Since the gates opened piercing the Hawkins sky a decade ago, a cult of Stranger Things fans found themselves embroiled in the showdown between the natural and the supernatural. Despite having been a groundbreaking show in the arena of fiction, the conversation has stretched far too long if it is really just a piece of innovative imagination. Every new season, the Upside Down has introduced new sub-plots, and as the Netflix series heads towards its fifth and final season, the curiosity has reached a fever pitch.

So, is Stranger Things rooted in reality, or is it a completely fabricated story? 

The Duffer brothers may have taken a fictional approach to Stranger Things, the superhit Netflix show, but certain facts separate it from full-fledged fiction. Of course, the supernatural elements need no explanation, but specific sub-plots, including its Soviet Russia storyline, have a bit of a real past. It is widely assumed the series has been somewhat inspired by the Montauk project since, at one point in time, it was even used as its working title. 

At the center of this project is a conspiracy theory positing that government agencies conducted clandestine projects focusing on developing psychological manipulation techniques and exploring extraordinary phenomena, including time travel. However, this is not the only tangible link Stranger Things has because its infamous Hawkins National Laboratory reportedly has some extraordinary connections with Project MKUltra. 

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For those wondering what and how, here is the scoop about it.

Stranger Things is on a mission to bring a full circle to its decade-long story, but before that, it is time to uncover some loose ends playing with fans’ brains. Project MKUltra was conducted by the CIA from 1953 to 1973, with a similar target of developing mind-controlling techniques intended to be used in the Cold War. The test subjects were exposed to massive amounts of psychedelic drugs, rendering them to go through sensory deprivation, electroshock, and other forms of torture. The experiments are said to have led to several deaths.

Dr. Martin Brenner, one of the most cruel but complex characters of the show, began experimenting at Hawkins National Laboratory in 1953 and was one of the institutions to take part in the project. One of the participants of this practice was a pregnant college-going girl, Terry Ives, who gave birth to Jane, aka Eleven. Eleven was born with telekinetic and telepathic abilities because of the experiments Terry suffered. While the rest of the narrative is more or less known to the Hawkins-hungry fans, it remains to be seen what deeper darker secrets underlie in season 5.

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Did you know about the real strange elements of Stranger Things? Let us know in the comments below!