Spoilers are ahead for key plot points in Horizon: An American Saga—Chapter 1.
Summary
-
Horizon: An American Saga—Chapter 1
features Jamie Campbell Bower as a villain, echoing his acclaimed
Stranger Things
role. - Although Jamie Campbell Bower’s portrayal of the villainous Vecna in
Stranger Things
proved his chops, the actor’s
Horizon
character was the first to die a satisfying on-screen death. -
Stranger Things
season 5 will follow in Kevin Costner’s Western epic’s footsteps by killing off Bower’s villain.
With Horizon: An American Saga—Chapter 1, Kevin Costner beat Netflix’s Stranger Things to a shared actor’s major character death — and it serves as a tease of the (hopefully) satisfying conclusion to Stranger Things season 5. Written, directed, and produced by Costner, who also leads Horizon‘s cast, Chapter 1 is the first in a planned four-part epic movie series. Unfortunately, a lot went wrong with Costner’s Yellowstone replacement. After getting panned by critics, the first installment in the Western saga grossed $34.3 million in theaters, which convinced Warner Bros. to pull Chapter 2 from its theatrical release schedule.
While the future of Costner’s $100 million Western franchise is unclear, its release on streaming platform Max could prove beneficial. Since production on the third and fourth installments is already underway, both Costner and Warner Bros. have invested a lot into the multi-movie project. A slow-burn exposition dump, Horizon Chapter 1‘s ending teases that more compelling threads are ahead for the saga’s characters. Although very little went right for Costner’s passion project, Horizon — in a very weird twist of fate — does give viewers a sense of what to expect from Stranger Things‘ highly anticipated villain death.
Kevin Costner’s Horizon Chapter 1 Kills Jamie Campbell Bower’s Villain Before Stranger Things Season 5
The Actor Received Praise For His Villainous Turn In Stranger Things Long Before Horizon’s Release
Although Costner leads Horizon‘s cast of characters as Hayes Ellison, the saga’s ensemble is packed with top-notch performers, including Jamie Campbell Bower (The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones). After landing major roles in franchises like Fantastic Beasts and the Twilight Saga, Bower received massive critical acclaim for his portrayal of Henry Creel — also known as the monstrous Vecna — in Stranger Things season 4. An entity from the Upside Down, Vecna haunts his victims with searing visions of their traumas before brutally murdering them. Unfortunately for the Hawkins gang, Bower’s malevolent being survives Stranger Things season 4’s ending.
Jamie Campbell Bower… cut his villain chops in Stranger Things.
The mastermind behind all the events of the series, Jamie Campbell Bower’s Vecna was experimented on as a child — much like Mille Bobby Brown’s Eleven. Unlike El, however, the super-powered Subject 001 is a misanthropic psychopath. His true nature, combined with the fact that he’s the ruler of the Upside Down, makes Vecna a true force to be reckoned with. Bower may have cut his villain chops in Stranger Things, but he leans back on this strength in Horizon, playing the equally psychopathic Caleb Sykes. Thankfully, however, Bower’s Caleb is killed by Costner’s Hayes in Horizon Chapter 1.
Jamie Campbell Bower’s Death Scene In Horizon: An American Saga Chapter 1 Is Excellent
Kevin Costner’s Character Kills Bower’s Caleb Sykes In A Shootout
About mid-way through Horizon: An American Saga—Chapter 1, Hayes Ellison kills Caleb Skyes in a thrilling shootout. Earlier in the film, Lucy (Jena Malone) shoots the menacing James Sykes (Charles Halford), prompting the Skyes family’s matriarch (Dale Dickey) to send her sons after Lucy, who flees south to Wyoming with her own son, Sam. Married to felonious businessman Walter Childs (Michael Angarano) and living under a new name, Lucy takes a trip to one of her new husband’s “gold-rich” land sales. However, the land buyers are none other than the Skyes brothers, Caleb and Junior (Jon Beavers).
The subsequent shootout in Lucy’s home ends with Hayes killing the villainous Caleb.
Caleb brutally murders Walter before ordering his men to kidnap Lucy. Afterward, Junior instructs Caleb to hunt down Sam. Before leaving home, Lucy had entrusted her co-resident, a sex worker named Marigold (Abbey Lee), with watching over Sam. In a twist of fate, one of Marigold’s customers is horse trader Hayes Ellison. When Caleb turns up to get Sam, Hayes realizes that the unhinged Caleb will kill anyone in his path, including Marigold. The subsequent shootout in Lucy’s home ends with Hayes killing the villainous Caleb.
Stranger Things Season 5 Is Sure To Copy Horizon Chapter 1 & Kill Jamie Campbell Bower’s Villain Again
Netflix’s Stranger Things Must End With Vecna’s Death
Although Horizon beat Stranger Things to killing off one of Jamie Campbell Bower’s most malevolent characters, it’s clear that the Netflix show’s fifth and final outing will also end with Vecna’s death — one way or another. In Stranger Things season 4, it’s revealed that, in the past, Eleven overpowered Bower’s character, sending him to the Upside Down, where he gradually transformed into Vecna. Whether or not the darkest Stranger Things theories about Vecna come to pass, it will be even more satisfying to see the Upside Down’s ruler die than even Horizon‘s monstrous Caleb.
Horizon: An American Saga—Chapter 1 is streaming on Max.