“Stranger Things” began as the story of a group of pre-teens who, after one of their best friends goes missing, become tangled in a dangerous web of government conspiracies, alternate dimensions, the Cold War, and more.

Since its debut in 2016, the show has become a phenomenon, spawning millions of dollars in merch, tie-in novels and comics, a stage adaptation, mobile games, a tabletop game, at least one animated spinoff, and more.

One of the show’s breakout characters is Eleven (played by Millie Bobby Brown), a young girl born with telekinesis. Immediately after her birth, she was abducted by a scientist whom she calls Papa (Matthew Modine) and taken to Hawkins Lab, where she and other children were experimented on.

The show wrapped up its fifth and final season on December 31.

In 2016, Matt and Ross Duffer confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter that “Stranger Things” was originally sold as “Montauk” before they decided to switch the name and the location to the fictional town of Hawkins, Indiana.

“We liked Montauk, because we liked the coastal setting,” Matt Duffer said, adding that Montauk was also the basis for Amity Island, the fictional location of “Jaws,” one of their favorite movies.

However, the setting changed when they realized “it was really going to be impossible to shoot in or around Long Island in the wintertime,” Matt Duffer said.

Filmmaker Charlie Kessler, sued the brothers in 2018, claiming they stole the idea of “Stranger Things” from his script “The Montauk Project,” Thrillist reported. The Hollywood Reporter wrote that the Duffers denied his claims, and Kessler dropped the lawsuit in 2019.

Spoiler for the series finale: Montauk even got referenced by name in the last episode, when Hopper mentioned that a friend mentioned that the town was looking for a new sheriff.

According to signs in the park outlining Camp Hero’s history, the US Army commissioned Camp Hero in May 1942 — five months after the US joined World War II in December 1941 — to defend against German submarines and boats.

The Army deactivated the base in 1947 and turned it over to the US Air Force in 1951, which remained there until 1982.

Camp Hero, named for Major General Andrew Hero Jr., who served as the chief of coast artillery from 1926 to 1930, according to Arlington National Cemetery, opened to the public in 2002.

Montauk is commonly known as The End. It’s the last town on Long Island, making it the perfect spot for an Army base scanning the oceans for submarines hiding in the depths below.

As a huge fan of “Stranger Things” with a mild interest in secret governmental conspiracy theories, I figured I’d drive out east and laugh with my mom (who made the trek with me) about the wildest things we’d learn about Camp Hero.

Instead, I came away feeling like “Stranger Things” got the atmosphere of this place exactly right.

I’m from a town on Long Island 99 miles west of Montauk, so it took me around two hours to drive there.

When there’s no traffic, it can be a fun drive. You pass through picturesque towns worth a stop, like Amagansett, East Hampton, Southampton, Wainscott, and more.

Curbed reported that celebrities including Julianne Moore, Ralph Lauren, and Robert De Niro have owned real estate in the town.

I grew up on Long Island and have been to Montauk dozens of times, but I’d never explored Camp Hero before.

Montauk Lighthouse, according to the Montauk Historical Society, was the first lighthouse to be built in New York after George Washington commissioned it in 1792. Today, it’s a Long Island landmark that is part of the adjacent Montauk Point State Park.

It’s also the fourth-oldest working lighthouse in the US and just one of 12 lighthouses to be named a National Historic Landmark.

Or, if you’re a New York resident with an Empire Pass like I am, it’s free.

According to New York State’s Parks Department, the Empire Pass “permits unlimited vehicle access to most facilities operated by the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.”

Essentially, it gets you into most New York state parks for free. A card costs $80 per year (or $72 a year for a digital card), or you can purchase a lifetime pass for $750 (or $742 for a digital card). Three-season and five-season passes are also available, as shown on the parks’ website.

As my family members are big fans of Jones Beach, another state park, we’ve had an Empire Pass for as long as I can remember.

I was surprised to learn that a decent chunk of land is off-limits to visitors and is a wildlife and plant sanctuary.

There are a few parks in the Montauk area that offer a good view of the bluffs, including Shadmoor State Park, Montauk Point State Park, and Ditch Plains Beach.

This wouldn’t be the last warning sign I’d see that day.

Erosion is also a huge problem on Long Island’s beaches. The Patch reported that the town of East Hampton, which includes Montauk, was given a $350,000 federal grant to address the erosion issues along the coastline in December 2022.

Officials told The Patch that, according to measurements by the US Army Corps of Engineers, Montauk’s shoreline “eroded more than 44 feet inland between 2000 and 2012.”

