The fourth season of Stranger Things has premiered on the streaming platform today, with a content warning appearing at the beginning of the first episode following the elementary school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, on Tuesday. Fans looking to dive into the latest series of the sci-fi show, starring Millie Bobby Brown, Winona Ryder, and David Harbour, will be met with a warning message from Netflix, who believe the opening scene of the show may leave some viewers feeling distressed.
The company had recently released the first eight minutes of the new season, which revealed a horrifying timeline of events unfolding in a flashback scene to Eleven’s past at Hawkins Laboratory. Other supernatural children, who possessed similar powers to Eleven, are shown murdered at the lab before she is found covered in blood by Dr. Martin Brenner, implying that she was responsible for the kids’ deaths.
RELATED: Mo’Nique & Lee Daniels End ‘Precious’ Feud & Will Work Together For Netflix Thriller ‘Demon House’
According to Variety, the intense opening scene has prompted Netflix to issue viewers with a warning, which reads, “We filmed this season of Stranger Things a year ago. But given the recent tragic shooting at a school in Texas, viewers may find the opening scene of episode 1 distressing. We are deeply saddened by this unspeakable violence, and our hearts go out to every family mourning a loved one.” The premiere’s description has also been revised and now reads, “Warning: Contains graphic violence involving children’, with ‘disturbing images’ added to the show rating advisories.”
View this post on Instagram
As previously reported, the shooting at Robb Elementary School on Tuesday saw 19 children aged between seven and 10 lose their lives, along with two teachers. The gunman, who was later identified as 18-year-old Salvador Ramos, was killed at the scene, Governor Greg Abbott said in a statement. ABC News claims that Salvador was a student or former student at Uvalde High School, though his upbringing was plagued by bullies who mocked him for his clothes and how he spoke.
Dozens of celebrities have spoken out following the tragedy that has stunned the world, from Taylor Swift to Kourtney Kardashian and Kylie Jenner. Actor Matthew McConaughey was very vocal in the statement posted to his social media accounts, stressing that there need to be stricter gun laws unless people want to continue witnessing such frightening events appear in the news.
“And those of us who are legal and responsible American citizen gun owners, it’s time to join hands. It’s time to get into the arena. It’s time to step up to the line and help heal our country. We must do better,” he wrote in view of his millions of followers.
Taylor chimed in with similar words in a separate post, writing, “Filled with rage and grief, and so broken by the murders in Uvalde. By Buffalo, Laguna Woods and so many others. By the ways in which we, as a nation, have become conditioned to unfathomable and unbearable heartbreak.”
Stranger Things’ first episode of season 4 can now be streamed on Netflix.