Stranger Things Season 4’s Mind Lair ‘recreated’ for Pinoy fans
Just nights before the release of the muchawaited second volume of the hit show, Stranger Things Season 4, a piece of Makati glowed a menacing red with a special installation of the Mind Lair, courtesy of Netflix Philippines.
Vecna’s Curse, named after the sci-fi show’s most popular villain to date, allows fans to experience what it’s really like to be afflicted with his curse and traverse the undead creature’s mindscape.
Located at Glorietta 4’s Activity Center, a striking simulation of the Mind Lair has filled the whole area with black spire-like material, some of which fans could stand in to pose and snap photos as Vecna’s next victim.
From all over the floor to all the way up to the different levels of the mall, pieces of hardened black sludge were scattered to spotlight the star of the installation, a massive statue of Vecna right in the middle of his Mindscape.
On Wednesday, June 29, we took the first look and experienced the Mind Lair under Vecna’s hands — willingly, of course.
Just like in the series, we got the full experience as Vecna’s victims as we were greeted with all-out crimson beams, smoke and mist just like in the creature’s mindscape. On the floors, there were deliberate invites to surrender to the villain for rockin’ photos.
Though the promised lights mapping show did not push through, it was made better after the second volume’s trailer premiered in front of the press and the substantial crowd which gathered just to take a peek at the installation.
The night didn’t end there, two cosplayers dressed up as Vecna and Max performed the iconic scene when she was brought under the creature’s curse.
The performers who brought to life the Season 4 duo — Vecna and Max —- were Prince and Awie de Guzman, a real-life couple, wellloved by the local cosplay community.
Prince, who is also a content creator with over a million subscribers on YouTube, told The STAR that he and his team made his Vecna costume with latex and foam for almost a month.
“It was truly an honor because when I first saw the depth of Vecna’s character from Season 4, he was truly a relatable villain. Also, Jamie Bower did an impeccable performance as Vecna so being tapped by Netflix, even if it was just a cosplay, there is a monster suit to fill in,” he said referring to his opportunity to become Vecna for a night.
As for Awie, the professional cosplayer shared how the true-to-life installation helped her tap into her inner Max Mayfield.
“I honestly had a hard time finding Prince as Vecna because he blended well with the pillars, and I actually tripped in one of the veins on the floor during rehearsals, it’s amazing. But the Mind Lair looking exactly the same as from the show, helped me get the feel of becoming Max and performing that short skit from the iconic scene.”
Catch Stranger Things 4: Volume 2 exclusively on Netflix. he’s cut those off, and so would have all those scars. And that’s when you really get to start playing with it and experiment as you film. You know, you discover it as you go.”
Interestingly, Bale decided to accept the Gorr role and head to Australia to film Thor: Love and Thunder upon the encouragement of his children. “I explained (that) it would mean leaving Los Angeles, and my kids said, ‘We’re going!’” he recalled in a separate interview. “This is really the only film that my entire family has said I have to do.”
He was also attracted to “just the notion of this guy … I mean, he’s Gorr the god butcher, right? The name kind of tells you who he is. Straight away, you know he’s a serial killer bent on killing gods. But it’s a lovely tale, actually. He’s upset and confused, and comes to an epiphany.”
Bale’s co-stars — from Hemsworth, Natalie Portman as The Mighty Thor, to Tessa Thompson as Valkyrie — were all praises for his “mesmerizing” performance.
Said Hemsworth, “There’s so much drama and insanity around Gorr, but Christian Bale managed to pull the focus right into each moment. You can’t take your eyes off him. The character is fascinating because, like all good villains, Gorr has a point.”