In the years since, the erosion has only continued, so I heeded the sign’s warnings and stayed as far back as possible.

The radar tower looms over Camp Hero. I knew I needed to make my way over there to get a good look.

More about those conspiracy theories later.

According to signs in the park, the Army built batteries throughout the base. Batteries 112 and 113, which are both still standing, contained two 16-inch guns each. The artillery was removed in 1947.

Even from a distance, you can see just how big it is.

Being up close was somehow even more unsettling.

According to signs in the park, the “giant” radar, specifically an AN/FPS-35, was built in 1960, and it remained operational until 1980.

Its radar dish was built to detect an attack on the US. As The New York Times reported in 2006, it was once “able to detect airborne objects more than 200 miles from shore.”

At the peak of the Cold War, multiple towers were located throughout the eastern US, but now, the Montauk tower is the only one left.

The radar tower is central to many of the conspiracy theories surrounding Camp Hero.

Filmmaker Christopher Garetano, who directed a docudrama about Camp Hero called “Montauk Chronicles” in 2014, spoke about the radar dish during a History Channel documentary called “The Dark Files.”

“Every 12 seconds the radar tower would rotate and there would be animals freaking out and people getting headaches and bad dreams,” says Garetano in “The Dark Files,” claiming “people’s electronic equipment would go haywire” when the dish rotated.

“I don’t want to add fuel to the fire because I don’t believe all the zombie stuff,” one resident of 40 years told The New York Post in 2020. “But the impact that tower had on the town was real. I don’t know if it affected our thoughts like some people say, but it was a force.”

Ticks are frequent carriers of Lyme disease. That was more than enough to keep me away from any heavily wooded areas.

The New York Times reported in 2006 that visitors to Camp Hero were given pamphlets about what to do in case they spotted an undetonated grenade or other unexploded ammunition — it did use to be an active military base, after all.

At first, I scoffed, but as the day went on, I started to see what she meant.

It was spookily silent as we walked through the woods, even though we weren’t too far from the beach or a busy highway. I felt like we were in the middle of nowhere.

As you can see, it looks like we were just about to walk into a heavily wooded forest.

In the first episode of “Stranger Things,” Mike, Lucas, and Dustin search the woods for their friend Will after he goes missing while biking home. The trio are searching on a rainy night when they suddenly come across Eleven, who had just escaped Hawkins Lab.

At the end of season one, Eleven returns to the woods to escape the lab’s clutches.

I’ve read one too many stories about tourists falling to their deaths while trying to take the perfect selfie. Staying on the flat path was enough for me.

This rock was helpfully in the perfect place for me to pose for a photo.

Fishing is one of Camp Hero’s biggest draws, and I saw a few fishermen on the beach casting their lines.

He was just a friendly pet running back to his owner, but safe to say, we were both on edge.

I didn’t even have the presence of mind to take a picture of this dog — that’s how you know my mom and I were truly freaked out.

This building used to be a gymnasium.

The sign in front explained more about downtown Camp Hero. When the base was built in 1947, 600 men and 37 officers lived in this area, and the structures were disguised as a “seaside fishing village,” with artificial wood siding and fake windows.

The gym was designed to look like a church. It’s the only structure left from the original “downtown” Camp Hero, though other newer buildings are still standing.

I was half-convinced that someone was just going to pop out of the windows if I got too close.

We didn’t want to scare the deer away, so we kept our distance while exploring the buildings.

According to a comprehensive summary of the conspiracy theories surrounding Camp Hero written by Thrillist in 2016, the events that conspiracy theorists claim happened in Camp Hero were actually pretty similar to what happens in “Stranger Things.”

Author Preston Nichols brought the theories into the mainstream when he published 1992’s “The Montauk Project: Experiments in Time,” which detailed his reported experiences working at Montauk Air Force Station — he claimed he’d recovered repressed memories of his time at the base in the ’70s and ’80s. 

Nichols said he worked with another former employee on something called the “Montauk Chair,” which used electromagnets to strengthen psychic powers. In season four of “Stranger Things,” Eleven uses something similar to recover her powers.

Nichols also said scientists at the base used abducted children (like Eleven and her “siblings”) to perform experiments on, and that some were even sent to an unknown dimension (like the Upside Down).

Eventually, these experiments were shut down when one of the children summoned an interdimensional monster, Nichols wrote — just like Eleven bringing the Demogorgon to our world.

Joe Loffreno told the Post in 2020 that he believes he’s one of the children who were abducted and experimented on and who were mentioned in “The Montauk Project.”

