Stranger Things: Writer Who Inspired Eddie Celebrates Character: ‘Tremendously Honored’

[Atenção: Contém spoilers de Stranger Things]

Netflix confirmed that he was inspired by a true story to create the character of Eddie Munson (Joseph Quinn) and part of the plot of the fourth season of Stranger Things (2016). Now, the writer on which the character was based has spoken out on Twitter about the series.

In Stranger Things, Eddie is the leader of the Hellfire Club RPG group. When the murders of young people begin to haunt Hawkins, he is seen as a prime suspect for witnessing one of the deaths and then fleeing. The town describes the roleplaying group as a satanic cult and begins to investigate Eddie and the other members.

Second @NetflixGeekedone of the official accounts of the Netflix on twitter, Eddie was vaguely inspired by Damien Echolswriter and artist who is one of the characters in the documentary Paradise Lost: Child Murders at Robin Hood Hillreleased in 1996.

echols and friends were part of Gryphons & Gargoyles, an RPG group based in West Memphis, Tennessee. They were blamed for the murder of three boys, even with solid alibis without hard evidence. The group was associated with Satanism – and so would have committed the crimes.

echols was sentenced to death, while two friends and members of the Gryphons & Gargoyles received life in prison at the time. Due to the lack of evidence to convict them, several celebrities – among them Johnny DeppEddie Vedder and Peter Jackson – from the United States protested against the court’s decision and started to defend the group.

Due to strong popular pressure and lack of concrete evidence, echols and Gryphons & Gargoyles got the suspension of criminal enforcement. They were only released from the US prison system after 18 years of imprisonment.

In response to a Twitter follower, echols finally spoke about the series and how honored he is by the honor: “In case anyone was wondering, I was tremendously honored by this. I greatly appreciate all the new eyes and hearts you brought to our fight. I was watching it at 3 am, and when I heard the first chords of ‘Master of Puppets,’ my heart exploded.”

In case anyone else is wondering, I was tremendously honored by it. And I greatly appreciate all the new eyes and hearts it has brought to our fight.
I was watching it at 3 am in the morning, and when I heard the very first chords from Master of Puppets, my heart exploded. https://t.co/zHmq2vQhoW

— Damien Echols (@damienechols) July 16, 2022

In 2010, the investigation of echols was reopened and DNA tests were redone with new and modern equipment, which pointed to his and his friends’ innocence. Since then, the artist has written the book Life after death (2012) tells his entire life story, from childhood to prison experience.