It’s settled: James Hetfield had the best Halloween costume this year

When Master of Puppets was featured in the finale of the fourth season of Stranger Things earlier this year, Metallica were thrust into the mainstream, thanks to a torrent of new listeners eager to learn the origins of the 1986 thrash metal classic that main character Eddie Munson nails during the episode.

So perhaps we should have seen it coming – admittedly, we didn’t – that a member of Metallica would pay tribute to the show during this year’s Halloween festivities.

Frontman James Hetfield did exactly that, and it’s safe to say that with his Eddie Munson-inspired getup – complete with a black long-haired wig, leather jacket, sleeveless denim overcoat and high-top white sneakers – he wins Halloween 2022.

A new photo posted to Metallica’s Instagram page shows Hetfield throwing a classic pose made by Munson – played by actor Joseph Quinn – during the series, with the accompanying caption: “Eddie Munson says Happy Halloween!”

Earlier this year, Metallica said they were “stoked” on Master of Puppets’ scene-stealing role during the finale of season four of Stranger Things.

“The way the Duffer Brothers have incorporated music into Stranger Things has always been next level, so we were beyond psyched for them to not only include Master of Puppets in the show, but to have such a pivotal scene built around it,” the band wrote on Instagram.

“We were all stoked to see the final result and when we did we were totally blown away. It’s so extremely well done, so much so, that some folks were able to guess the song just by seeing a few seconds of Joseph Quinn’s hands in the trailer – how crazy cool is that?

"It’s an incredible honor to be such a big part of Eddie’s journey and to once again be keeping company with all of the other amazing artists featured in the show."

Following the hype surrounding the season finale of Stranger Things, Metallica invited Eddie Munson actor Joseph Quinn to jam with them backstage at this year’s Lollapalooza festival.

After playing Master of Puppets’ opening riff together, guitarist Kirk Hammett told Quinn, “You’re hired”, with drummer Lars Ulrich adding, “I’d like to make an announcement: Metallica is now a five-piece, guys.”

Master of Puppets wasn’t the only track to have gone viral as a result of being featured in Stranger Things. Kate Bush’s Running Up That Hill was also featured in episode four of season four, causing it to launch to the top of the charts.

The track subsequently became the subject of many guitar-led covers, and according to NME, had earned Bush $2.3 million since its inclusion in the show until July 4.