Every Monster in ‘Stranger Things’, Ranked by How Scary They Are

In Stranger Things, Hawkins, Indiana has quite a recurring monster issue. Ever since Eleven (Millie Bobby-Brown) accidentally opened a gateway to the Upside Down, the Hawkins crew has had to fight increasingly terrifying monsters every season. At this point, the characters have gone up against every kind of being, from packs of Demodogs to flocks of Demobats. But how do the Stranger Things monsters rank against each other, from least to most deadly?

The Upside Down may be gearing up for an epic battle in its final season, so the Hawkins heroes must know precisely which monsters are the most terrifying and how to defeat them. Although many fictional beings are just as iconic and horrifying as Stranger Things ones, there is no doubt that the shows’ creatures certainly stand out among the rest.

Watch on Netflix

7 The Vines

A terrifying mix between a plant and an animal

Underneath Hawkins, connecting the town to its dark counterpart, lay sentient, terrifying vines. They resemble tentacles and are super-strong, capable of tying up anyone they lure into their trap. The vines are also connected to a hive mind, so if one is alerted, the rest attack, which is part of what makes them so terrifying.

The sentient vines, also referred to as tendrils, can move on their own and bind and tangle up over many things, including unsuspecting people that they take as their victims. Furthermore, making up part of the Mind Flayer’s hive mind, the tendrils do, however, seem to be vulnerable to brute force and fire. They can be seen on multiple occasions on the show and frequently emerging from within interdimensional gates, sprawling across the surrounding surface. When Will Byers — who is set to be an essential part of Stranger Things season 5 — was strung up in the Upside Down equivalent of Hawkins public library, he was attached to a deadly vine.

6 Demobats

Flying predatory creatures

Every season of Stranger Things seems to introduce yet another version of demo monsters. In season 4, it’s the Demobats’ turn. These perturbing creatures are small, have a bat-like appearance, and are eyeless with a gaping toothy maw. Steve Harrington (Joe Keery) encounters them in the Upside Down after getting pulled into the demonic dimension.

While Demobats attempt to strangle Steve, he luckily comes out on top. They quickly swarm him and attack, one wrapping him around his neck until he bites its head off in a “very Ozzy move” (making for one of the most memorable scenes in the show), according to Joseph Quinn‘s fan-favorite character Eddie Munson. Controlled by the Vecna, the Demobats can be distracted and lured to a specific location using loud noises. Because they’re connected to the Upside Down’s hive mind, they act as Vecna’s spies throughout the dimension.

5 Demodogs

The Demogorgon in adolescent form

Season 2 introduces audiences to another Demogorgon species, but they’re not fully grown this time. The treasured, fan-favorite Dustin Henderson (Gaten Matarazzo), who quickly went from sidekick to leader, finds one and nicknames him “Dart.” Little did he know he would see it quickly grow from a lizard-sized to a dog-sized monster.

The Demodogs aren’t as strong as the full-gown Demogorgon. Nevertheless, Demodogs are vicious and hard to kill, especially when there are so many of them (and the Mind Flayer is controlling them all via the hive mind). Still, the Demodog has proven to be a somewhat empathetic creature; this is seen in the scene where it ignores the Mind Flayer and chooses not to attack Dustin in the tunnels, recognizing him as a friend.

4 The Demogorgon

A grotesque humanoid being

The original Stranger Things monster, the Demogorgon, was the first horror from the Upside Down seen in Hawkins in season 1. There is no doubt that it had a huge impact on the series. When it comes to its physical appearance, this humanoid creature is tall and has a gaping, terrifying mouth in place of a face. It is shaped like a flower to reveal “petals” lined with sharp teeth. Furthermore, it possesses extraordinary supernatural abilities, such as telekinesis, superhuman strength, durability, and regenerative healing.

As a rule, Demogorgons are very hard to kill, as they are swift and strong. And while Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) holds the power to defeat the monster using her telekinesis powers, she is also part of the reason it landed on Hawkins in the first place. There are multiple Demogorgons in the series; what’s so terrifying about these creatures is that they can be trained to become stronger and even more murderous, which viewers see the Russians doing in season 4. Its name is, of course, inspired by the Dungeons & Dragons creature.

3 The Spider Monster

A spider-shaped creature of sheer horror

The Spider Monster is a disgusting, fleshy, and overall terrifying spider-shaped monster. It was created to act as a physical body for the part of the Mind Flayer that had been trapped in Hawkins after the closure of the Gate.

The frightening creature emerged from Brimborn Steel Works to terrorize Hawkins and was sent after Eleven and her friends in season 3 as a weapon of the Mind Flayer, formed from the remains of its victims and only capable of being stopped if it is cut off from the hive mind. In a heroic redemption arc for Billy Hargrove (Dacre Montgomery), he does this by temporarily breaking the Mind Flayer’s control over him and sacrificing himself to save the others. This Stranger Things monster is indeed frightening, mostly given its size and the psychic link to the Upside Down under the Mind Flayer’s control, which enables it to possess dozens of residents.

2 The Mind Flayer

A mysterious entity made up of black particles

The big, bad villain of seasons two and three, The Mind Flayer is a tentacled shadow monster that attacks physically and can also possess and control its victims. In season 2, this bizarre being (which is among the scariest Stranger Things creatures) growing control over Will Byers (Noah Schnapp) was the season’s central plot point. Mike (Finn Wolfhard) and Will’s family are eventually able to defeat him by using good memories to remind Will who he is.

It returns in season 3 in the form of the spider monster to seize control of even more Hawkins high schoolers, and all other residents the same, carrying out its evil plans. The Mind Flayer controls the other monsters to carry out Vecna’s plan of wiping out all of humanity and the Upside Down by taking over the real world. Made up entirely of silver-black particles, this evil spider-like being is Vecna’s most well-crafted and prized mascot, which is what makes it so horrifying. It shares a collective consciousness and possesses outstanding abilities, such as weather manipulation and high-speed travel.

1 Vecna

The mastermind behind it all

Vecna, AKA Henry Creel (Jamie Campbell Bower and Raphael Luce), is a human who is transformed into a noseless, grotesque monster when banished to the Upside Down by Eleven. He is covered in gross, raw-looking flesh and monstrous tentacles. This key character is responsible for everything during all seasons. His targets? Victims he can easily mentally torment, feeding off their pain and trauma and murdering them in absolutely horrifying ways.

When it comes to monsters in Stranger Things, Henry definitely stands out among the rest, as he was the first supernatural child subjected to the same experiments Eleven underwent in Hawkins Lab with terrible results. He starts his murderous streak as a young child, then kills the rest of the kids in Hawkins Lab years later. He returns as Vecna to murder four unsuspecting victims to carry out the plan of having the Upside Down take over the world, starting with Hawkins. Without a doubt, Vecna is the show’s best villain and is extremely hard to defeat, with Eleven being the only one who might have the power to stop him. Still, he has done irreversible damage to the fictional world, standing tall as the most fearsome character in the bunch, and certainly the most terrifying monster from Stranger Things.

NEXT:Iconic Villains From Science-Fiction Movies Who Aren’t Monsters or Aliens