If you’re one of the people who sits and shivers in front of every episode of Stranger Things, you should know that some of the things that inspired the series are actually real!
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Extensively referred to in season 1, the MKUltra program developed by the Central Intelligence Agency has actually existed since the 50s. And the scenes showing the experiments carried out on Eleven (played by actress Millie Bobby Brown) weren’t just thought up by chance, as the Duffer brothers, the series’ creators, confirmed in an interview with Vulture.
‘When we were first starting to talk about the idea, we had talked about a paranormal-missing child story line. Then we were talking about some of the mysterious government experiments that we felt were happening at the tail end of the Cold War, right when rumoured [projects] like MKUltra were ramping down.’
When we look into these experiments, we regularly come across information about experiments they did to create the ultimate ‘truth serum’ using LSD, or even research into ‘amnesia pills to create CIA super-agents who would be immune to the mind-control efforts of adversaries,’ as an article from WIRED reported, which was published in 2010.
‘A covert CIA programme started in the early 1950s, it expanded its remit to research everything from mind control to telepathy, ESP, psychic warfare and ‘remote viewing’.’ echoed an article published by the very serious Guardian. But luckily, this project was scrapped in 1973. And the mysteries surrounding it have since led to several fantasies and delusions…
Take a look at the video above for more!