Fact check: Does Hawkins Lab from Stranger Things exist in real life?

It would not be wrong to say that Hawkins Lab is the reason why the Stranger Things series exists due to its mysterious experiments and dark secrets. Fans of the show often wonder if this mysterious institution exists in real life or is purely a creation of fiction.

While the show incorporates elements of real historical events and locations, Hawkins Lab itself is a product of the imaginative minds of the Duffer Brothers, the creators of Stranger Things.

The lab's portrayal in the series is compelling and realistic, leading to widespread speculation about its origins. However, the specific Hawkins Lab seen in Stranger Things does not exist outside the fictional town of Hawkins, Indiana.

Instead, it draws inspiration from CIA's secret project MK Ultra and The Montauk Project and Emory University's Briarcliff Campus as the location for the Hawkins lab.

During an interview with the Wired, Gaten Matarazzo said,

"It’s based on a place in Montauk, New York called Camp Hero. There was, like, rumours of secret government spies doing human experiments to fight in the Cold War. It’s based on that one government lab."

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What is the Hawkins Lab in Stranger Things?

In Stranger Things, Hawkins National Laboratory is a top-secret government facility tucked away deep in the heart of small-town Indiana called Hawkins. In addition, the show depicts stranger things, such as mind control, telekinesis, and inter-dimensional travel, all of which are shown to be possible in this lab.

Within the confines of Hawkins Lab, Eleven, one of the central characters, becomes an experimental subject due to her supernatural capabilities. Consequently, its activities inadvertently open up a passage called the Upside Down, where monstrous creatures and supernatural events occur.

Emory University's Briarcliff Campus served as the exterior location for shots taken at Hawkins Lab situated in Atlanta, Georgia, which actually exists physically.

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Why is the lab important in the show?

The Stranger Things narrative revolves around the mystery of Hawkins Lab. Through some quests involving Eleven and other people with special abilities who were subject to experimentation, it became a major turning point for insinuating how far such practices could go wrong.

It shows how some insensitive policies jeopardized everything around them. The lab's dark deeds and the government's efforts to sweep them under the carpet add mystery and tension to the story.

The discovery of the Upside Down and its creatures, including the Demogorgon and the Mind Flayer, is directly linked to the experiments conducted at Hawkins Lab.

These events trigger a chain reaction that drives the show's main plot, bringing together a group of young friends who uncover and confront the dark forces unleashed by the lab's actions. Consequently, Hawkins Lab embodies secrecy, danger, and unknownness, which are central themes in the series.

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The real-life inspirations and conspiracy theories about the lab

Though fictionalized, Hawkins Lab finds its roots in real conspiracy theories and historical projects. The creators of Stranger Things have mentioned the MK-Ultra project organized by the CIA as their major source of inspiration.

This is a true account of a research program conducted by the CIA during the Cold War era on mind control application through various unorthodox means, some of which were highly controversial. Such happenings provide a framework for historical understanding that makes this whole thing more believable within the Stranger Things framework.

The series also draws inspiration from The Montauk Project, which was a claimed secret government experiment series carried out on Camp Hero in Montauk, New York. These activities were believed to involve time travel, mind control, and contact with extraterrestrial life.

Even though the Montauk Project is still being speculated about and considered part of ancient mythology, its themes do coincide with the fictional ventures of Hawkins Lab hence making it difficult to distinguish between what's real and what's not.

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Hawkins Lab from the series does not exist in real life. It is a fictional creation inspired by real-world events and conspiracy theories. However, the lab's portrayal in the series is so compelling that it prompts viewers to question its reality.