*shudders*
As the epic conclusion to Stranger Things 4 continues to spark conversation online, some eagle-eyed viewers have noticed something weird going on with the show’s subtitles – and it’s making them feel uncomfortable.
Earlier this month, the Netflix mega-hit concluded with a two-and-a-half hour feature length finale that left fans on the edge of their seat with a cliffhanger ending setting up even more Upside Down chaos in the show’s already-confirmed fifth series.
However while creators Matt and Ross Duffer, professionally known as The Duffer Brothers, keep us waiting for a return to Hawkins, audiences have already begun dissecting series four – and they’ve discovered something odd.
It revolves around the show’s subtitles; specifically with their weird choice of adjectives involving series four big bad, Vecna.
Let’s be honest, there’s never a time where the phrase “squelching wetly” won’t take you a bit off guard and naturally, fans immediately took to Twitter to share their thoughts.
no one:
the subtitles in stranger things: pic.twitter.com/MTJ99swZzQ
— quinnell 🐛 (@galinstem) July 9, 2022
Thought this was bad? It gets worse.
I strive to be as creative as the person who did subtitles for Stranger Things pic.twitter.com/5lFWCzHxPL
— Dalton (@Smurfss__) July 9, 2022
People simply aren’t having it.
Ok but wtf was with the stranger things subtitles… the fuck is *tenticles slapping wetly*
— 🪳 (@toda_gi) July 9, 2022
Stranger Things subtitles be like
[moistly]
[wetly]
[sloppilytoppily]— Chandler Sharp (@ChandlerIsSharp) July 10, 2022
The wording quickly inspired its own memes.
I swear whoever writes the Stranger Things subtitles is just doing it on purpose now.
(This is a meme, but it honestly isn’t far off from the truth.) pic.twitter.com/WCkLvs2Q5p
— InnoVision 3D (@InnoVision3D) July 2, 2022
Now, thanks to a new Vulture interview with Stranger Things‘ in-house subtitles team, we know that all this uncomfortable squelching and undulating was all done on purpose.
“Honestly, ‘[tentacles undulating moistly]’ I’ve seen a lot. I will admit I was trolling a little bit with that,” explained Jeff T., one half of the show’s subtitle team, responding to a question about whether or not he’d noticed online fan-reactions to their descriptive choice of wording.
“Also, in the past year or two, I’ve been watching ASMR streams to figure out which words elicit that kind of response in people, so I’ll grab them and put them in my word bank. ‘Moistly’ pops up a lot in those ASMR streams.”
We’ll give you a moment to regroup.
Meanwhile, co-subtitle writer Karli Witkowska also chimed in on the ‘moist’ situation, adding: “It’s a word where I can name six or seven of my friends who don’t like it. It is supposed to be an uncomfortable situation, and that’s why it was used in the show.”
However Witkowska was quick to remind readers that these subtitles do serve a very valuable and necessary purpose, first and foremost: “What I’ve noticed quite a lot online are people who don’t really understand the subtitles are for the deaf and hard-of-hearing.
“I’ve seen a lot of, Why are the subtitles so overly descriptive? We don’t need these. And I know you don’t, but you weren’t the main audience for subtitles from the start.”
Related links:
- Doja Cat accuses Stranger Things actor of ‘snake sh*t’ after sharing private message exchange
- Stranger Things: Spotify will choose which song would save you from Vecna
- Kate Bush talks about how ‘special’ new Stranger Things audience is and how she was already a fan of hit show