Cary Elwes Says Stranger Things Is 'Much More Terrifying' Than His Time Filming Saw
Cary Elwes, the man who played Dr. Lawrence Gordon in "Saw," joined the "Stranger Things" cast in its third season. Enlisted to play Mayor Larry Kline, Elwes portrayed a crooked politician with his own interests at heart over the safety of his community. "Stranger Things 3" was the first time fans really got a look at the larger picture of Hawkins. For the first two seasons, the series focused on Will (Noah Schnapp) going missing, Will's lingering connection to the Mind Flayer and the Upside Down, and the group of friends who battled the horrors flooding into their world.
Season 3 really expanded the "Stranger Things" world by giving viewers a larger understanding of what the quaint little town of Hawkins is like. This is partially due to how the Mind Flayer decided to go after Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) and the rest of the gang. Targeting the citizens of Hawkins that were easily manipulated, it took control of many members of the community and eventually led them to their deaths by destroying them and using their remains to build a physical body in our world.
Elwes' portrayal of Mayor Kline helped make the little town feel more well-rounded. Hawkins is supposed to be a quiet and safe town, but even they aren't safe from corrupt politicians. In a way, his existence helps make the "Hawkins curse" feel like it's coming from more than just the Upside Down.
As a horror veteran, Elwes thought Stranger Things was authentically scary
Joemy Blanco interviewed Cary Elwes for ENTAffairTV to hype up "Stranger Things 3." Blanco brought up Elwes' involvement in the "Saw" franchise to lead into a question about the horror of Season 3. Seasons 1 and 2 were known for their creative science-fiction horror aspects, but the show was relatively mild. With an extremely young cast being their main focus at the time, it felt appropriate to keep the horror more palatable to younger audiences and cast members. As the cast got older, though, the scares became more mature, and Season 3 really highlighted that.
When Blanco brought up his role in "Saw" vs. "Stranger Things," Elwes said, "Much more terrifying, much more terrifying. I'm in it and I can tell you, it's much more terrifying." Repeating himself multiple times to drive the point home, Elwes really wanted fans and viewers to know that Season 3 would be unlike anything they'd seen before. "Now they've shown me some episodes to look at and yeah, it's nail-biting stuff."
Considering the reputation that the "Saw" franchise has, especially the earlier installments when Elwes was involved, it's hard to imagine that a show like "Stranger Things" could compare to the scares, but according to Elwes, it does. And that seems truer than ever following the recently concluded 4th season, which did not feature Elwes' character but nonetheless turned up the scares and raised the stakes for the series' young protagonists.