Vecna's Mind Lair key art. The design was based on the storm Eleven enters in Billy's mind in Stranger Things 3 mixed with a little Zdzisław Beksiński (an amazing artist). Only this would be filled with the fragmented memories of Vecna. We used pieces of the Creel House to allow Max and Nancy to later make the connection.
Early designs had Max lifted in the air suspended by vines instead of up against a column as in the final show.
Vine spire column designs with Fred and Chrissy interlocked as trophies.
Early exploration of the Mind Lair. I thought it might be fun to play with a large vortex where fragments of the house were dissolving along with spires containing rotted victims. Everything would be moving. Slowly swirling in a circular motion.
Another early Mind Lair. This one inspired much more by The Cell.
Early sketches showing the web of victims made of slimy, interconnected vines. There was a lot of spider metaphor being tossed around in the early days.
In early iterations of the script, Vecna would drag his victims through a blood filled area on his way to a massive, monolithic structure in the distance. You can see the Beksinski influence here.