Two Girls One Ghost – Episode 357: The Montauk Project

Release Date: January 25, 2026
Hosts: Corinne Vien and Sabrina Deana-Roga
Main Theme: Deep dive into the conspiracy theory of the Montauk Project—the real-life inspiration for Stranger Things—examining the origins, alleged experiments, and contemporary testimonies, while questioning the layers between fact, fiction, and memory manipulation.

Episode Overview

This episode explores the infamous Montauk Project, a conspiracy theory suggesting that a secret government experiment took place in Montauk, NY, involving mind control, time travel, psychic children, and the creation of monsters—a story which, allegedly, directly inspired Stranger Things. With their characteristic mix of spooky fascination and skeptical wit, Corinne and Sabrina unravel the key historical points, relate the theory’s roots in government experimentation, and share personal and listener stories of telepathy.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Setting the Paranormal Table: Montauk & Stranger Things (03:15 – 07:48)

• The hosts discuss Stranger Things' origins: The show was initially titled “Montauk” and is steeped in 1980s government paranoia and experiments.
• Sabrina: “But what if we told you Stranger Things wasn’t just born from the imagination of the Duffer Brothers, but inspired by a real place? … That’s right… a conspiracy theory called the Montauk Project.” (04:19)

2. Who is Preston Nichols? The Man Behind the Tale (07:48 – 13:51)

• Preston Nichols, self-described science and electronics expert, allegedly discovers the Montauk Project.
• His life prior to this is almost entirely untraceable—"no verified records," potentially by design.
• In 1971, while working at Airborne Instruments Laboratory (AIL) on Long Island, he receives a grant to study telepathy, a project he initially believes will disprove psychic abilities.

Notable Quote:

“Preston Nichols is the reason we know about or believe this to be a thing that happened.” – Sabrina (07:37)

3. Discovery of the Psychic Block & Hunting the Signal (12:50 – 18:49)

• Preston runs experiments with local psychics and discovers, daily at the same time, their abilities are blocked for 20 minutes.
• Traces the source to a radio signal (410-420 MHz) emanating from the Montauk Air Force Base’s giant radar antenna at Montauk Point.
• Encounter at the base: Security claims the radar is FAA-controlled, inconsistent with its long-range military war-era design.

Memorable Moment:

“He places a modified TV antenna on the roof of his car, grabs a WHF receiver, and drives around Long Island in search of the signal.” – Sabrina (15:30)

4. The Haunting of Camp Hero: Paranormal Encounters (21:35 – 28:52)

• In 1984, Preston accesses the now-abandoned Montauk base, describing it as if suddenly deserted (“abandoned in panic” with valuable equipment left behind).
• Encounters a man who recognizes Preston as his former boss and recounts a failed experiment featuring a beast scaring away everyone.
• Brian, Preston’s psychic colleague, corroborates the “beast” through a psychic reading—“irregular weather, mind control, a vicious beast.”

Notable Quote:

“Preston was this man’s boss. The project went terribly wrong, and a massive beast appeared and frightened everyone away.” – Sabrina (25:38)

5. Montauk’s Documented History vs. Theories (32:33 – 36:38)

• Camp Hero was constructed for WWII coastal defense, mirrored as a small coastal town for secrecy.
• In the Cold War, it became an Air Force radar station; its FPS-35 radar tower is one of the largest built.
• Since decommissioning in 1981, odd phenomena allegedly occurred, including strange weather, animals behaving bizarrely, and claims of missing children.

Memorable Moment:

“It was built to resemble a small coastal town. There were these facades built... like a Hollywood set.” – Sabrina (33:07)

6. Unreliable Memories: Mind Control and Telepathic Tech (41:05 – 54:20)

• Preston and “Montauk Boy” Duncan Cameron discover they share missing time and memories, possibly due to mind control or programming.
• Hypnosis and investigation lead to the “real story”: Between 1971 and 1983, “Phoenix 2,” the Montauk Project, sought to weaponize the human mind and manipulate time, using psychics and children as test subjects.
• Experiments covered telepathy, LSD, remote viewing, memory manipulation, and even “portal creation.”

Notable Quote:

“The Montauk Project was believed to be designed to explore, weaponize and control the human mind. Mind control was the goal, but it was not one single experiment being conducted. There were many.” – Sabrina (47:45)

7. The Montauk Chair & The Incident of ‘83 (54:21 – 69:46)

• The infamous “Montauk Chair” experiment: Test subjects—often unwilling, often children—were placed in a chair that, amplifying psychic abilities, could allegedly turn thought into physical manifestations, open portals, and even warp time.
• “Duncan Cameron” thinks of a monster while in the chair, manifesting a hairy beast—which some frame as an origin of “Bigfoot”—that rampages the base in the project’s final days (August 12, 1983).
• This incident results in the presumed shutdown and mass memory wiping of involved staff.