“I didn’t believe it until two years ago,” Loffreno said. “I was hypnotized [by a certified hypnotist] for about 40 minutes and all these memories flooded back. They did a very bad thing to us out there. We were just little kids. They had no right to experiment on us. It was a very dark, very evil thing.”

Garetano, director of “Montauk Chronicles,” spoke with Newsday in 2017 about the reported tunnels. He said that when the History Channel was filming for “The Dark Files,” they found proof that the tunnels existed.

“Something extraordinary was found, which goes against all the official statements that there isn’t anything there,” Garetano said. “We didn’t get into them, but we have footage of them that was taken by someone else.” He added that they saw something on the “electric resistivity imagery tests” that were conducted.

Another local, Paul Fagan, told the New York Post that he believes a nuclear reactor might’ve secretly been buried at the base in the ’50s, and that any conspiracy theories are actually meant to distract from the reactor’s existence.

The New York Department of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation did not respond to a request for comment from Business Insider about the claims.

The Army and the Air Force have never appeared to go on the record about the claims either, and they did not respond to requests for comment from Business Insider either.

When the Army built the base, it was used to surveil the surrounding area for German submarines, and it was also an antiaircraft artillery training station. At the time, according to the sign, all antiaircraft units in New York were sent to Camp Hero for a few weeks to train.

The sign also said it was home to other surveillance and height-finding radar that “guarded the New York City area against a surprise attack by Soviet bombers or other missiles.”

The base was also used “extensively” as a live-fire training range until it was shut down in the ’80s.

There are no lights and very little signage — I could see myself getting hopelessly lost in the woods.

Even though it was just a few minutes down the road, the atmosphere was completely different. The parking lot was bustling, and I could hear kids laughing as they explored the beach. I felt like I had just been to a completely different world.

I’d recommend making the drive if you’re already in Montauk or the Hamptons.

Do I really believe that there were scientists using abducted children to contact a different dimension at Camp Hero?

No.

However, I understand the fascination with Camp Hero — the fact that the radar tower and other disguised buildings are still standing decades later, the secluded location, and the idea that there could be secret tunnels underground are all compelling fodder for urban legends.

Anyone interested in military history or conspiracy theories would learn a lot at Camp Hero, and I’d recommend visiting — but only during the day, and not on your own.

Editor’s note: This story was originally published in August 2023 and was most recently updated in January 2026.

At 2024’s D23 event, Disney’s biennial fan event, Pixar announced that Daniel Chong, the storyboard artist on “Bolt” and “Minions,” would direct a new original movie called “Hoppers.”

The film follows a young girl, Mabel (Piper Curda), who transfers her consciousness into a robot beaver to go undercover in the animal kingdom. Variety reported that Mabel will unite the animals against a real estate developer.

Essentially, it’s “Avatar” with beavers. 

Jon Hamm and Bobby Moynihan will also star in the movie.

Get ready for Anne Hathaway sporting high fashion and Meryl Streep giving cold looks: “The Devil Wears Prada” is back! Fellow cast members from the original 2006 movie, Stanley Tucci and Emily Blunt, also return for this look inside the elite publishing and fashion world.

Pedro Pascal’s Mandalorian is finally coming to the big screen, and he’s bringing Grogu (aka Baby Yoda) with him.

“The Mandalorian,” which follows a bounty hunter who finds a young alien (Grogu) and decides to raise him, is Lucasfilm’s most successful “Star Wars” Disney+ series, winning 15 Emmys across three seasons.

“The Mandalorian” showrunner Jon Favreau will direct the movie. 

“Finding Nemo” director Andrew Stanton is directing the next “Toy Story” film. 

This time, Woody, Buzz Lightyear, and the gang compete against a digital threat for children’s attention.

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson announced the live-action adaptation during a prerecorded video for a shareholders meeting in April 2023.

Johnson will reprise his role from the hit 2016 movie as Maui, but the original Moana actor Auli’i Cravalho announced on Instagram she won’t reprise her role as the Disney princess.

Instead, she’ll serve as an executive producer, while Catherine Laga’aia, a 17-year-old actor, will play Moana. John Tui, Frankie Adams, and Rena Owen will play Moana’s family members.

Ridley Scott’s next movie is set in a world dealing with the aftermath of a crippling flu that nearly wiped out humanity.

Jacob Elordi, Margaret Qualley, Josh Brolin, Guy Pearce, and Benedict Wong play characters searching for a better life.

One of the biggest box-office earners of all time is going to get some more coin.

To set up the release of “Avengers: Doomsday” at the end of the year, Disney will re-release “Endgame” in the fall.

