Netflix adds warning card to Stranger Things 4 launch following Texas school shooting

Published 10:12 27 May 2022 BST

Updated 15:35 27 May 2022 BST

Danny Jones

Netflix adds warning card to Stranger Things 4 launch following Texas school shooting

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The show has warned that the opening moments may be triggering

Netflix have added a trigger warning card to the first episode of Stranger Things 4 following the tragic Texas school shooting earlier this week. The show's fourth season debuted on Friday, May 27, just three days after the 248th US mass shooting in the 147 days of 2022 so far and the 27th school shooting alone. The warning card, first announced by Variety, appears for viewers in America just before the season three recap that auto-plays at the beginning of episode one. It reads as follows: “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.” In addition, the streaming platform has also edited to the description for the series, which now says: “Warning: Contains graphic violence involving children”, as well as “disturbing images” that inform the show's advisory age ratings (T-14).

Potential spoilers ahead

Details explaining what prompted the cautionary Stranger Things 4 trigger warning were already unveiled last week, as Netflix released the first eight minutes of the season premiere as a final teaser on Friday, May 20. The opening scene depicts a massacre involving Eleven's (Millie Bobby Brown) psychokinetic and telepathic powers and shows the dead bodies of several children covered in blood - hence why the studio felt the need to add the warning card. The first seven episodes (volume 1) of Stranger Things 4 are available to watch now on Netflix. The final two episodes - volume 2 - will be released on July 1, 2022.