Stranger Things 4 taps horror icon Robert Englund to play (what else?) a crazed murderer

1...2...Freddy's coming for Hawkins, Indiana. Netflix has confirmed Robert Englund has joined the cast of Stranger Things' fourth season.

The 73-year-old actor, who became an '80s horror icon for playing Freddy Krueger in the Nightmare on Elm Street films, is said to be playing Victor Creel. Convicted of gruesome murder in the 1950s, Creel's been kept in a a psychiatric hospital ever since. Not much else is known about this character, although we suspect the Mind Flayer may try to use the killer for its own nefarious ends, adding yet another Stephen King-esque wrinkle to the nostalgia-based Netflix series.

Across its first three seasons, Stranger Things has established a grand tradition of casting actors who became massive stars throughout the 1980s, like Winona Ryder (Beetlejuice), Matthew Modine (Full Metal Jacket), Sean Astin (The Goonies), Paul Reiser (Aliens), and Cary Elwes (The Pricess Bride).

Credit: Michael Tullberg/Getty Images

Englund's part is only recurring, but serveral newcomers have boarded the show as regulars: Jamie Campbell Bower (Sweeney Todd), Eduardo Franco (Booksmart), and Joseph Quinn (Catherine the Great). 

Campbell will play another fixture at the psychiatric hospital: Peter Ballard. Described by Netflix as "a caring man who works as an orderly" at the facility, Peter is "tired of the brutality he witnesses day after day [and] may be poised to take a stand."

Franco is taking up the post of Argyle, whose name may be a tribute to De'voreaux White's character in Die Hard. Jonathan Byers' (Charlie Heaton) new best friend, Argyle is characterized as "a fun-loving stoner who proudly delivers delicious pizza pies for Surfer Boy Pizza."

Quinn, on other hand, has been cast to play Eddie Munson, leader of Hawkins High School's local D&D group known as The Hellfire Club (which is actually the title of the Season 4 premiere). "Hated by those who don’t understand him – and beloved by those who do – Eddie will find himself at the terrifying epicenter of this season’s mystery."

Along with Englund, these actors will also appear in recurring roles:

Tom Wlaschiha (Game of Thrones) as Dmitri, a Soviet guard who becomes friendly with Hopper (David Harbour) after the police chief finds himself trapped at a freezing labor camp in the USSR. Dmitri is smart, cunning, and charming... but can he be trusted? 

Sherman Augustus (Into the Badlands) as Lt. Colonel Sullivan intelligent, "a no-nonsense man who believes he knows how to stop the evil in Hawkins once and for all."

Mason Dye (Bosch) as Jason Carver, a teen who seems to have it all – "he’s handsome, he’s rich, he’s a sports star, and he’s dating the most popular girl in school. But as a new evil threatens Hawkins, Jason’s perfect world begins to unravel…"

Nikola Djuricko (Genius) as Yuri, "a seedy and unpredictable Russian smuggler who loves bad jokes, cold hard cash, and crunchy style peanut butter."

There's no word on when Season 4 will premiere. Production finally restarted last month after months of shutdown caused by COVID-19.