This animated movie follows a teen who discovers that he has magical powers, which takes him and his mother on a remarkable journey.

In July 2024, Marvel announced at the San Diego Comic-Con that “Iron Man” star Robert Downey Jr. would return to the MCU as the main villain of “Avengers 5,” Doctor Doom.

This will be Downey Jr.’s first Marvel project since Iron Man died in 2019’s “Avengers: Endgame.” Chris Hemsworth will return as Thor and Chris Evans as Captain America.

The Russo Brothers, who directed “Avengers: Infinity War” and “Endgame,” are also returning to direct the film.

In November 2024, Disney announced that “Ice Age” would be getting another sequel, which is in production.

Disney said some of the franchise’s main voice cast are returning, including Ray Romano and Queen Latifah, who play the mammoth couple, Manny and Ellie.

John Leguizamo and Denis Leary will return to voice sidekicks Sid the Sloth and Diego the Sabretooth Tiger. And finally, Simon Pegg will voice Buck, a reckless weasel who joined the franchise in the third film.

Marking the 50th anniversary of George Lucas’ landmark sci-fi movie, the original will get a re-release.

This will also get audiences prepared to return to a galaxy far, far away with “Star Wars: Starfighter” opening in theaters three months later.

At the 2025 Annecy Film Festival in June, Pixar’s CCO Pete Docter announced the next project from “Luca” director Enrico Casarosa.

It’s titled “Gatto” and follows the antics of a black cat named Nero as it maneuvers through Venice, Italy.

Not much has been revealed yet about the next “Star Wars” movie.

What we know for sure is Ryan Gosling is its star, the story is set five years after the events of “The Rise of Skywalker,” and it will be directed by Shawn Levy (“Stranger Things,” “Free Guy,” “Deadpool & Wolverine”).

In December 2024, Disney and the BBC announced that “Bluey,” the hit children’s show about an anthropomorphic puppy, would be made into a theatrical movie.

The animated film will be written and directed by Joe Brumm, who created the show. It will continue the adventures of Bluey and her family rather than reboot the story.

20 years after its first big screen release, the sequel to the iconic TV series is finally coming.

At 2024’s D23, Disney confirmed they will make a third and fourth “Frozen” movie. 

Disney also revealed concept art that depicted Elsa, Anna, Olaf, and the shadow of a horned person who could be the film’s villain.

This will be the follow-up to “Avengers: Doomsday” and will also be directed by the Russo Brothers.

April 2, 2027 — untitled Disney film

June 18, 2027 — untitled Disney film

September 17, 2027 — untitled Disney film

October 8, 2027 — untitled Disney film

November 5, 2027 — untitled Disney film

January 14, 2028 — untitled Disney film

February 18, 2028 — untitled Marvel film

March 10, 2028 — untitled Pixar film

March 31, 2028 — untitled Disney film

May 5, 2028 — untitled Marvel film

May 26, 2028 — untitled Disney film

June 16, 2028 — untitled Pixar film

July 7, 2028 — untitled Disney film

July 28, 2028 — untitled Disney film

August 11, 2028 — untitled Disney film

October 6, 2028 — untitled Disney film

November 10, 2028 — untitled Marvel film

November 22, 2028 — untitled Disney animation

December 15, 2028 — untitled Marvel film

Following the box office success of “Avatar: Fire & Ash,” Sam Worthington and Zoe Saldaña are set to star in two more “Avatar” movies.

This film was pushed back from a 2026 release date.

James Cameron had ideas for “Avatar 2” and “Avatar 3” in 2010. He originally announced “Avatar 4” in 2012, before revealing in 2015 that he also planned for a fifth film.

Cameron told Entertainment Weekly that he’ll hold a press conference and explain how the franchise ends if the franchise doesn’t get to parts 4 and 5.

In March, Disney CEO Bob Iger announced during the company’s annual meeting of shareholders that “Coco 2” is in the works.

The original co-directors, Lee Unkrich and Adrian Molina, will be returning.

The 2017 film, which grossed $814 million, featured an aspiring musician who journeyed to the land of the dead to discover why his family had banned music.

At the D23 event in 2024, Pixar announced another “Incredibles” sequel.

“Incredibles 2,” which premiered in 2018, was the highest-grossing animated film for six years until “Inside Out 2” overtook it.

Brad Bird, the director of the film series, will helm the new project.

At 2024’s D23, Dwayne Johnson announced that he was working with Disney to produce a film about the monster truck competition known as Monster Jam.

Kirsten Acuna, Caralynn Matassa, and Ayomikun Adekaiyero contributed to previous versions of this post.