These 60 Horror Movies Are Apparently Based on True Stories, So…Have Fun Sleeping
There's nothing scarier than seeing the words "based on a true story."
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There are two types of people out there: those who eat, sleep, and breathe horror and those who start sweating at even the thought of watching scary movies. If you're in the former camp (you brave soul, you!), then you probably live for true-crime podcasts, haunted houses, and all that spooky sh*t. And you probably know that the most terrifying stories are based in reality. With most horror flicks, you can turn on the lights when it ends and say, "Phew, I'm safe 'cause it's just a movie." But when the words "Based on a true story" pop up on the screen, well, that's when things get r-e-a-l.
Maybe your idea of horror is blood and gore. Maybe you like psychological thrillers that mess with your head. Or maybe you're all about ghosts and paranormal phenomena. Whatever you're into, there's a scary film inspired by actual events for every subgenre, and they're chock-full of serial killers, supernatural encounters, and seriously disturbing incidents. While you probably already know about the classic inspired-by-real-events scary movies like Poltergeist, Psycho, and The Exorcist, you mayyyy not be as familiar with some of the more recent scary flicks based on reality—all of which are available to stream right now. They range from mildly unsettling to fully nightmare-inducing, so if you're up for a good scare this spooky season, then these are the real-life scary movies you need to stream tonight...with the lights on, maybe.
Things Heard and Seen
This movie, about a Manhattan family that moves to New York's Hudson Valley and starts experiencing spooky paranormal activity, was based on Elizabeth Brundage's novel All Things Cease to Appear. And as it turns out, that book was inspired by two real-life things: the 1982 axe murder of Cathleen Krauseneck and the author's own paranormal experiences, so it really hits ya from every scary angle.
Scream
Let me clarify right off the top that no, there wasn't anyone running around in a Ghostface mask IRL killing people, BUT this now-classic horror movie was inspired by serial killer Daniel Rolling, aka the Gainesville Ripper. He was caught after murdering five college students in Florida over a span of four days, but later admitted to even more killings.
The Entity
In The Entity, a single mom in LA is repeatedly attacked by an invisible poltergeist, and as you can guess, no one believes her. And the same thing happened for real back in 1974 to Doris Bither who claimed to have been attacked and raped by a paranormal entity and enlisted the help of a parapsychologist to investigate what was happening.
Jennifer's Body
Yup! Even Jennifer's Body is inspired by a true story: the tragic killing of 15-year-old Elyse Pahler. In the movie, Megan Fox's character, Jennifer, is a high school student who becomes demonically possessed following a Satanic sacrifice and begins killing her male classmates. In real life, Elyse was murdered by a group of boys who believed the devil would give them powers in exchange for the sacrifice.
Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer
If you're a big true crime junkie, you might have guessed that the characters of Henry and Otis in this movie are based on real-life serial killers Henry Lee Lucas and Ottis Toole. The two terrifyingly carried out A LOT murders together, though it's hard to say exactly how many because they tended to make false confessions.
Communion
If you're not the kind to believe in aliens, then you mayyy not agree that this was based on a true story. But if you are, then you should know that Communion is based on the alleged experiences of author Whitley Strieber, who said he had a not-so-fun time being abducted by aliens.
Wolf Creek
An Australian horror movie about three backpackers being hunted by a serial killer in the outback? Sign me up! Although, knowing it's based on not one true story but TWO makes it almost too scary. The first inspiration is Bradley Murdoch, who murdered a backpacker in 2001 in a remote part of the country, and the second is Ivan Milat, who murdered several backpackers in Australia in the '90s.
The Lighthouse
This Robert Pattinson and Willem Dafoe flick is loosely based on the story of the Smalls Lighthouse. Back in 1801, two men who didn't particularly like each other were stationed alone at a lighthouse having to share a cramped space (just like in the movie). When one of them got sick and died, the other (out of fear of being accused of murder) just lived with the dead body until he could be rescued. Unfortunately by that point, he'd already experienced a full-blown mental collapse.
The Sacrement
Inspired by the Jonestown massacre, this movie is done in a found-footage kinda style so it even feels more real than your typical horror film. In it, a Vice journalist tries to track down his sister who's living in a secretive religious commune that's moved to a remote area only accessible by helicopter.
Fire in the Sky
This one's another alien abduction story, but this time based on the alleged experience of forestry worker Travis Walton. He claimed to have been abducted in Arizona and taken aboard a flying saucer for five days for observation by aliens. Even a lot of UFO believers think this story is a hoax, so take it with a space-ship-sized grain of salt.
The Silence of the Lambs
This might be one of the most revered scary films of all time—and with good reason. Based on the 1988 novel, this movie tells the story of Buffalo Bill, aka Jame Gumn, a killer who targeted and killed women to craft a suit for himself out of their skin. Luckily, the movie’s main character didn’t actually exist IRL. However, he was loosely based on numerous other famous killers, including Jerry Brudos, Ted Bundy, Gary M. Heidnik, Edmund Kemper, and Gary Ridgway.
The Conjuring (2013)
This bone-chilling tale was based on the case files of real-life paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren, who are associated with another prominent story—the Amityville Horror. The Conjuring is about their experience with a family who moves into a farmhouse in Rhode Island and begins to experience increasingly terrifying events.
The Conjuring 2 (2016)
In the Conjuring sequel, the Warrens help out the real-life Hodgson family, who experienced poltergeist activity at their Enfield council house in England back in the 1970s.
Zodiac (2007)
The fact that the real identity of the Zodiac Killer, one of the most notorious serial killers in the U.S., has never been solved makes this manhunt movie 1,000 times creepier. For all we know, the murderer who terrorized the San Francisco Area during the late 1960s and early 1970s is still out there...
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003)
Loosely inspired by the grisly crimes of serial killer Ed Gein (and other serial killers), this horror classic follows a group of unsuspecting friends who encounter a chainsaw-wielding maniac and his twisted family.
Annabelle (2014)
Annabelle, the creepy porcelain doll from The Conjuring, gets her terror on in this spinoff of The Conjuring. Though the movie doesn't exactlyyyy follow the true story, the ghost-hunting Warrens have claimed there was a real Raggedy Ann doll that moved by itself and wrote creepy-ass notes saying things like, “Help us.” Big nope.
The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It (2021)
This installment in the Conjuring universe revolves around the infamous trial of Arne Cheyenne Johnson, a murder trial that took place in 1981 Connecticut where the accused claimed he was possessed by the devil.
The Exorcism of Emily Rose (2005)
Drawing inspiration from the real-life exorcism of Anneliese Michel, which ended in the 23-year-old's death back in 1976, this movie intertwines supernatural horror with a courtroom drama, exploring the tragic consequences that followed a young woman's alleged possession.
Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile (2019)
In Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile, Zac Efron plays Ted Bundy, a prolific serial killer who targeted young women throughout the 1970s, and after you watch this one, you'll never look at High School Musical the same way again.
The Stanford Prison Experiment (2015)
Based on the infamous 1971 experiment conducted by Professor Philip Zimbardo, this thriller follows what happens when 24 college students role play as prisoners and prison guards and things get wayyyy out of hand.
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