Strangers Things, the Netflix blockbuster series, looks like it will continue where it left off in 2019, impressing critics and scaring fans.

The US-based supernatural TV drama is a cult favorite and stars Winona Ryder, Finn Wolfhard, and Millie Bobby Brown.

Six months after the bloody conclusion to season three at Battle of Starcourt Mall, series four will be released on Friday.

The Times described it as "a brilliantly dark return for horror unlike any other".

Alex O'Connell gave a 4-star review and said: "If the first seasons were reminiscent of ET the Extra-Terrestrial or Stand by Me, then this one (which is in two volumes, with staggered release) is reminiscent of A Nightmare on Elm Street."

Strangers Things even cast Robert Englund (who played Freddy Krueger the Nightmare on Elm Street movies) in the new series.

The Independent gave the same four-star rating, saying that the new season was "formulaic", but who cares when the formula is so fantastic?

Amanda Whiting wrote, "Some shows change over the course of their long runs; other shows hold on to what made them successful in the first place."

"Stranger Things" flashy fourth season does a lot of the former. It churns through Eighties pop culture references at an alarming pace that makes it worry there won't be enough fuel for the final chapter.

However, some critics were critical of the series' length. The series runs for around 13 hours in nine episodes, with the finale lasting two-and-a half hours.

Chris Bennion wrote a four-star review for The Telegraph, "The latest series Netflix's hit sci fi Eighties horror-homage series is seriously long and almost to self-aware – but it's still irresistible."

"Stranger Things" is an Americana theme park from the 1980s. It is all the more enjoyable when it acknowledges this fact.

He did warn parents about the new demon on the show, which uses nightmares to its most frightening weapon. Bennion said that Vecna's way of killing his victims was truly horrific.