Notable Quotes:

“If thought powered the system, couldn’t thought also shut it down?” – Sabrina (67:07)
“He literally was connected to you… like you grew him inside your body.” – Sabrina, relating psychic children’s stories to the alleged “Montauk Boys” selection (93:58)

8. The Victims: The Montauk Boys and Disturbing Stats (58:30 – 64:15)

• Claims that 300,000 children (“Montauk Boys”) were kidnapped and killed or tortured during the project—a number that, disturbingly, aligns with a million missing children reported annually during the alleged timeline in the U.S.
• Methods included torture, LSD, sensory deprivation, and psychic programming.

Notable Quote:

“They basically wanted to break the psyche so they could reprogram the brain to their desires.” – Sabrina (61:18)

9. Testimonies: Stuart Swerdlow, Clones, and Alien Abductions (75:23 – 80:47)

• Witness Stuart Swerdlow recounts abduction experiences, time anomalies, and being tasked to obtain ancient DNA to create clones.
• Others from “gifted and talented” school programs come forward with parallel stories; some recall being lured into field trips and tested, bolstering the conspiracy community.

10. Secrets, Declassification, and Open Questions (83:05 – End)

• Extensive debate over whether any of the Montauk accounts are real, suppressed memories, or a combination of both.
• Many elements have the ring of truth, especially considering declassified CIA projects (MK Ultra, Stargate), but true evidence on Montauk remains elusive.
• Sabrina: “If it is true… why isn’t memory control being used more often? Unless we are all being controlled.” (84:13)

11. Listener Stories: Modern Psychic Connections (90:21 – 94:27)

• Corinne reads emails from listeners sharing real-life telepathy experiences between siblings, mothers, and friends, suggesting psychic bonds are not just fiction.
• Sabrina: “I feel like that just proves that the ability to telepathically communicate does exist.” (93:19)

Notable Quotes

• "What if we told you Stranger Things wasn't just born from the imagination of the Duffer Brothers, but inspired by a real place?" – Sabrina (04:19)

• “The project went terribly wrong, and a massive beast appeared and frightened everyone away. … This is where the first big seed is planted.” – Sabrina (25:38)

• “From 1971 to 1983, there was a secretive government experiment operating at the Montauk Air Base, which is now known as the Montauk Project, but was originally known as Phoenix 2 by officials involved.” – Sabrina (45:16)

• “If thought powered the system, couldn’t thought also shut it down? … In this moment, … fear comes up … literally manifests a terrifying monster.” – Sabrina (67:07)

• “He literally was connected to you ... like you grew him inside your body.” – Sabrina (93:58)

• “Today, Montauk is this sought after beach town. … As for Camp Hero and the Montauk Air Base, it is the Camp Hero State Park… The massive radar tower still dominates the landscape.” – Sabrina (87:11)

Important Timestamps & Segments

• [03:15] – Linking Stranger Things and the Montauk Project
• [07:48] – Introduction to Preston Nichols
• [12:50] – Discovering the 20-minute psychic block
• [15:30] – Preston’s “Dustin from Stranger Things” moment: building an antenna contraption
• [21:35] – Entering the abandoned Montauk Air Base
• [25:38] – First mention of “the beast” and memory confusion
• [32:33] – Verified historical info about Camp Hero/Base
• [41:05] – Duncan Cameron’s appearance and programmed assassination plot
• [54:21] – Explanation of the Montauk Chair; creation of physical manifestations
• [67:07] – 1983 Incident: The Montauk Monster
• [83:05] – Discussion: Conspiracy or reality?
• [90:21] – Listener telepathy stories

Episode Tone & Style

The hosts balance humor, genuine intrigue, and critical skepticism. Their conversational chemistry—as well as pop culture references—make the episode accessible even as it dives deep into unsettling themes.

Conclusion: Is the Montauk Project Real?

The episode ends without definitive answers, but the hosts highlight:

• The eerie links between government-documented experiments (MK Ultra etc.) and the Montauk legend.
• Ongoing questions about unreleased classified experiments.
• The notion that even if Montauk isn’t “real,” universal fears about lost time, mind control, and government secrecy remain relevant.

As Sabrina notes:
“The question isn’t whether secret government experiments happened. The question is how many are there that we still don’t fully understand?” (88:11)

Next week: Corinne covers the Philadelphia Experiment—a further deep dive into government time-warp conspiracies.

Listener Call to Action:
The hosts invite listeners to share their own stories and theories about the Montauk Project and psychic events. Email: twogirlsmyghostpodcastmail.com