15 Horror Movies Based on True Stories
Some of the most terrifying films ever made were inspired by true stories that are even more horrifying than fiction.
Here are 15 horror movies based on true stories that will give you nightmares.
1. The Exorcist (1973)
The Exorcist is one of the most iconic and influential horror movies of all time, and it was based on the real-life case of Roland Doe, a 14-year-old boy who underwent a series of exorcisms in 1949. The boy reportedly exhibited signs of demonic possession, such as speaking in tongues, levitating, and displaying superhuman strength. The Catholic Church authorized several priests to perform the ritual, which lasted for months and involved violent episodes and injuries. The movie changed some details, such as the gender and age of the victim, but it captured the horror and drama of the real event.
2. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is one of the most brutal and disturbing horror movies ever made, and it was loosely inspired by the notorious serial killer Ed Gein, who murdered at least two women and exhumed corpses from graveyards in Wisconsin in the 1950s. Gein was known for making trophies and furniture out of human skin and bones, such as masks, lamps, and chairs. The movie exaggerated some aspects, such as the chainsaw-wielding cannibal family and the number of victims, but it used some of Gein’s macabre creations as props.
3. The Amityville Horror (1979)
The Amityville Horror is based on the alleged haunting of a house in Long Island, New York, where a man named Ronald DeFeo Jr. killed his entire family in 1974. A year later, the Lutz family moved into the house and claimed to experience paranormal phenomena, such as strange noises, foul odours, cold spots, and apparitions. They also claimed that a priest who blessed the house was attacked by an invisible force. The Lutzes fled the house after 28 days and wrote a book about their ordeal, which became a bestseller and spawned several movies. However, many sceptics have questioned the veracity of their story and accused them of fabricating it for money and fame.
4. The Conjuring (2013)
The Conjuring is based on the case files of Ed and Lorraine Warren, a famous couple of paranormal investigators who claimed to have dealt with hundreds of haunted houses and demonic possessions. The movie focuses on one of their most notorious cases, involving the Perron family, who moved into a farmhouse in Rhode Island in 1971 and experienced terrifying events, such as objects moving by themselves, voices whispering in the dark, and attacks by an evil spirit. The Warrens identified the culprit as Bathsheba Sherman, a woman who lived in the house in the 1800s and was accused of witchcraft and killing her infant child.
5. Psycho (1960)
Psycho is considered to be one of the greatest horror movies of all time, and it was also inspired by Ed Gein’s crimes. The movie tells the story of Norman Bates, a shy motel owner who suffers from a split personality disorder and kills his guests while dressed as his dead mother. The movie was based on a novel by Robert Bloch, who was fascinated by Gein’s case and used some elements from it, such as the mother-son relationship, the taxidermy hobby, and the human skin suit.
6. The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
The Silence of the Lambs is another masterpiece of horror cinema that was influenced by Ed Gein’s crimes. The movie features Hannibal Lecter, a brilliant but cannibalistic serial killer who helps an FBI agent catch another killer named Buffalo Bill. Buffalo Bill is a psychopath who kidnaps women and skins them to make a female suit for himself. The character was based on a combination of real-life serial killers, including Ed Gein, Ted Bundy, Gary Heidnik, and Jerry Brudos.
7. The Girl Next Door (2007)
The Girl Next Door is one of the most disturbing horror movies ever made, and it was based on the true story of Sylvia Likens, a 16-year-old girl who was tortured and killed by her caregiver Gertrude Baniszewski and her children in Indiana in 1965. Baniszewski agreed to take care of Likens and her sister while their parents were away, but she soon became abusive and sadistic towards them. She locked Likens in the basement and allowed her children and other neighbourhood kids to beat her, burn her, cut her, starve her, and sexually assault her. Likens died after three months of agony from multiple injuries and infections.
8. The Strangers (2008)
The Strangers is a home invasion horror movie that follows a couple who are terrorized by three masked intruders in their isolated vacation house. The movie was inspired by several real-life incidents, such as the Manson Family murders, the Keddie Cabin murders, and the personal experience of the director Bryan Bertino, who said that when he was a child, someone knocked on his door and asked for someone who didn’t live there. He later found out that the strangers were breaking into houses in the neighbourhood.
9. The Entity (1982)
The Entity is based on the alleged case of Doris Bither, a woman who claimed to be repeatedly raped and assaulted by an invisible force in her home in California in the 1970s. Bither contacted a team of parapsychologists who investigated her claims and witnessed some paranormal phenomena, such as orbs of light, moving objects, and bruises on her body. They also attempted to capture the entity on film, but the results were inconclusive. Bither’s case remains unsolved and controversial.
10. The Exorcism of Emily Rose (2005)
The Exorcism of Emily Rose is based on the tragic case of Anneliese Michel, a German woman who died in 1976 after undergoing 67 exorcisms over 10 months. Michel was a devout Catholic who suffered from epilepsy and mental illness, but she believed that she was possessed by several demons. She stopped taking her medication and agreed to undergo exorcisms by two priests, who claimed that she spoke in different languages, displayed superhuman strength, and showed signs of stigmata. Michel died from malnutrition and dehydration at the age of 23. The priests and her parents were charged with negligent homicide and sentenced to probation.
11. Wolf Creek (2005)
Wolf Creek is a brutal horror movie that follows three backpackers who are kidnapped and tortured by a sadistic killer in the Australian outback. The movie was inspired by several real-life serial killers who preyed on tourists and travellers in Australia, such as Ivan Milat, who murdered seven backpackers in the 1990s, and Bradley John Murdoch, who killed a British tourist and attempted to kidnap his girlfriend in 2001.
12. The Hills Have Eyes (1977)
The Hills Have Eyes is a cult classic horror movie that depicts a family who are attacked by a group of cannibalistic mutants in the Nevada desert. The movie was loosely based on the legend of Sawney Bean, a Scottish clan leader who lived in the 16th century and allegedly led his family of 48 members to murder and eat over 1,000 people. The clan lived in a cave and ambushed travellers on the road. They were eventually captured and executed by King James VI.
13. The Serpent and the Rainbow (1988)
The Serpent and the Rainbow is based on the book by Wade Davis, an anthropologist who travelled to Haiti in the 1980s to investigate the phenomenon of zombies. Davis claimed that he discovered a secret formula that could induce a state of apparent death and resurrection in humans, using a combination of toxins derived from plants and animals. He also claimed that he encountered a man named Clairvius Narcisse, who said that he was turned into a zombie by a voodoo priest and forced to work on a plantation for 18 years.
14. A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
A Nightmare on Elm Street is one of the most popular horror franchises of all time, and it was partly inspired by a series of articles that Wes Craven read in the Los Angeles Times about young men from Southeast Asia who died in their sleep after suffering from terrifying nightmares. Craven also drew inspiration from his own childhood experiences, such as seeing an old man wearing a fedora outside his window at night, and being bullied by a boy named Fred Krueger.
15. Jaws (1975)
Jaws is one of the most successful and influential horror movies ever made, and it was based on the novel by Peter Benchley, who was inspired by the real-life shark attacks that occurred in New Jersey in 1916. During a span of 12 days, four people were killed and one was injured by a great white shark that ventured into the coastal waters. The attacks sparked media frenzy and a massive hunt for the shark, which was eventually killed by a local fisherman.
© Colin Lawson Books