Horror movies have the ability to transfer us to a place of nightmares and sheer terror, the good ones do at least. When you’re watching a horror movie, it’s probably crossed your mind whether some of this stuff actually happened in real life. Well you’d probably be surprised to know that a lot of the most popular horror movies of all time have some truth to the story being told on the silver screen. Knowing that what you’re watching on a screen may have happened in real life amps up the terror level of the movie quite a bit. Check out which of your favorite horror movies were based on some real life events.
1. A Nightmare On Elm Street: This movies creators were inspired to make it when they heard about a group of Laotian refugees who had died in the throes of nightmares. A medical report stated that there was nothing wrong with the people physically. They had died from heart attacks in their sleep brought about by the nightmares.
2. Texas Chainsaw Massacre: Ed Gein is one of Americas most famous serial killers. The movie was inspired from what police found when he was finally arrested. He had 9 human face masks in his possession, along with a garage full of 75 chain saws. He even had the bodies of 4 family members who were on the brink of death sitting around his house. He would feed them human flesh. And you thought you’re family was messed up.
3. The Exorcist: The movie The Exorcist is based on a novel written by Mario Puzzo, and that novel was based on a book about real life events. In the year 1949, a boy named Roland Doe was possessed by demons. Puzzo used many of the facts from the book about the real life events to create the legendary horror flick. The movie is so scary that books have even been written about people who have watched it.
4. The Strangers: This film is based loosely on a book called Helter Skelter. The director of the film also took some inspiration from Charles Manson and the murders he committed en route to becoming one of the most famous serial killers in history. The director also used some information about some murders that took place near his home. Some of those murders are now actually being attributed to Manson and his followers.
5. Borderland: If you like cults and human sacrifices, this one is for you. This movies centers around cult leader Adolfo de Jesús Constanzo. It delves into the ways that human sacrifice were practiced by him and his cult. They removed many body parts from their victims, including the brain.
6. The Rite: This movie centers around one of the most famous exorcist of all time, Father Gary Thomas and an exorcism he performed. He is said to have performed hundreds of exorcisms for the Catholic church throughout his tenure with them.
7. Ravenous: Loosely based on the character of Hannibal Lecter, who was actually inspired by a real murder. The author of the Hannibal series of books once interviewed a man in a Mexican prison who killed a man and chopped up his body into pieces and put them in a small box.
8. The Conjuring: Ed and Lorraine Warner are real life paranormal experts who actually dealt with a case about a possessed doll, which is what inspired this movie. They say the case is still extremely difficult for them to deal with and talk about.
9. The Girl Next Door: You know a movie can be good when it is based on the most horrific crime in a state’s history. In Indiana in 1965, Sylvia Likens was tortured and killed by Gertrude Baniszewski. Other children were made to watch the torture for days on end.
10. Psycho: Alfred is known as the “Master Of Suspense” for good reason. He made taking a shower a terrifying event for millions of people with this movie. It is based loosely around the crimes of Ed Geins, the man who Texas Chainsaw Massacre is based on.
11. The Amityville Horror: One of the most popular horror stories to hit the big screen. Many people have somewhat of an idea on the events surrounding this creepy house and the Lutz family who were the victims of what happened. Some reports say the story isn’t true, but many still insist it was.
12. Child’s Play: One of the most terrifying movies I saw growing up, this movie still gives people nightmares. The story is allegedly based on a nurse who put a voodoo curse on author Robert Eugene Otto’s doll, which caused it to come to life and perform evil deeds. The original doll is on display in a museum, and some people say you can still see its head and eyes move sometimes.
13. The Entity: While working on a casein 1974, paranormal investigators Kerry Gaynor and Barry Taff saw objects move. The movie revolves around the same incident, and the ghost also sexually abuses people.
14. The Exorcism Of Emily Rose: This terrifying flick is based on the life of Anneliese Michel. Her possession by demons was so strong that it took almost a whole year to accomplish. It is considered one of the best exorcism movies because of its attention to detail and the realism it creates.
15. Deliver Us From Evil: This movie is based on a non fictional book called Beware The Night.
16. Eaten Alive: This story is based around a real man named Joe Ball. He murdered 20 women, and would watch Alligators feast on their corpses. Ball was sentenced to the death penalty.
17. Curse Of The Zodiac: Still one of the biggest unsolved serial killer cases in history, this move is based on a man only known as “The Zodiac Killer.” Zodiac is famous for leaving encrypted clues for investigators to follow. Zodiac operated in northern California from the late 1960’s to the early 1970’s.
18. Silent House: This was an indie movie made in the United States, but the original events that inspired it took place in Uruguay. The movie contains quite a few original news clips of coverage of the story.
19. Annabelle: This is a sequel to The Conjuring. The doll this movie is based on is in a museum, and people who have taunted it have faced near death and even fatal incidents.
20. The Dentist: You may not want to visit the dentist after watching this. The movie is based on a dentist in LA in 1958. He turned out to be a serial killer.
21. Wolf Creek: Based on the backpacker murders committed by two men named Ivan Milat and Bradley John Murdoch in the 1990s. Those murders were committed in a state forest in Sydney.
I had no idea that some of the biggest horror movies to ever be released were based on true events. That takes the terror up a few notches if you ask me. After reading these, I want more information on the real life events that took place.