Is Stranger Things a True Story? Here’s What Inspired the TV Show

One of the most popular TV shows we have today is Stranger Things, which is one of the shows that allowed Netflix to produce more originals because of how successful this production is. Of course, Stranger Things is a mix of a lot of different genres like fantasy, horror, comedy, and coming-of-age. But, despite the supernatural elements that are prevalent in this series, there are those who believe that it was inspired by a real-life story. So, is Stranger Things based on a true story?

Stranger Things is not a true story but is based on a real-life conspiracy called the Montauk Project, which is a theory that alleges that the US government has been conducting secret projects in Montauk, New York, where they experiment on exotic research like time travel and psychological warfare.

In that regard, Stranger Things isn’t exactly based on a true story but is only based on a story that many believe is true. Of course, it only follows that this series isn’t real, considering that it does have a lot of supernatural and fantasy elements that are tied to the very narrative of the show. So, with that said, let’s look at what we know about what inspired Stranger Things.

Is Stranger Things Based On A True Story?

There is no doubt that one of the shows that people have always been anticipating from Netflix is Stranger Things, which is already on its fourth season. Season 4 promises to be bigger, better, and stranger than any of the other three seasons as we get to see the lore expanded.

Of course, there are a lot of reasons why Stranger Things is as popular as it is and why all of its seasons have become so successful. There’s the fact that this series was actually able to mix a lot of different genres together in one story is what makes it so popular, as it hits the right spot for many different fans out there. But while we do know that Stranger Things is a hit series that has one of the most compelling storylines, is it a show that’s based on a true story?

Technically, Stranger Things isn’t based on a true story, but it does have its real-life basis. This may sound a bit confusing, but we’ll try our best to make it sound easier by explaining in brief what Stranger Things is all about and why it isn’t based on a true story but still is based on a true story that may or may not be real.

Chief of all, Stranger Things is a fantasy-horror series that has a good mix of action, comedy, romance, adventure, and coming of age. The fact that it has fantasy and horror elements in it means that there are supernatural and fantastic stuff going on in the series. After all, it revolves around a town that has a gateway to another dimension where different types of monsters live. And it also has a girl that possesses psychic abilities.

From the plot alone, it is easy to see why Stranger Things isn’t a true story unless it really is true that there is a portal that leads to a dimension where strange creatures live or that there is a government project that is experimenting on children with extraordinary and supernatural abilities. And that’s where our discussion gets interesting.

As mentioned, Stranger Things is not based on a true story in the sense that its plot has actually happened somewhere in the world or that there is evidence that suggests that there are monsters from another dimension running around in a small town. But we did say that Stranger Things does have a story that was based on an actual story that may or may not be real. And that leads us to our next topic.

What Is Stranger Things Based On?

We have established that there isn’t an exact true story that Stranger Things is based on. However, we also said that this series was inspired by a story that may or may not be real, depending on how you think. That’s because Stranger Things is based on the story of the Montauk Project.

The Montauk Project is basically a conspiracy theory that has become quite popular in American culture. This is why we said that Stranger Things isn’t based on a true story because conspiracy theories aren’t real stories unless there are clear and concrete facts that prove that they are real. But what exactly is the Montauk Project.

Like the story in Stranger Things, the Montauk Project alleges that the US government has been conducting weird and exotic experiments in a base in Montauk, New York, and has been using these experiments to develop different types of weapons and technology. The most popular weapons and tech that people believe are being experimented on in Montauk are psychological weapons and time travel technology. 

In that regard, it becomes easy to see how Stranger Things was inspired by the Montauk Project. The story of Stranger Things focuses on some experiments that were being conducted by the US government on children with special abilities. It was through these children with special psychic abilities that the gate to what the series calls the Upside Down was opened. So, as such, it becomes understandable how Stranger Things was inspired by these Montauk Project stories as the series itself explores weird and bizarre experiments that went too far to the point that they endangered the people of Hawkins.

Going back to the Montauk Project, the story originated from the accounts of certain people who claim that they were involved with the experiments but had their memories repressed. After claiming that they had recovered their repressed memories, they went on to make the claim that they were involved in certain experiments conducted in a base in Montauk, New York and that they were asked to participate in these experiments against their will.

The people who went on to talk about the Montauk Project have college degrees that are related to psychology and engineering, and that explains why those who have heard about this conspiracy theory were very open to the possibility that it might be true.

In fact, Peter Moon and Preston Nichols actually wrote books that are based on the Montauk Project stories as they encouraged their readers to be open to the idea that what they’ve written in their books could be real. They also describe their stories as soft facts that have the possibility of becoming real, depending on whether or not evidence related to the Montauk Project could be unearthed.

So, in a sense, Stranger Things was inspired by the stories written about the Montauk Project, even though it does have a plot that tends to differ. Still, the fact that both stories include secret government projects about weird supernatural elements allows them to be very similar to one another, regardless of whether or not the Montauk Project is a true story.