All 8 New Upside Down Creatures In Stranger Things: Tales From ’85

Warning! This article contains spoilers for Stranger Things: Tales from ’85.

Stranger Things: Tales from ’85 gives the show’s characters many monsters to fight, linking back to the Upside Down. One of the biggest story reveals in Stranger Things: Tales from ’85 is that a man named Daniel Fischer, who once worked at Hawkins Lab, used the plant-based experiments of his partner, Anna, on vines from the Upside Down. This blended the other realm of Stranger Things with the world of plants and evolution.

Originally, Anna’s serum was intended as a way to help crops regrow after they had exceeded their shelf life. Dan took this a step further after having worked in Hawkins Lab, leading to the testing on Upside Down elements. What came from this spawned Stranger Things‘ first spin-off, one that tells a story about Upside Down-like creatures, though without the connection to Vecna.

As a result, this gives Stranger Things: Tales from ’85‘s characters a host of new creatures to face off with, set between seasons 2 and 3 of the main show. Some of these monsters are inventive new creations that link to the plant side of the story at hand, though with classic characteristics of Stranger Things‘ Upside Down creatures like Demogorgons and Demodogs.

From the regular minions of Stranger Things: Tales from ’85‘s main villain to the more unique creatures, here is every one of the new monsters introduced in the Netflix spin-off.

8

Dirtbag Charlie’s Insectoid Vine Monster

The first proper monster introduced in Stranger Things: Tales from ’85 is created after one of Dustin’s bullies, Dirtbag Charlie, is chosen as the host by a sentient vine. After being taken, Charlie’s monster reemerges and attacks Stranger Things: Tales from ’85‘s Nikki, the new main character of the show. Thankfully, Eleven, Mike, Will, Dustin, Lucas, and Max are on hand to help Nikki fight him off.

Charlie’s monster is one of the more unique in the show, looking quite different from most other Upside Down creatures. It looks akin to an insect, with many legs that end in sharp talons. It has the typical maw-like mouth of Upside Down creatures, only much wider, almost akin to the sandworms from Dune. Alongside spikes along its back, Charlie’s vine monster is highly insectoid and defeated by Eleven in the opening moments of Stranger Things: Tales from ’85 episode 2.

7

The Pumpkin Zombies (Jerk O’Lanterns)

Another of the more original, fun monster designs in Stranger Things: Tales from ’85 comes in episode 2, as Max and Lucas investigate claims of a creature terrorizing a local farm. Given the plant-like origins of the show’s main villain, the farm is being attacked due to its produce, which the vines can infect, creating Pumpkin Zombies or, as Dustin calls them, the Jerk O’Lanterns.

These creatures have the head of a pumpkin and a mouth full of sharp teeth, with vines stretching out beneath to create a skinny, humanoid body. Waving vines then protrude from the top of the pumpkin to latch onto prey. There are hundreds of Pumpkin Zombies in Stranger Things: Tales from ’85 episode 2, which Max and Lucas dispatch using a combine harvester.

6

Aboleth

One of the few named monsters introduced in Stranger Things: Tales from ’85 is teased in the final moments of episode 2 and battled in the opening minutes of episode 3: Aboleth. This creature is the result of a pie-eating contest at a local fair, with the pies made from crops grown on the aforementioned farm. Therefore, one of Dustin’s schoolmates and pie-eating rival, Rosario, is infected.

Rosario’s monster grows huge, with its defining characteristic a giant head that serves as a single, maw-like mouth. Tiny legs are sprouting from the bottom of it, though it uses huge vines that protrude like a web to move around in the air by clinging to trees. Eleven eventually defeats Aboleth, named for its similarities to the Dungeons & Dragons monster of the same name, by stabbing it with its own vines, freeing Rosario.

5

The Lumber Mill Dog-Like Vine Monsters

Two of the monsters that serve as key antagonists for the middle few episodes of Stranger Things: Tales from ’85 are dog-like vine creatures. They are created using two lumber workers, who are eventually freed by Eleven. However, fitting with the show’s theme of evolution, these monsters do not die after losing their host like the last few.

These vine monsters are much bigger than the others with huge front “paws” and smaller back “paws”, almost like Ben 10‘s Wildmutt. Eventually, the creatures are incinerated with the help of Steve in Stranger Things: Tales from ’85 episode 4.

4

Jeff Nelson’s Vine Creature

When Charlie was taken by the vines in Stranger Things: Tales from ’85, so too was another bully, Jeff Nelson. Jeff is kept in the sewers beneath Hawkins and revealed in episode 5’s final moments. Admittedly, this creature is one of the more basic designs in the show, in that it shares the most similarities with the Demodogs and Demogorgons.

It is a quadruped, though able to stand on two legs. It has the four-petalled maw of the other Demo creatures, with its only real difference being the vine-like constitution and the extendable vines it can use to attack its prey. Jeff is freed from the creature by Lucas and Max, the former of whom cuts it in half using a sewer gate.

3

Coach-Killing Vine Monster

In the final moments of Stranger Things: Tales from ’85 episode 6, the coach from Hawkins Middle School is seemingly killed by a vine monster. This creature looks very similar to Jeff Nelson’s, only it is much bigger in scale. Aside from this size difference, there are essentially no differences between the two creatures, with this one eventually being defeated by being set on fire.

2

Hordak’s Minions

As with Jeff’s creature and the monster that killed the coach, there are several other basic minions of the main villain in Stranger Things: Tales from ’85. These vine creatures look almost identical to the last two mentioned, with little to no differences at all.

1

Hordak

However, the main villain of Stranger Things: Tales from ’85 is called Hordak, and is much more unique than its minions. Hordak is the main source of the plant-like hive mind and a giant kaiju version of what came before it. Hordak glows green and has huge spiky vines sticking out all over its body, as well as the vines it can use as weapons, like Jeff Nelson’s creature could.

Hordak’s vines and powers are strong enough to open Gates to the Upside Down, as it tries to do in Stranger Things: Tales from ’85‘s finale. Hordak’s most defining feature is its head, which looks almost like that of a pterodactyl, though much bigger. On either side of this head are five huge eyes, giving Hordak 10 in total. Eventually, Hordak is defeated by Nikki’s electric-based canon, though Stranger Things: Tales from ’85‘s final shot teases it still has life left in the form of a new maw-like plant.

Release Date

April 23, 2026

Network

Netflix

Showrunner

Eric Robles

Directors

Phil Allora

Writers

Jennifer Muro

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  Brooklyn Davey Norstedt

  Eleven

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  Odessa A’zion

  Nikki Baxter