'Stranger Things' Season 3 Photos: School May Be Out, But Evil Isn't On Vacation

As the summer heats up, the third season of Stranger Things isn't too far off. The new episodes will attempt to pull you away from the incessant fireworks that will be going off on July 4, but before we get a chance to binge the latest adventure in Hawkins, Indiana, a new batch of photos has arrived from Netflix showing Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown), Mike Wheeler (Finn Wolfhard), Will Byers (Noah Schnapp), Lucas Sinclair (Caleb McLaughlin), Dustin Henderson (Gaten Matarazzo), and Max (Sadie Sink) mostly enjoying the summer. But there's clearly some kind of new evil lurking in Hawkins that will interrupt their fun.

Summer is alive and well in Hawkins, Indiana. The gang enjoys some time in a field on a hot summer day, and as we've seen in the most recent trailer, they're building some kind of antenna. We're not sure what kind of signal they're trying to pick up, but it's certainly one way to stay occupied outside. Meanwhile, it looks like Eleven is enjoying some ice cream with Max, possibly on some kind of field trip for the last day of school, and it looks like she and Mike are spending some friendly time together.

With the new Starcourt Mall in Hawkins, we know Steve Harrington (Joe Kerry) has a new job working at the Scoops Ahoy ice cream shop with new character Robin (Maya Thurman-Hawke). And it looks like that bromance between Steve and Dustin is only getting stronger. Not only were the two being quite nerdy in that last trailer for the new season, but they appear to be spying on somebody in the mall. Is there something mysterious going on, or are they spying on Dustin's crush, Max?

Meanwhile, it looks like maybe the excitement of the mall isn't all its cracked up to be after awhile. Mike, Will and Lucas sit in the middle of the mall looking bored as hell. They probably won't be bored for long though.

It wouldn't be Stranger Things without some ominous stuff going down. Here, Nancy Wheeler (Natalia Dyer) and Jonathan Byers (Charlie Heaton) appear to be a little worried in whatever dingy location they find themselves in. Trying to get the press to take notice of all the conspiracies around Hawkins has probably made them subjects of interest to some dangerous people.

It looks like Eleven continues to develop her powers. With a blindfold on and her friends watching, I wouldn't be surprised if Eleven is doing a variety of things with her mind to see how much she can really do. Lucas looks a little concerned, so maybe she pushes herself too far.

Meanwhile, the whole gang seems to encounter something mysterious. In the living room of someone's house, they look rather concerned, perhaps with something that happened off-camera. It should be noted that Dustin isn't in this scene, so hopefully he's all right. He's also not in the shot above where that whole group is standing outside of the hospital, seemingly near the emergency room. Maybe Dustin got hurt somehow, perhaps by that new monster we've seen in the trailer.

Here's a good shot of Cary Elwes as Mayor Kline, a new character this season. This appears to be at a big opening of some kind. We know he's responsible for bringing the mall to Hawkins, which doesn't rub all the citizens of the town the right way. But there's also a big carnival happening too, so he could be kicking that off as well. Either way, we've learned not to trust mayors in movies over the years, and I wouldn't be surprised if this is the kind of situation where we get a mayor like the one from Jaws.

Beyond those, here's a collection of the rest of the pictures release by Netflix for Stranger Things season three:

It's 1985 in Hawkins, Indiana, and summer's heating up. School's out, there's a brand new mall in town, and the Hawkins crew are on the cusp of adulthood. Romance blossoms and complicates the group's dynamic, and they'll have to figure out how to grow up without growing apart. Meanwhile, danger looms. When the town's threatened by enemies old and new, Eleven and her friends are reminded that evil never ends; it evolves. Now they'll have to band together to survive, and remember that friendship is always stronger than fear.

Stranger Things season three hits Netflix on July 4, 2019.