driving extremely fast, weaving dangerously in and out of traffic. Mike, who is next to Will asks, "Going a little fast, aren't we Will? Will viciously replies, "Are you telling me how to drive?" Mike replies, "No, I just thought," Will interrupts, "Well don't think!" Will stomps on the gas, barreling down the road, and a hitchhiker leaps to safety as the vehicle makes a sharp left turn. Everyone except Will holds on. Mike shouts, "Are you crazy man? You're going to kill somebody! Will turns toward Mike and smiles demonically, with the veins in his face clearly visible. He manically says, "No I'm going to kill everybody!" He swerves off the road, and heads toward a big tree. At the last moment, Mike knocks Will out cold, and reaches over to stop the van. It comes to a violent halt, just barely missing the tree. Will wakes up from his trance. Joseph angrily grabs Will and shouts, "What the hell was that? What's wrong with you, you could have gotten us killed!" El and Dustin grab Joseph and pull him away before he can do any harm. Will is in distress. "My God. Is he gone?" Joseph firmly asks, "Who? Who is gone?" Will replies, "Vecna! Is he gone or not? Is he gone?" Mike shouts back, "I don't know!" It's been years since Will has had an episode like this. Mike is at a loss for words. Robert steps out of the car following behind and says, "You nearly died today. Watch him."

They make it to the United Nations. After a speech, the leaders of each country shake hands in agreement. They agree to send their armies to aid the gang in the battle for earth.

The climax involves an epic final battle with Vecna and Mortifier, taking place at a flooded Hawkins Lab, which is now Vecna's Lair, with his house relocated on the property. By the end of it, Eleven finds out that Mortifier is actually made of not just flesh and organs, but of every single person that Vecna has killed, and that the good and honest souls of his victims still reside in Mortifier. She is able to convince Mortifier that she knows everyone in it hates Vecna, and that it's not too late to turn back to the light. Mortifier turns on Vecna, and asks him why he created it to begin with. Vecna tries to turn Mortifier back to his side, but it's of no use.

Vecna kills Mortifier in a matter of moments. Mortifier screams in multiple voices at once, before finally disappearing.

During the fight that ensues, Mike finds out that Vecna's power depletes over time, and ultimately decides to sacrifice himself. He is able to kill Vecna by going out on a boat and luring Vecna toward an electrified power cable, which sets Vecna ablaze and severely burns Mike, killing Vecna in seconds, but mortally wounding Mike. Eleven and the gang pull Mike out of the water in an attempt to revive him. He briefly regains consciousness and has a heartwarming but tear jerking conversation with Eleven. Mike is able to muster the strength to give Eleven the ring he had earlier, confessing his love for her.

They share one final kiss.

He dies just a few moments after that. Everyone is in tears, especially Eleven, who is an emotional wreck. Joseph comforts her, and then everyone else joins in. Hundreds of Demogorgons surround the gang, and start rejoicing and mourning Mike and the others for saving them from Vecna, as Vecna enslaved them when he was banished to the Upside Down. They start walking back into the entrance of the Upside Down, which closes behind them.

After a few days, Eleven finds out she is pregnant with Mike's child, which saddens her to tears, as the baby will never know its father, and she doesn't know how to tell Jim Hopper about the pregnancy. Eventually Robert is able to talk Eleven into telling Hopper about it. When Robert offers to help take care of the child, She accepts. Eleven goes to tell Hopper about it, expecting him to be angry, but he isn't. Instead he tells Eleven that Mike is not truly dead, and that he lives in the heavens now, watching over us, and that he isn't angry about the pregnancy at all. He obviously IS a bit angry, But can't bring himself to get mad at her after losing her lover. The two embrace, with Jim vainly trying to hold back his tears, and comforting Eleven.

After she tells Hopper about the baby, Joseph reveals that there is one thing left for him to do. Robert and Eleven agree to accompany him.

After numerous blood tests and checking through the Hall of Records, Joseph finds out that his mother is buried at Hawkins Cemetery. He leaves a rose at her tombstone, and walks back to Robert and Eleven. Robert asks, "So Joseph..." Before he can finish, Joseph replies, "That name no longer has any meaning to me. I've found my family. I have a name. John Ives. Robert drops his glass, which shatters. "My God! Son?" Joseph replies, "Dad?" They embrace, with Eleven joining in. "I have a father, and a sister!", cried Joseph. They all cry tears of joy.

We cut to Mike's funeral, where the armies of the world have attended to commemorate the loss of a hero. The old gang is in tears. Eleven has flashbacks to all the fun times she had with Mike. She starts smiling, believing that Mike lived a good life. He died young, but lived a good life nonetheless.

THE END

STORY NOTES:

ALTERNATE OPENING SCENE: Flashback to 1959 where Victor Creel is taken off to the psychiatric hospital. Henry Is Also Taken By Martin Brenner in a 1959 Cadillac Ambulance, with the words, "Hawkins National Laboratory" on the sides of the vehicle. The opening credits would play as we see the vehicle driving off to the lab.

DELETED SCENES:

Joseph was to have a romantic relationship with a refugee at the Hawkins High School, going so far as to ask Eleven for relationship advice, and even splitting from the gang to be with the girl. He would then return to the gang to assist in the final battle after she was killed by Mortifier.

During the drive to the UN, there would have been a brief scene where Mike has a conversation with Joseph while driving. Mike would have asked if they would get a speeding ticket. Joseph would reply, "We're going to save the world from a naked telekinetic Freddy Kruger and you're worried about a parking ticket?"

ALTERNATE ENDING

The original ending had Vecna kill Mike, sending Eleven into a rage. Eleven would then proceed to rip Vecna's beating heart out.