Real yet tragic story behind 'Stranger Things’ character Eddie Munson

Season 4 of Netflix’s Stranger Things introduced a new character, the Damien Echols-inspired Eddie Munson, who has been one of the most popular new additions along with Vecna. Eddie Munson, played by actor Joseph Quinn, was the head of The Hawkins High's official Dungeons & Dragons Hellfire Club.

In one heroic moment, the character also seemingly sacrificed his life to save the town of Hawkins, Indiana. Actor Joseph Quinn definitely earned the title of this season's breakout star.

If Eddie's outcast-turned-scapegoat storyline seemed a little bit familiar to you, it may be because the writers based his arc on a real-life true crime story that took place in the early 1990s.

Eddie's long, scraggly hair, obsession with Dungeons and Dragons, and penchant for heavy metal made him a target for bullies at Hawkins High. 

The United States in the '80s was rampant with the Satanic Panic, a mass hysteria in which many believed that 'satanist' cults were committing ritualistic murder and taking over the country. Though this was led by propaganda and had no basis, many individuals were wrongly accused and even convicted for  crimes in which they had no involvement.

The official Twitter account for Netflix Geeked confirmed that Eddie Munson's story is, in fact, inspired by the documentary series Paradise Lost, which chronicles the wrongful conviction of three teenagers from West Memphis, Arkansas. Eddie is loosely modeled after author and artist Damien Echols, who was falsely pinned as the 'ringleader' of the West Memphis Three.

Echols himself was targeted by residents of West Memphis essentially for having long hair, wearing Metallica shirts, smoking cigarettes, and keeping to himself. Much like Eddie, his being 'different' made him an easy target.