Is ‘Stranger Things’ Based on a True Story?

The long-awaited 4th season of Stranger Things is officially just around the corner, with volume one set to release on Netflix on May 27th. Created by the Duffer brothers, this series shot to fame upon its release back in 2016. Set in the fictional town of Hawkins, Indiana, the series follows a group of friends who, while investigating a young boy’s disappearance, uncover supernatural forces and government experimentations at play in Hawkins.

Season 4 will take off where season 3 left off—with Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) and the Byers family deciding to part ways with Hawkins. However, the supernatural forces are still definitely at play in this town. Specifically, the gang will be exploring the Creel house—a home where a gruesome murder took place in the 1950s. There are plenty of other wonky things going on, too, such as Max (Sadie Sink) inexplicably floating at her brother’s grave.

What is especially exciting is that this fourth season seems to be leaning more towards its horror genre. One of the reasons for Stranger Things‘ popularity is its homage to 80s sci-fi and horror. From E.T. to The Goonies to The Exorcist, the show is teaming with inspiration from past flicks. There is also clear inspiration from Stephen Kings’ various works. While the Duffer brothers gained inspiration from a plethora of fictional content, did they draw from real life, too?

Is Stranger Things based on a true story?

While Stranger Things is not entirely a true story, it was inspired by a real-life conspiracy theory called the Montauk Project. As a matter of fact, the show was actually first pitched with the working title of Montauk before it was changed to Stranger Things and its location changed to a fictional town. Montauk is a village in New York that houses an abandoned military base, Camp Hero. The conspiracy surrounding Montauk began in 1992, based on the questionable account of Preston B. Nichols which was outlined in the book The Montauk Project: Experiments in Time.

Preston claimed to have repressed memories of his own involvement in the Montauk Project. He claimed the military base was the location of secret government experiments involving time travel, mind control, and teleportation. Allegedly, the base had hundreds of employees and operated completely unknown to the Montauk community. Homeless people and local boys were abducted and experimented on, people had physic abilities enhanced, contact with extraterrestrials was made, and a porthole in time opened up. After the experiments were through, everyone involved was brainwashed, killed, or sworn to secrecy, and all records were destroyed.

Preston’s account has largely been debunked and his book is considered science-fiction. Still, many have persisted in the belief that Camp Hero is hiding something nefarious. People have even come forward claiming to have repressed memories of being abducted and experimented on. Still, there has never been any proof that Camp Hero was anything more than just a standard military base. Hence, it’s most accurate to say Stranger Things was based on a conspiracy theory rather than a true story.

(featured image: Netflix)