Stranger Things creators issue warning to fans ahead of finale

It's almost here, the grand finale of Stranger Things and the moment when millions of Netflix viewers will get to see how it all wraps up in the end.

Season five of the Netflix show was chopped up into three parts to stagger the viewing experience and depending where you are in the world you can have it seen before the year is out or it'll be the thing ushering in 2026.

For those in the UK, it releases at 1am on New Year's Day, so if you've stayed up for the midnight countdown and don't want to wake up to spoilers you know what to do.

As for what to expect, where Stranger Things last left off there was still plenty up in the air and pretty much all of the major plot threads from the show that were still dangling at the start of season five are to be resolved.

Here's hoping the show which started in 2016 can bow out in 2026 on a high note, and Stranger Things creators the Duffer brothers have been warning fans what to expect from the last episodes.

Speaking to AP Entertainment, Matt and Ross Duffer said viewers were in for a 'dark Christmas' and a 'kind of emotional New Year'.

More specifically, Ross Duffer warned Netflix watchers they should 'prepare for everything' as Stranger Things bowed out with a fifth and final season.

He said: "The fun thing about Stranger Things is that it has a little bit of everything. It is sad at times, but also is joyful and it can be really funny and scary. So I guess just prepare for everything."

His brother Matt then added the bit about the 'dark, dark Christmas' to come while Ross agreed and chimed back in to say there'd be some emotions stirred among the viewing faithful at the turn of the new year.

One of the big things fans are speculating on is who will make it to the end and who will die, the core cast of Stranger Things has swelled to a huge size over the seasons so there's plenty of characters who could meet their fate in the finale.

It's almost time for the end of the story, who will be there at the final curtain? (Netflix)

We're not saying we want Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower) to eviscerate most of the main cast, but he's got plenty of room to take beloved characters down before he's presumably defeated himself.

If there's anyone setting up a Stranger Things dead pool and placing bets on who isn't making it to the end, there are some who think Will Byers (Noah Schnapp) is going to bite it before the credits roll one last time.

They reckon he's the bridge to the Abyss and one of him or Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) is going to have to stay behind and sacrifice themselves to stop all the bad things from leaking through into Hawkins.

Whether that's the case and exactly who won't be making it to the end we'll just have to wait and see.

They did promise us an 'emotional New Year', so we'll see what they serve up.

Stranger Things season five will release its finale on New Year's Eve at 8pm ET (1am on 1 January in the UK).