A deep dive into the trippy real-life conspiracy theories that inspired Stranger Things

No, Stranger Things isn’t based on a true story… but it’s based on real untrue stories. You with me? Stranger Things was inspired by plenty of long-running conspiracy theories that were a huge part of pop culture in the 1980s and 1990s. This is so trippy.

The Philadelphia Experiment

Lots of Dr Brenner’s work in Stranger Things is based on real (well, pre-existing beyond TV) conspiracy theories.

In the late 1950s, a conspiracy theory emerged about a (supposed) US navy secret project called the Philadelphia Experiment. The story goes that in 1943 the navy tried to make a ship called the USS Eldridge turn invisible. They accidentally teleported it from Philadelphia to Virginia and back again. The crew allegedly experienced strange side effects. Some conspiracy theorists also refer to this as Project Rainbow.

The USS Eldridge was a real ship, but the US navy maintained that the Philadelphia Experiment never happened. Most people now consider the Philadelphia Experiment to be a hoax. It gets referenced in lots of nerdy sci-fi stories, such as Doctor Who and Marvel’s Loki.

The stage show Stranger Things: The First Shadow opens with the USS Eldridge accidentally teleporting to Dimension X/ The Abyss and back. Demogorgons kill most of the crew. Dr Brenner‘s father is the only survivor. His blood is different, and Dr Brenner starts experimenting with it.

Dr Brenner’s Rainbow Room in the Stranger Things TV show seems to be named after the Project Rainbow.

Ta-da (Image via Netflix)

The Montauk Project

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In the 1980s, conspiracy theories emerged about the US government experimenting with time travel, telepathy and aliens at Montauk Air Force Base. Loads of these rumours were combined into the 1992 book The Montauk Project: Experiments in Time. The authors wrote as if they had once been experimented on as part of the project, and were recovering their repressed memories. The book claimed the US government were continuing research based on the Philadelphia Experiment. Supposedly, they abducted runaway boys. In the part of the base called Camp Hero, the teenagers were (apparently) tortured and “reprogrammed” until they developed psychic powers. Researchers managed to open a “time tunnel”. An alien monster came through it and killed loads of people. This part of the experiment was shut down. Sound familiar?

Eleven yeeting Henry/One/Vecna into The Abyss and creating the Upside Down seems to be inspired by the rumoured “time tunnel”
(Image via Netflix)

Most people consider The Montauk Project books to be science-fiction (although plenty of conspiracy theorists stand by it).

Stranger Things was absolutely inspired by conspiracy theories about Montauk. The working title for the show was “Montauk”, and the Duffer Brothers pitched a show set there. They realised filming in Montauk in the winter would be tricky, so switched the show’s setting to Indiana. In the Stranger Things finale, Hopper tells Joyce he’s been offered a job as the chief of police there. Matt Duffer told Collider that this Montauk reference was a bit of fun – it wasn’t meant to hint at a future spin-off series.

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