Stranger Things Was Originally Set In A Real Town With A Spooky History

For five seasons and almost 10 years, the world watched Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) and her pals battle the threats of the Upside Down to protect the town of Hawkins and the world as a whole. There was a time, however, when this fictional and frightening story was set in an equally eerie real town.

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, the show's creators, the Duffer Brothers, discussed the origin of "Stranger Things" and the alterations that were made before its debut in 2016. Originally, the show was planned to be based in Montauk, New York as it held a special place in the hearts of the show's creators. "We liked Montauk, because we liked the coastal setting, and Montauk was the basis for Amity, and 'Jaws' is probably our favorite movie, so I thought that that would be really cool," explained Matt Duffer.

Montauk holds additional interest as the New York town has been subject of numerous conspiracy theories over the years. The most notable of which was the "Montauk Project," a series of experiments that took place in the 1980s involving portals, dimensional travel, and psychological warfare. The subjects of many of these tests were said to be abducted children who underwent intense mind control experiments, not too unlike the grueling experiences of Eleven and the other kids at Hawkins Lab.

As intriguing as a show based on the alleged happenings in Montauk might have been, the area's harsh cold climate made production impractical. As a result, the Duffers invented the fictional town of Hawkins, though it took time for the concept to settle for them. "It takes a long time to make a change like that, for your brain to accept it, to accept a new title and to accept a new name for a town," explained Matt Duffer.

Of course, back then, the creative duo behind "Stranger Things" had no idea just how much impact the show would have, eventually drawing in record-breaking views by its fourth season. Various concepts discussed early on became more possible as the show progressed in popularity. By dropping these characters into a made-up spot, the team had limitless terrain to play around in, with Ross Duffer saying, "Like, you can quarantine it, I'm just spit-balling, but I'm saying we can do stuff that didn't happen in real life because it's this little fictional world that we've made up."

With "Stranger Things" having come to an end, it's safe to say that Hawkins has become one of the most iconic fabricated towns in all of television. And it won't be the last we see of the fictional location either, as 2026 will see the debut of the franchise's first spin-off with the animated series "Stranger Things: Tales from '85."