Real Life Horror! Scary Movies Based on “True” Events
Everything is Scarier When it’s Based On Real-Life Events!
One of the best ways to ensure that a horror movie will freak me out is to base it on real-life events. It’s like saying “this really happened” right before starting a spooky ghost story. In the past, I tackled movies that were based on true stories that were stranger than fiction, but none of them were really scary. This time around though I’m focusing on horror movies that may or may not have actually happened. Of course, the real-life events that inspired some of these scary movies probably weren’t as terrifying as the movies themselves made them out to be, but hey, that’s show business for you. That being said, some of these movies have enough of a foothold in the truth to make them all the more terrifying. So if you’re looking for movies that are just a little creepier because of the events that inspired them, then you’re definitely going to want to check out these five!
The Conjuring
James Wan created one of the most profitable (and truly scary) horror movie franchises in decades which he kicked off with The Conjuring. They based the film on the famed real-life paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren (played by Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga). While the movie certainly played up a lot of the finer points of the tale, it’s just one of the dozens of investigations performed by the Warren’s, which means we’ll have tons of scary movies based on the real-life stories from their years examining all sorts of hauntings around the world. Here’s hoping the next ones prove to be scarier than The Nun. I doubt any future installments will stack up to this haunted house masterpiece.
Open Water
I love shark movies, but none of them freaked me out like Open Water. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not the best one I’ve ever seen, but the fact that it actually happened is pretty terrifying. They based the film on the real-life story of Tom and Eileen Lonergan. The two were left behind after taking a scuba diving trip out on the Great Barrier Reef after their tour guides failed to take a headcount. To make matter worse, their bodies were never found, and it’s safe to assume the worst probably befell the couple. Of course, Open Water isn’t the only shark movie based on real-life events. They also based jaws on a string of shark attacks that took place in Jersey in 1916. However, Open Water is a bit more grounded in reality.
Wolf Creek
A lot of horror movies are based on real life serial killers. Most famously was Leather Face who was (loosely) inspired by Ed Gein. According to Greg McLean, who wrote and directed Wolf Creek, the film is actually based on three real life Australian serial killers. The first was Ivan Milat (AKA The Backpacker Killer) who killed backpackers during the ’90s. The second was Bradley Murdoch, who tried to kidnap a woman after he killed her boyfriend. Finally, the Snowtown Murders served as the last ingredient where 11 murders were carried out by five people in Snowtown, Australia. All these terrifying tales came together to create one of the most twisted serial killer movies I’ve seen in decades. Guess Australians don’t always have “G’Days.”
Primeval
You don’t come across too many killer animal movies that are based on real-life events. The most interesting I’ve seen though was Primeval. I’m not going to say the movie was the best (I’m a bit more fond of Rogue), but the story behind it is crazy! Based on the real-life crocodile, Gustave, who rumored to be 20 feet long and over 60 years old. Reports claim that he’s responsible for over 300 deaths and may even still be alive. That would make Gustave one of the most prolific killer animals on the face of the planet. While I’m not inclined to believe all the stories are true, the fact that there could have been an enormous killer croc out there killing any human that wandered into its territory is one of those stories that could be stranger than fiction.
The Amityville Horror
One of the most infamous “based on true events” movies has got to be The Amityville Horror. It’s also somehow became of the most prolific horror franchises in… Well, ever. Which I find weird, because why would people keep moving into that damned house after what happened in the first film? They based the original movie on the real-life events that took place in 1975 at 112, Ocean Avenue, Amityville. Apparently, the story is true enough to make it one of the most discussed cases among paranormal researchers. Of course, if you’re planning on watching the film, then you’ll want to stick with the 1979 version. As much as I love Ryan Reynolds, the 2005 film was total garbage.
These are just a few movies based on real-life horrific events, and there are literally dozens more out there. Let me know in the comments below if there are some other true story horror films fans of the genre should check out. As more make their big-screen debut, I’ll be sure to update this list, so be sure to check back from time to time as well.