Shawn Levy Reveals His Favorite Stranger Things Scenes, Including All-Time Classic

Shawn Levy is known for creating many of the memorable visuals in Stranger Things, and he has a few favorite scenes. The popular Netflix series brought him back to television after he spent the 1990s working on shows like the live-action Animorphs, and then focused on films such as the Night at the Museum movies and Real Steel in the 2000s.

Shawn Levy was involved with Stranger Things from the very beginning. His 21 Laps colleague, Dan Cohen, first showed him the pilot script, and they then secured the rights to produce the show. Since its 2016 debut on Netflix, Levy has directed eight episodes, including two from the upcoming fifth season. He’s also directing the season 5 finale, “The Bridge,” alongside the Duffer brothers.

With the new season of Stranger Things on the way, Ash Crossan from ScreenRant spoke with producer and director Shawn Levy about what fans can expect from volume 1. During their conversation, Levy was asked to share his favorite moment from working on the show, but he admitted it was hard to pick just one.

As a huge fan of ‘Stranger Things’, I was really fascinated to hear the director talk about the climax of the ‘Dear Billy’ episode in season four. He highlighted Sadie Sink’s incredible performance as Max, especially that intense chase scene where she’s trying to escape Vecna. He said those final ten minutes really resonated with audiences worldwide – it was a cultural moment, honestly!

I’ve been fortunate to work on successful projects, and recently, Deadpool & Wolverine was especially rewarding. Seeing something I contributed to connect with audiences worldwide was an incredible experience, and it’s something I’ll always cherish.

Levy then recalled a scene from near the end of the first season’s “The Monster” episode. In it, Millie Bobby Brown’s Eleven barely manages to rescue Finn Wolfhard’s Mike from jumping off a cliff at the quarry after he’s pressured by bullies. The director and executive producer highlighted the incredibly dramatic storytelling of that moment, where Mike almost sacrificed himself for Dustin, played by Gaten Matarazzo.

We didn’t just succeed, but the experience brought everyone together in a genuinely heartfelt – and surprisingly calculating – way. That’s really what makes Stranger Things special. Despite all the intense, scary, and dramatic elements, the show is full of sincere, lovely, and warm moments, and those are the parts I enjoy the most.

Over its almost ten seasons, Stranger Things has delivered many unforgettable moments. Viewers are likely to remember scenes like Eleven using her powers to flip a van in season one, Joyce receiving a warning from Will through Christmas lights, or Hopper’s apparent sacrifice at the end of season three. The show consistently creates visually striking and memorable scenes.

As Levy mentioned, the final scene of the “Dear Billy” episode in Stranger Things season 4 is still a major talking point. Beyond the praise it received, the scene also brought Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill” back into the spotlight. The song soared up the charts, even returning to the Billboard Hot 100, and saw a massive increase in streams – over 9,900% more plays on Spotify.

The quarry scene in season 1 was a key moment for El and Mike’s relationship. The group was already strained because Mike and Lucas disagreed about El’s abilities and her connection to Will’s disappearance. When Mike and Dustin went looking for El, she ended up saving them, and in that moment, she confessed she believed she had opened the gate to the Upside Down. Mike and Dustin helped her deal with the guilt she felt about it.

Despite long waits between seasons and episodes that keep getting bigger, the creators of Stranger Things have consistently worked to combine intense, dramatic scenes with genuine character growth. While splitting the final season into three parts raises concerns about maintaining this balance, the show is guaranteed to be visually stunning, with a reported budget exceeding $480 million.

The first part of Stranger Things season 5 will be available on Netflix starting November 26th. The second part will be released on December 25th, with a final event concluding the season on December 31st.

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2025-11-26 00:39