Frank Darabont hadn't directed in fourteen years, but he came out of retirement to direct two episodes of Stranger Things Season 5. Most people know Darabont for directing The Shawshank Redemption (1994), The Mist (2007), episodes of The Walking Dead, and Mob City. But after Mob City, he retired and perhaps never thought he'd return. The Duffer Brothers were huge fans of Darabont and had passed on that message of admiration through his agent.Later, they offered Darabont the chance to direct two episodes of Stranger Things Season 5 after Dan Trachtenberg had to drop out from directing some episodes due to scheduling issues. While Darabont was initially hesitant and took a week to decide, he finally did say yes and directed the episodes The Turnbow Trap and Shock Jock of Stranger Things Season 5. Speaking with Variety, Darabont opened up about directing after fourteen years.Frank Darabont on coming back from retirement to direct Stranger Things Season 5The episode Red Light of Mob City was the last thing Darabont directed before he retired and moved to Monterey with his wife. Frank Darabont and his wife were huge fans of Stranger Things, but Darabont had no idea he would end up directing episodes of the show. After Trachtenberg had to leave the project, the Duffer Brothers asked Darabont to direct an episode of Stranger Things Season 5, and after discussing it with his wife, he accepted. While he was initially asked to direct one episode, he ended up directing two. View this post on Instagram Instagram PostSpeaking to Variety, Darabont opened up about his initial reaction to the offer and how it felt to return to set, saying,"I hadn’t done it in a while, but they said it’s like riding a bicycle: You don’t forget. And they were right. From the first moment on set, there was nothing unfamiliar about the process for me, though it had been about 13 years. The one episode offer wound up being two episodes and six months in Atlanta. It was a hell of a great experience."Darabont also spoke about the differences in the way direction worked earlier and how it works now. Since he retired, a lot of changes have been made, and he was pleasantly surprised, yet happy about them. As he told Variety,"Only on “Mob City” did I finally transition from film to digital, and I ended up loving it. It helps a director so much because you don’t ever have to call a cut. Whenever a director calls cut, the energy on a set dissipates. Now you can just say, “Everybody back to one” and the energy remains where it needs to be. The actors remain in the same headspace as you roll three or four takes before calling cut. I love that aspect of it."He continued, speaking more specifically about his experience on the Stranger Things Season 5 set, saying,"Filmmakers have so many new tools now. [On “Stranger Things”] our DP was shooting with a techno crane, which can sometimes be frustrating, but can do brilliant things. Also the camera operator is no longer where you’d think he is. He’s not by the camera anymore, but often in some tent off to the side. Same with whoever’s pulling focus. They’re longer next to the camera all the time. So much has been outsourced to these technological devices." View this post on Instagram Instagram PostHe also mentioned that the Stranger Things Season 5 crew was one of the reasons he had a great time directing again. As Darabont said,"But I have to praise this crew. They were absolutely wonderful across the board. A director’s relationship with their crew is very important to me, especially the DP and AD, and I had great on both."The Turnbow Trap is one of the episodes Darabont directed, which is part of Volume 1 and was released on November 26, 2025. It featured the Hawkins crew knocking out the Turnbow family (except Tina, who was injected with a drug by Erica when she didn’t eat the pie) and trapping a Demogorgon. They then put a tracker in him so that they can follow him to track Holly, Eleven, and Hopper, who were in the Upside Down. The episode also showed us how Vecna tried to manipulate Holly into believing he’s the good guy. It further revealed to viewers that while Max is in a coma, her consciousness has been trapped in Henry’s memories. View this post on Instagram Instagram PostShock Jock is the other episode of Stranger Things Season 5 that has been directed by Frank Darabont. It is the fifth episode of the season and will be released along with the sixth and seventh episodes on Netflix, at 5 pm on December 25, 2025. The eighth and final episode of the season (and also the show) will be released on New Year's Eve.For more articles like this, follow Soap central.