Stranger Things has been flying off the charts for several years. The fourth season was the third most-watched Netflix series of all time. Everyone sees the great characters like Eleven, Dustin, Hopper, etc., the cool effects of flickering lights, the huge monsters like the Mind Flayer, and the supernatural events at Hawkins Labs. How did two twins from North Carolina create this global phenomenon?
“The original pitch for Stranger Things was, what if Stephen Spielberg is filming a long-lost Stephen King book you’ve never read?” said the Co-Director Matt Duffer.
It was originally titled Montauk. It was based on a conspiracy called “the Montauk Project”. According to mathrubhumi.com, it was a supposed government experiment at a place called “Camp Hero”, a decommissioned military base. During war times, they supposedly studied “physiological warfare, time travel, teleportation, and contact with extraterrestrial life.”
Another inspiration for Stranger Things was a more proven conspiracy. In the 1950s, the CIA launched the MKUltra. A top-secret project in which they investigated mind control and psychological manipulation. According to mathrubhumi.com, It was set to “investigate mind control and psychological manipulation, primarily using LSD and other psychoactive drugs.” They conducted experiments in hospitals, institutions, and universities. They gave doses of these drugs without consent, a participant suspiciously died, and other mysterious activities reportedly took place.
Both of these conspiracies were rumored to test on children. When Matt and Ross Duffer wanted to make this series, they decided this would be perfect to include. Supernatural powers take part in a large portion of the story, mainly taking place in a lab. Kids are tested on these powers. They are basically prisoners. One of the main characters, Eleven, starts off the show in this lab, and it made her into the popular character she is. The idea of the Montauk project strongly inspired the Duffer brothers to include it in the story.
In an interview with Screen Rant, the Duffer brothers said that the Stranger Things show was originally pitched as an anthology, meaning, different stories each season. They were going to make the second season a totally different time period in the future of the show. Basically, a totally different cast, different characters, and a different plot. Since the first season had such great praise, with fans loving the characters, Netflix quickly shut down the idea of the anthology.
According to Harpersbazaar.com, the Duffer’s auditioned 906 boys and 307 girls for the roles of the child characters. “They picked some stellar kids. They have unreal chemistry”. Gaten Matarazzo (Dustin), Sadie Sink (Max), and Caleb McLaughlin (Lucas), all knew each other before Stranger Things on Broadway. The cast and characters work hard to help each other improve. After filming the final season, the cast all started to cry. Originally, Steve was meant to be a horrible bully, but Keery made him likable and charming that he became one of the most loved characters on the show. The effort the crew put into the show is really what makes it special. The love they have for each other jumps out the screen. Out of all of those who auditioned, they could not have picked better actors.
The fifth season of Stranger Things will be released in three parts, on Nov. 26, Dec. 25, and the final episode will be released on Dec. 26. The last episode will be released in movie theatres. This season will cap off all of the drama, all of the character arcs, all of the villains, and the awesome story. This has fans chilling with goosebumps of excitement. One last season, one last adventure.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-WnqHl_4zb4
https://screenrant.com/stranger-things-anthology-tv-show/?utm_source=chatgpt.com
https://www.harpersbazaar.com/culture/film-tv/g13305063/stranger-things-trivia/
