Between best movies to see that all the long, complex and exciting cinema history offers us there are some based on true events. When all we want to do is watch a horror movie, there are evenings for it. However what makes the scarier the horror movies based on true stories it is knowing that they are based on true events. Acknowledging that someone actually experienced that horror in real life is truly scary.
Horror movies they’re much scarier when they’re based on a real story because you reflect that this can happen to you in day-to-day life. Ultimately, there are many real-life events that can produce a horror movie. Below is a list of horror movies based on true stories that you absolutely must see.
Horror Movies Based on True Stories from the 60s
Psycho (1960)
Psycho (1960) is an American psychological horror film written and directed by Alfred Hitchcock. It stars Anthony Perkins as Norman Bates, a disturbed motel owner who becomes a serial killer.
The film was a critical and commercial success, and it is considered to be one of the greatest horror films ever made. It is praised for its suspenseful atmosphere, its shocking violence, and Perkins’ performance as Norman Bates.
Plot
Marion Crane (Janet Leigh) steals $40,000 from her employer and flees to California. She stops at the Bates Motel, where she is checked in by Norman Bates. Marion soon realizes that Norman is a disturbed individual, and she becomes trapped in the motel.
Critical reception
Psycho received critical acclaim upon its release. Bosley Crowther of The New York Times wrote that the film was “a masterpiece of the macabre.” Roger Ebert gave the film four stars out of four, writing that it is “a classic of suspense filmmaking.”
Box office performance
Psycho was a box office success, grossing over $40 million worldwide on a budget of $800,000. It is considered to be one of the most profitable horror films of all time.
This horror movie is based on a true story of Ed Gein and from the murders in Wisconsin. There have been several sequels to this masterpiece of cinema history directed by Alfred Hitchcock.
Gein did the household chores on his ranch. He cordoned off the spaces used by his mother, consisting of the upstairs shop, downstairs shop and living space, leaving them clean. While the rest of the house has become progressively repulsive, these spaces have continued to be excellent.
Gein later lived in a small room next to the kitchen. At this time he became curious to read pulp publications and travel stories, especially those involving cannibals or Nazi crimes. Gein was a handyman and received ranch aid from the federal government starting in 1951. He periodically helped the community road crew as well as staff threshing the crops at the site.
The Birds (1963)
The Birds (1963) is an American psychological horror film written and directed by Alfred Hitchcock. Tippi Hedren stars as Melanie Daniels, a woman who falls in love with a San Francisco attorney, Mitch Brenner. When Melanie visits the Brenner family farm in Bodega Bay, California, the birds begin to behave aggressively and a series of deadly attacks begins.
Plot
Melanie Daniels (Tippi Hedren), a wealthy heiress, meets Mitch Brenner (Rod Taylor), a San Francisco attorney, at a pet shop. Mitch is smitten with Melanie and invites her to a birthday party for his younger stepsister, Cathy. Melanie accepts and travels to Bodega Bay, where the Brenner farm is located.
When Melanie arrives in Bodega Bay, the birds begin to behave strangely. A seagull attacks Melanie and pecks her neck. Melanie thinks it was just an accident, but the birds soon begin to behave in an increasingly aggressive manner.
The birds attack people, cars, and even houses. Melanie and Mitch take refuge on the Brenner farm, but the birds surround them and attack them. Melanie and Mitch manage to escape from the farm and take refuge in town.
The bird attack spreads to all of Bodega Bay. The birds attack the town and kill many people. Melanie and Mitch reunite with Cathy and her mother and take refuge in a church.
The birds eventually stop attacking and Melanie, Mitch, Cathy, and her mother manage to escape from Bodega Bay.
Critical reception
The Birds received positive reviews from critics. The film was praised for its suspenseful atmosphere, its innovative special effects, and Tippi Hedren’s performance.
Box office
The Birds was a box office success, grossing over $11 million worldwide on a budget of $2 million. It is considered one of the most iconic horror films of all time.
The film cult di Alfred Hitchcock is based on the short story by Daphne Du Maurier, but the film is based on a true story, when residents of Capitola, California woke up to a scene straight out of a horror movie. It was a complete mystery at the time, but scientists now believe that domoic acid and its neurotoxins were to blame for the birds’ bizarre behavior.
