Did Stranger Things take inspiration from the infamous Montauk Project? Here's why the Netflix show almost landed a different title

Netflix's Stranger Things is inspired by real-life events! A statement that is equally bone-chilling as it is haunting and curious, but it certainly holds some weight when you learn that Duffer Brothers intended to title their sci-fi juggernaut Montauk initially. It was much later that the Duffer Brothers titled your favorite summer show, Stranger Things, as it was called Montauk, derived from the infamous Montauk Project.

Fellow conspiracy theorists and paranormal buffs might be familiar with this eerie theory and rumours, which claims that the government conducted highly classified experiments on children relating to teleport, time-travel, and mind control in the New York city of Montauk.

Inspired by this, the Duffer Brothers initially chose the coastal town of Montauk as the setting for their show. The chilly abandoned military base would have been the perfect background for their supernatural tale, but the setting was eventually changed due to geographical challenges. Since the Montauk weather is highly unpredictable and chilly, it posed many filming challenges for the Brothers, and they eventually dropped the title, and thus, Stranger Things was born.

However, the Montauk Project continues to serve as an eerie and haunting inspiration for many series, including Stranger Things.

More on this in our story.

All about the inspiration behind Stranger Things- Montauk Project

The eerie similarity between the original title and the infamous Montuak Project is not just a coincidence, as the Duffer Brothers were inspired by these supposed top-secret government experiments that took place from 1970 to 1980. According to conspiracy theorists and sci-fi enthusiasts, the government conducted highly classified experiments at Camp Hero, a now-decommissioned military base in Montauk, New York.

The experiments explored every facet of science fiction's classic themes, like interdimensional creatures, mind control, and time travel. And the subjects? This is where it gets the most chilling. The theory even further believed that the government abducted many children (mostly men) from the Montauk area, and they were subjected to psychological conditioning, telepathic training, and mind control.

The Montauk Project was first legitimised by Preston B. Nichols, who claimed that he had repressed memories about the government conducting questionable experiments on young children in a secret base at Montauk, and he was an active part of them.

He even compiled all his theories and memories in a book called The Montauk Project: Experiments in Time (1982), which reads like a science fiction thriller like Stranger Things, but is actually real memories of a person.

The eerie similarities between Stranger Things and The Montauk Project

Nichols' book became the unofficial handbook for all conspiracy theorists, which further fueled rumours around The Montauk Project. Many men started coming forward, claiming that they, too, have repressed memories about this Stranger Things-like project.

Among them, the case of Edward Cameron and his brother Duncan Cameron is the most curious. Ed claimed that they were both abducted in their mid-20s and that his brother had mysterious mind-controlling powers, similar to a certain beloved character we recognize from the Duffer Brothers' series.

The similarities do not end here, but this is just the beginning, as Stranger Things directly picks up many theories from The Montauk Project. Some of these are:

• Theories claim that the government abducted children, which was included as the sudden disappearance of Will Byers in the Stranger Things Pilot
• Duncan Cameron was dubbed the 'Wonder Boy of The Montauk Project', who could open time portals using his mind and transport objects to different dimensions. The character of Eleven was likely inspired by this popular theory
• Many theories even claim that these classified experiments accidentally unleashed a dangerous creature from a different portal, much like the demogorgons
• A group of conspiracy theorists also believes that The Montauk Project created several portals to other dimensions, like the Upside Down in the sci-fi show
• Lastly, the eerie Camp Hero became immortalized as the hub of these mysterious experiments, which inspired the Hawkins lab in the Netflix series

While The Montauk Project has not been proven in reality yet, it continues to occupy an important and creepy space in the dark corners of the Internet and the minds of conspiracy theorists. In addition to Stranger Things, it has also inspired many other popular sci-fi shows, including Netflix's German-language series Dark and The X-Files.

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