At long last, Stranger Things is set to return to Netflix when season 4 drops on May 27. As you likely know by now, season 4 will arrive in two parts, with the second volume arriving on July 1. Things have changed for our heroes after the epic Battle at Starcourt Mall that capped season 3, with our teenage protagonists growing up and, in the case of the Byers family, moving on, while Sheriff Jim Hopper is on another continent altogether.

The Duffer Brothers, the Stranger Things creators, have promised that season 4 (and season 5) will be bigger, more ambitious, and darker than any of the previous seasons. They’ve also now confirmed to Collider that episodes 7 and 9 in season 4 will be feature-length. As Stranger Things hurtles towards its eventual conclusion at the end of season 5, the stakes are getting higher, and thus, the episodes are getting meatier.

“Episodes 7 and 9 are very, very long episodes,” Ross Duffer told Collider. “Oh, yeah. Those are full-blown movies,” Matt Duffer added. The creators eventually told Collider that the episodes each run over an hour and fifteen minutes. In fact, season 4 was originally supposed to be eight episodes long, but the Duffer brothers realized they needed more time to tell their story. Ross Duffer explained:

“I think we were at least halfway, but I think probably over halfway through this season, were trying to squeeze the story in, and we sat down with our writers, and we said, ‘I don’t think this is feasible in eight episodes’. So we went to Netflix and said, ‘Hey, are you okay if we do one more episode?’, and luckily they were very supportive of that, but that’s how we ended up with that extra episode. But it was not originally planned that way. It wasn’t outlined that way. It was always going to be eight. And then it just ended up being too much story.”

We’ll find out just how much story the Duffer Brothers packed into season 4 when Stranger Things returns on May 27.

For more on Stranger Things, check out these stories:

“Stranger Things” Season 4 Trailer is a Dark, Thrilling Rollercoaster Ride

New “Stranger Things” Season 4 Images Tease Deeper, Darker Horror Vibes

“Stranger Things” to End With Season 5, Massive Season 4 Coming This May

“Stranger Things” Season 4 Trailer Welcomes You To the Creel House