Independent filmmaker Christopher Garetano, whose award-winning film about the Montauk mystery inspired the hit show "Stranger Things," has spent a lifetime searching for the truth behind some of America's most unusual stories. He joined Richard Syrett (Twitter) to discuss his new Travel Channel series "Strange World" that investigates the legends and mysteries that fuel the creepiest conspiracy theories and unexplained occurrences. Garetano says he first became interested in the Montauk story when gathering material for a film and met three men who claimed they worked at a nearby military base named Camp Hero and were subjected to human experimentation in underground facilities. He later met other people from the area who said they were sure that the stories had merit, and added to the narrative.
"A credible witness is just as good as hard evidence," Gaetano said, adding that what he considers credible is "someone who has something to lose" by coming forward. He also visited the surroundings with film crews and, using electronic instruments, detected what he described as a "giant room," 20 or 30 feet below the ground near one of the base gates. Military officials seemed to swarm the area just as they arrived with a film crew, and Gaetano remarked that this was the first time in over a decade that anyone had noticed any overt activity at the base. The connection with the guest was lost later in the first hour, and Richard stated that he'd reschedule for a future show.
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During Open Lines, Wayne called in from Washington state to comment on the apparent time travel experiments at Montauk, noting that his research indicates that "time travel may be one level above UFOs as far as top secrecy goes." Justin in Florida said he experiences "strange visions" where he sees himself "living in a different reality" with a wife and children, even though he is single in this one. Walter in Pennsylvania said his view of most religions is that "man created all of these gods in man's image." Mike in Colorado lamented the decline of culture, particularly in popular music, saying that from the 1960s to the 1980s, "you had to have talent to be signed to be famous and have a record deal."
Joseph in Massachusetts asked Richard if he thought that NASA was still engaging in a program to cut off video feeds from space if anything anomalous shows up. Michael in Virginia said that the Moral Majority punished Jimmy Carter for brokering a peace deal between Egypt and Israel in 1980 by helping to get "witch consulting" Ronald Reagan elected. Rebecca in Washington state recalled a voice telling her "grandpa has just died" when she was a child, and the adults in her family denied the fact. Art in California said that he and a friend were skywatching recently, when they observed over 35 lights come out of the sky, traveling in "twos and threes."