It’s been over a year since “Stranger Things” became an out-of-nowhere cultural phenomenon. Millions have enjoyed the critically acclaimed 80’s throwback, and anticipation for a second season is at an all time high. Here’s what you need to know before the show returns this week on October 27th.

The series is about four friends: Dustin, Lucas, Mike, and Will, who attend Hawkins Middle School. In the beginning of Season 1, the companions learn that Will Byers, one of their own, was kidnapped by The Demogorgon, a bloodthirsty monster that terrorizes the citizens of Hawkins by abducting people and taking them to an alternate dimension called The Upside Down. The Hawkins Police Department leads a search party to try and locate Will, and as the pursuit continues, the people of Hawkins gradually become familiar with the supernatural events occurring in their town.  Meanwhile, as the four boys set out on their own mission to find Will, they stumble upon Eleven, a scrawny, bald headed girl who turns out to have psychic and telekinetic powers.

By the end of the first season, the boys eventually find Will, and he returns to his family. In a final battle with The Demogorgon, Eleven reveals the depth of her telekinetic power and destroys the haunting creature. Unfortunately, the brave heroine dissolves into a million pieces while doing so. Her whereabouts or alleged death are never confirmed during season 1, so we can expect to learn more about this in the following season.

The entire second season takes place around Halloween in 1984, and it’s going to be a lot  scarier than the first. The creators of the series, The Duffer Brothers, have confirmed that the new season will “feel more like a sequel”, and executive producer Dan Cohen said the new season will be “Bigger and Badder and Darker.”

Fortunately, all of the boys are alive and back for the upcoming season, including Eleven. However, Barbara Holland, a side character in the show, will not be returning for the new season.

The Duffers say that they want to delve deeper into The Upside Down, the alternate dimension mentioned earlier. The brothers spoke to Entertainment Weekly, and gave some sneak peeks at what they had in store: “We kind of just peeled back the curtain and revealed a tiny bit of the Upside Down,” said Matt, “So we definitely want to explore a little bit more…  There’s a lot we don’t know about the Upside Down at the end of season 1.”

“We obviously have this gate to another dimension, which is still very much open in the town of Hawkins… We really don’t go in there much until they go in to find Will at the end. So we’ve opened up this doorway, and to us it’s exciting to talk about… There’s a lot more mystery there to be solved,” added Ross.

Before the debut of season 2 of “Stranger Things”, season 3 has already been confirmed. In an interview with The Verge, Ross Duffers said that the series will most likely be “ a four-season thing and then out.”

Of course, most fans don’t like the sound of “Stranger Things” going away anytime soon, but we all at least have two more seasons to binge-watch and enjoy. So, this weekend, grab a blanket and a junky snack or two, and binge your way through this season as much as you can.