Is Stranger Things based on a true story? Inspiration of the series explored – HITC

Since it first arrived on Netflix in 2016, Stranger Things has grown to become the streaming service’s biggest show, with the whole world coming to a halt to binge a new season when it’s released.

On top of its captivating plot lines and loveable characters, part of the show’s success is thanks to its roots in 80s nostalgia from the music, fashion and endless pop culture references.

As the show is so closely tied to its 80s setting, a number of real-world events become intertwined with Stranger Things’ plot which has left fans wondering if any of the spooky series is based on a true story.

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Is Stranger Things based on a true story?

The Stranger Things story created by the Duffer Brothers is a work of fiction and creatures such as the Demogorgon and Mind Flayer don’t really exist.

However, some elements of Stranger Things are rooted in real-world events and organisations.

The biggest real-world inspiration behind the series is the US government programme called MKUltra which ran during the 1950s and 60s when the country was locked in the Cold War with Russia and saw patients subjected to experimentation similar to that scene in the Hawkins lab.

As Digital Spy details, another source of inspiration for the Duffer Brothers came from the government conspiracy called the Montauk Project which claims that a man named Alfred Bielek and his brother Duncan apparently managed to open a hole in hyperspace during their experiments.

According to the theory, the brothers’ experiments allowed them to travel in time and supposedly released a monster into our world called the “Beast” by author Preston B Nichols who claims to have repressed memories of the Montauk Project.

However, as Digital Spy notes, numerous experts have their doubts about the real-world validity of the Montauk theory but the parallels between the conspiracy and the story of Stranger Things are clear to see.

The MKUltra experiments that inspired Stranger Things

While the Montauk theory may lack credibility, the MKUltra programme genuinely took place and details about the secretive scheme have since been uncovered in declassified CIA documents.

As the Washington Post reported when the documents became public, the MKUltra programme was devised to carry out mind control experiments, similar to those we see being carried out in the Hawkins lab.

In the series, Eleven’s mother is one of the test subjects of the Stranger Things equivalent to the MKUltra scheme and was experimented on while pregnant which is how Eleven developed her powers.

As Digital Spy details, the programme began as a volunteer-based initiative in 1949 but evolved into something more sinister when subjects were unwittingly tested upon and subjected to mental abuse through psychedelic drugs, sleep deprivation and other experimental techniques.

The MKUltra programme ran for 12 years before it was shut down in 1965.

Season 4 arrival based on real person

On top of the grim experiments that inspired Hawkins lab, one of Stranger Things season 4’s new characters, Eddie Munson, is also based on a real-life individual.

As the official Netflix Geeked account revealed on Twitter, Eddie is actually loosely based on Damien Echols.

At the age of 18, Damien was part of a group of teenagers labelled the West Memphis Three when he, Jessie Misskelley Jr and Jason Baldwin were arrested and later convicted for the 1993 murder of three eight-year-old boys.

In 1994, Echols was sentenced to death for his supposed involvement in the crime but in 2010 after 16 years on death row, he was released after new DNA evidence emerged that placed another suspect at the scene and threw their original conviction into doubt.

The story of Damien Echols, which has been the subject of several books and documentaries, mirrors that of Stranger Things as Eddie is present when Chrissy is killed by Vecna in season 4 and is vilified by the people of Hawkins despite not being the one to kill her.

Season 4 of Stranger Things is available to stream now on Netflix after releasing on Friday, May 27th while part 2 releases on July 1st, 2022.

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