Stranger Things' New Monster Was Made Using A Very Special NSFW Ingredient

Anyone who's binge-watched part one of Stranger Things season four will be well aware of the new baddie wreaking havoc upon Hawkins.

And if you haven't, let us introduce to to Vecna, a human-like monstrous creature who looks, thinks and terrorises in an altogether different way to the Netflix show's previous antagonists such as the Demogorgon and the Mind-Flayer.

There's a major reason for this, which we find out in episode seven – but don't fret if you haven't seen it yet, this is a spoiler-free territory.

No, instead we're here to talk about how the showrunner brothers Matt and Ross Duffer achieved Vecna's unique look and it involves a NSFW special ingredient.

This is all thanks to prosthetics legend Barrie Gower, who was called on to help design the gruesome villain.

In a recent interview with The Verge, he said that alongside artist Michael Maher Jr., the Duffers and the visual effects team, he utilised numerous techniques that were pioneered back in the 80s.

Netflix

But they were also able to utilise modern materials, including - ahem - lube.

Yes, in order to achieve Vecna's slimy appearance, they turned to K-Y Jelly after realising that painting his prosthetics with a glossy silicone layer wasn't quite enough.

“On the day he has to be super slimy, so we use products like K-Y Jelly. There’s a product called UltraWet, which is kind of like a clear gel that we’d slather all over him,” Gower told the publication. “It’s the kind of thing where on set you’d put your hand on his shoulder and regret you did it because you’re covered in slime.”

As for the rest of the monster costume, the team created a number of different pieces that were glued onto the actor's skin in place of a rubber suit.

Alamy

Although this meant it took between six to seven hours to assemble, it gave the actor the ability to move more freely and avoid sweating buckets while shooting.

Gower added: “Most importantly, the actor has to go to the loo at some point during the day. So you have a special undercarriage that went under some cycling shorts so he could open a special Vecna pouch and go to the loo.”

While the developers turned back to the era in which Stranger Things is set when creating the look, they also benefitted from some finishing touches from the VFX team, including Vecna's moving tendons.

Netflix

But they didn't go overboard, something Gower was grateful for, stating: “We’ve worked on shows before where we would create characters, and as far as you’re aware that’s how they would play in the final edit. And then you see the show and think ‘Where’s the character we did? This has been completely painted over.’

"That wasn’t the case at all [on Stranger Things]. It was this lovely collaboration with VFX.”

Part one of the fourth season of Stranger Things is now available to stream on Netflix.

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