Netflix fans were left baffled after learning that the hit show Stranger Things was almost called something completely different. The revelation came as the final episodes of the fifth and final season were released on New Year's Eve.
The series, which has become a cultural phenomenon since its debut in 2016, was originally sold under the working title Montauk. The name was inspired by the Montauk conspiracy theories surrounding secret government experiments at Camp Hero in Montauk, New York.
In an interview, creators Matt and Ross Duffer, known as the Duffer Brothers, confirmed that the Montauk Project conspiracy theories heavily influenced the show. Ross Duffer explained that they had an old movie idea based on the Montauk experiments, and many of those ideas remain in the show's DNA.
However, the brothers ultimately decided to change the name because they felt Montauk might be too difficult to pronounce. The setting was also shifted from Long Island to the fictional town of Hawkins, Indiana.
The Montauk Project conspiracy theories, which have circulated since the 1980s, allege that the US government conducted psychological warfare and exotic research, including time travel and experiments on children. Although repeatedly debunked, they have inspired several films and TV shows, including Stranger Things.
