Stranger Things season four has decided to turn a Nazi prison, where thousands of people were murdered, into an aesthetic set for their show. A new low for Hollywood.

The episode where Sherriff Hopper is taken to a Soviet camp where he is made to do labor is shot at Lukiškės Prison in Vilnius, Lithuania. This isn’t an ordinary prison since it was used to torture and murder political prisoners for a century.

“In the episodes, Sherrif Hopper is basically forced to work on the railroads, their feet are shackled as well. Every day they do checks to make sure the prisoner didn’t escape. The guards will hit or harm the prisoners if they do not properly perform their tasks. The prisoners are also given small portions of food or just one meal. They are starved for the rest of the day while they are still doing labor,” says Sophomore Guliana Vezzola.

The prison became notorious during the Nazi occupation of Lithuania in 1941. It was used by the Gestapo, police of Nazi Germany, and Lithuanian Saugumas, Lithuania police under German occupation, to imprison Jews from the Vilna Ghetto, and Poles caught in łapankas (roundups). The prisoners were later executed in the Ponary massacre. Later, when Soviet Russia reoccupied Vilnius, the NKVD used it to detain thousands of Polish activists and AK members.

During WW2 nearly 100,000 people, mostly Jewish, Rroma, and Polish were executed and tortured in this prison.

What’s even worst is now Airbnb, an online booking service for travelers is planning on turning this prison into a ‘Stanger Things’ themed hotel. The same prison where 100,000 people were brutally murdered and tortured.

The prison closed down in 2019 after a century of use. Now it’s being used as a ‘Stranger Things’ theme hotel where fans can stay for $114 a night in a Stranger Things-themed cell. This isn’t just outright wrong but also disgusting to see that a group of people would and is profiting off the murder and torture of thousands of people.

Sadly, it doesn’t stop there. The main character, Eleven, has a tattoo on her forearm writing “011.”Fans of the show are now inspired and getting their own numerical tattoos, on their wrists and forearm region, reminiscent of the holocaust. The Stranger Things Instagram has even reposted fans’ tattoos.

“I think that’s it’s a little insensitive that they filmed in a Nazi prison, as the great-granddaughter of holocaust survivors I do find it very offensive and insensitive. The people getting the tattoo based on the show is even more intensive. Holocaust survivors had to and still live with those numerical tattoos. The people turning the Nazi prison into a hotel is even more violating, who would wanna stay in a prison where 100,000+ people died,” says Lana Fais.

Stranger Things has a history of using Nazi themes and ideas in their show. It’s hard to ignore these parallels when watching the show. Having numbers tattooed on children with shaven heads. Even experimenting on those children.

The Holocaust isn’t something that Hollywood gets to build wealth off of. The actions of Stanger Things were offensive and repulsive.

As of now, there is a petition with 18,000 signatures to try and stop Airbnb’s plan of turning the prison cells into a ‘Stranger Things ‘overnight hotel.