The skies tore open, red lightning struck the earth and the Mind Flayer brooded over Eden Gardens, Victoria Memorial and Esplanade. No, the Upside Down hasn’t encroached upon the City of Joy, but Instagram creators had a field day bringing the world of monsters and mayhem into Kolkata through AI after Stranger Things Season 5 dropped this week.
It began like a silent movie. A reel or two showing Kolkata landmarks with a hint of gore, lightning and chaos. Soon, it took over our feeds, almost as if it’s Vecna’s world and we are living in it. The edits are fun for sure, but if we have learnt anything from the Netflix show, someone should stop AI from turning Kolkata into the Upside Down that the Hawkins gang went from pillar to post to close.
(mild spoilers for Stranger Things Season 5 ahead)
Vecna’s Victoria
This viral reel reimagines the sky above Victoria Memorial cracking open and a bonechilling whirlwind sweeping away anything in its way. The atmosphere is dark, gloomy, and when Vecna shows up floating in mid-air, you might want to flee the city before it’s too late. Unless there’s a quarantine imposed in the city…
The Mind Flayer above Howrah Bridge
What if you could see the Mind Flayer on your way back home from work one evening? What would you do? A Kolkata content creator has visualised the scene for you. Red skies, black billows of smoke and the shadowy entity rising behind Howrah Bridge. Sounds like quite an after-office party, if you work in hell!
A sunny day at Irish Brewery to a strange one
It starts out as a pleasant day at The Irish Brewery but the next moment, you see the Mind Flayer spreading its petal-jaws in the darkening sky. Soon, the seating area turns into a full-blown demigorgon battle. Would you run? Or would you, like Karen Wheeler in Season 5, high on caffeine (not alcohol), pick up your coffee mug, break the top and stab the monsters in their faces?
ITC Royal Bengal entwined with creepers
It’s never a good day for strange things. But what if a birthday treat or a wedding anniversary at ITC Royal Bengal goes horrifyingly wrong? As soon as you reach the hotel, you see the skies turning red and the creepers from the Upside Down crawling up the roof of the building. Would you run the other way or would you brave up to the storm?
When City of Joy was City of Vecna
A Vecna-occupied Kolkata in reels sure looks thrilling. Until it’s real. Lake Town clock, Biswa Bangla Gate, Eden Gardens, even Esplanade metro station. Every imaginable place in Kolkata was reimagined this week by content creators, creating a never-before-seen face of Kolkata that looked almost surreal. Whatever eldritch storm brewed overhead, one thing is for sure: the City of Joy slipped into an alternate dimension and we were all here for it.
