Stranger Things has captivated the world since it first launched
Anticipation is mounting for the premiere of Stranger Things season five, the final chapter of the Netflix worldwide sensation. In a bid to heighten the excitement, Netflix has released the first five minutes of the opening episode of season five, as the cast share their feelings about the show concluding after nearly 10 years, reports the Express.
The final series has been divided into three parts, set to debut in the UK on November 27, Boxing Day, and New Year’s Day.
Each part will be available at midnight GMT, a departure from Netflix’s typical 8am releases.
Season five will conclude the thrilling tale set in Hawkins, Indiana, where Eleven (portrayed by Millie Bobby Brown) and her friends attempt to prevent Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower) from wreaking havoc on the world. The method they’ll use to achieve this remains unknown.
While Stranger Things is a sci-fi fantasy spectacle created by The Duffer Brothers and serves as an homage to the Eighties, both Ross and Matt Duffer have incorporated elements of reality into their narrative, proving that truth can indeed be stranger than fiction
Here’s a glimpse at the astonishing reality behind Stranger Things.
Stranger Things: Eleven was part of MK-Ultra(Image: NETFLIX)READ MORE: Netflix announces major Stranger Things update and it’s great news for fansREAD MORE: Stranger Things season 5 will finally answer major question as Duffer Brothers open up on ending
Is Stranger Things based on a true story?
MK-Ultra
Despite being a work of fiction, the show does indeed have roots in reality.
For example, the Hawkins Laboratory conducts MK-Ultra experiments on behalf of the American government, aiming to develop weapons against the USSR as part of the Cold War effort.
MK-Ultra was an actual operation where the CIA sponsored numerous institutes across the USA to conduct various experiments in hopes of unlocking the human mind.
Many of these experiments involved administering substances, particularly LSD, to make individuals susceptible to suggestion and mind manipulation.
Stranger Things: Terry Ives took LSD as part of MK-Ultra(Image: NETFLIX)
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The experiments
Much of the documentation related to MK-Ultra has been destroyed, but what remains provides a chilling insight into the lengths a government would go to gain military and tactical advantage over its adversaries.
The MK-Ultra tests violated the Nuremberg Code, a set of ethical research principles concerning human experimentation, consent, inhumane and fatal experimentation.
This Code was established following the atrocities committed by the Nazis during World War Two, yet participants of MK-Ultra often didn’t fully understand what they had signed up for.
The project even involved ordinary people having their drinks spiked with LSD and then being covertly observed to monitor their reactions.
After the truth about MK-Ultra was revealed, a congressional hearing was held to ensure a project of this nature could never occur again.
In the show, Eleven’s (Millie Bobby Brown) mother Terry Ives (Aimee Mullins) was administered LSD while she was pregnant by Dr Martin Brenner (Matthew Modine), which contributed to her developing abilities.
Both Terry and Eleven utilised sensory deprivation tanks to help them harness their powers, something which did occur in real life as part of MK-Ultra.
The point where fact and fiction diverge is that in reality, MK-Ultra was junk science, whereas in Stranger Things these experiments discovered people could develop telekinetic powers and remote listening abilities.
Matthew Modine as Dr Martin Brenner in Stranger Things(Image: NETFLIX)
Hawkins Laboratory
The sinister laboratory featured in Stranger Things is also said to be rooted in reality, with Dustin Henderson star Gaten Matarazzo telling Wired in 2017: “It is based on a place in Montauk, New York called Camp Hero.”
Dr Brenner
Whilst Dr Brenner isn’t modelled on a single scientist, he represents the kind of medical professionals involved in MK-Ultra.
Dr Brenner is prepared to experiment on youngsters and even expectant mothers, convinced he is serving his nation and carrying out pioneering research.
Agent Orange
In the fourth series, Jim Hopper (David Harbour) discusses his experiences during the Vietnam War and a herbicide known as Agent Orange as part of the genuine Operation Ranch Hand.
American troops handled and disposed of vast quantities of extremely hazardous chemical compounds including Agent Orange across Vietnam throughout the conflict, resulting in catastrophic human consequences.
Just as Hopper recounts, both Vietnam veterans and Vietnamese civilians faced the repercussions, which triggered severe birth abnormalities and resulted in cancer amongst those affected.
There was also enormous environmental destruction caused by the acres of woodland and waterways saturated with Agent Orange and other chemicals.
Eddie Munson was inspired by a tragic true story(Image: NETFLIX)
Eddie Munson
Eddie Munson (Joseph Quinn) was introduced in Stranger Things series four as the leader of the Hellfire Club but quickly became the town outcast after he was accused of involvement with satanic practices following the death of Chrissy Cunningham (Grace Van Dien).
The character is loosely inspired by the true-crime documentary series Paradise Lost, which delves into the case of the West Memphis Three – a group of teenagers who were wrongfully convicted of murder in the Nineties.
After much campaigning and the emergence of new evidence, their convictions were overturned in 2011.
The Netflix Geeked Twitter account revealed: “STRANGER THINGS 4’s Hellfire Club storyline — and especially the character Eddie Munson — were inspired by the documentary series PARADISE LOST.
“Eddie is loosely modeled [sic] after writer and artist Damien Echols, who was a member of the West Memphis Three.”
Like Eddie, Echols was a fan of metal music and sported long hair. He became a target in a local witch hunt for not conforming during the Satanic Panic of the Eighties and Nineties, particularly in the Bible Belt states of America.
The Satanic Panic was a period of mass hysteria and conspiracy theories, suggesting the existence of satanic cults involved in murder and abuse.
Stranger Things season 5, volume 1 premieres on Netflix on 27 November in the UK
