A year and a half after its successful launch on Netflix, the horror series, “Stranger Things,” has finally returned with a second season to please its viewers. “Stranger Things 2,” launched on Netflix with nine episodes on October 27.

The premise continues one year after the events of the first season, with Halloween fast approaching the fictional 1980’s town of Hawkins, Indiana. As a young boy named Will Byers (Noah Schnapp) and his friends prepare for the festivities, he begins to experience supernatural visions. As things go from bad to worse, his friends, his mother (Winona Ryder), and the Hawkins police chief (David Harbour) realize that they’re signs of a more dangerous force that’s about to bring terror to Hawkins.

“I think some of the pros were the character development, and it was phenomenal,” sophomore Nicole Karol said. “Some of the cons, I guess, was that it was shorter than the first season. A lot of the new characters weren’t as good as I hoped it would be. I liked them, but I didn’t like all of them.”

When the first season “Stranger Things” first aired, it had a few problems, such as the tone feeling out of place at times. But, in season two, the tone is much darker and emotional, similar to a retro horror movie.

“It kind of reminded me of the old horror movie, ‘Alien,’ which I really liked,” sophomore Spencer Owens said.

Unlike most sequels, “Stranger Things 2” manages to incorporate many factors that made the first season a huge hit. The season brings in some unique new characters and shocking plot-twists, and exhibits an amazing editing style. The new characters, like nerdy Bob Newby (Sean Astin), are very solid, because of their personalities and surprise roles in the story.

“I think the second season’s a little slow to start. It didn’t have much attention until episode four,” English teacher Mr. Castagna said. “Pros are that definitely the character development is a lot richer in the second season than it is in the first season.”

The season has one small issue with some of the plot points being a bit predictable. For example, some of the scenes that are meant to be a surprise to the audience only end up to be the exact opposite, because the viewers are able to see what is coming before it happens.

Overall, “Stranger Things 2” is one of the few sequels done right with some major improvements over the first season including the performances, character development, editing, tone, and directing style. Despite a few predictable moments, it’s definitely a must-see for people who are into sci-fi, suspense, the show itself, horror, and 1980s stories. I would rate this season a 9.5/10.