Horror Movies Based on True Stories from the 70s
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974) is an American slasher film directed by Tobe Hooper. It stars Marilyn Burns, Gunnar Hansen, Allen Danziger, and William Vail. The film tells the story of five friends who travel to Texas for a weekend of fun and relaxation. However, they soon find themselves trapped in the clutches of a family of cannibalistic psychopaths.
Plot
Five friends – Sally Hardesty (Marilyn Burns), her brother Franklin (Paul A. Partain), her boyfriend Jerry (Allen Danzinger), her friend Pam (Teri McMinn), and her boyfriend Kirk (William Vail) – are driving to visit the grave of Sally’s grandfather. Along the way, they pick up a hitchhiker named Leatherface (Gunnar Hansen), who is actually a member of a family of cannibalistic psychopaths.
Leatherface kills Kirk with a chainsaw, and the other four friends flee. They are eventually captured by the rest of the family, who proceed to torture and kill them. Sally is the only survivor, and she escapes from the family’s house.
Critical reception
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre received mixed reviews from critics upon its release. Some critics praised the film’s suspenseful atmosphere and its graphic violence, while others criticized it for being too violent and exploitative.
Box office performance
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre was a commercial success, grossing over $30 million worldwide on a budget of $140,000. It is considered to be one of the most influential horror films of all time.
This film is loosely based on the famous American serial Ed Gein, the same one who inspired the film Psycho, who had 9 human skin masks in his property at the time of his capture. Edward Theodore Gein, also called the Butcher of Plainfield, committed his crimes in his hometown of Plainfield, Wisconsin.
The facts became famous in 1957 after authorities discovered he had exhumed remains from neighborhood cemeteries and carved keepsakes from their bones and skin. Gein also admitted to killing 2 women: pub landlady Mary Hogan in 1954 and equipment shopkeeper Bernice Worden in 1957.
The Town That Dreaded Sundown (1976)
The Town That Dreaded Sundown (1976) is a fictionalized account of the Texarkana Moonlight Murders, a series of murders that occurred in Texarkana, Texas, in 1946. The film is directed by Charles B. Pierce and stars Ben Johnson, Andrew Prine, Dawn Wells, and Jimmy Clem.
Plot
The film is set in 1946 in Texarkana, a small town in Texas. A mysterious killer begins terrorizing the town, killing couples who are parked in secluded areas.
Captain J.D. Morales (Ben Johnson) is tasked with capturing the killer. Morales turns to an ex-police officer, Lou Ford (Andrew Prine), to help with the investigation.
Ford is a troubled man who is haunted by his past. He was accused of killing his girlfriend and his friend, but he was acquitted due to lack of evidence.
Morales and Ford begin to investigate the murders. They soon discover that the killer is one of their neighbors, a man named Elmer Wayne Henley (Jimmy Clem).
Henley is a young, mentally unstable man who is obsessed with violence. He confesses to committing the murders, but he claims to have been helped by another man, a sheriff named Charlie Smith (John Howard).
Morales and Ford arrest Henley and Smith. Henley is sentenced to death and Smith is imprisoned.
Critical reception
The Town That Dreaded Sundown received mixed reviews from critics upon its release. Some critics praised the film for its suspenseful atmosphere and its realistic portrayal of violence, while others criticized it for being too violent and sensationalized.
Box office performance
The Town That Dreaded Sundown was a commercial success, grossing over $10 million worldwide on a budget of $2 million.
The ghost of Texarkana is a serial killer never identified that attacked eight people, five of whom died, over a 10-week period in the spring of 1946 around the Arkansas and Texas region.
The murders caused a state of panic throughout the summer and served as the inspiration for the 1976 film The Town That Dreaded Sundown which was remade in 2014. Although the prime suspect was petty criminal Youell Swinney, the killer did not has never been identified.
The Amityville Horror (1979)
The Amityville Horror (1979) is a horror film directed by Stuart Rosenberg and starring James Brolin, Margot Kidder, Rod Steiger, and Murray Hamilton. It is based on the book of the same name by Jay Anson, which tells the story of the Lutz family, who claimed to have been terrorized by paranormal phenomena in their new home at 112 Ocean Avenue in Amityville, New York, in 1975.
The film begins with the DeFeo family, who lived in the house at 112 Ocean Avenue before the Lutzes. On November 13, 1974, Ronald DeFeo Jr. murdered his entire family in the house, including his parents and four siblings.
One year later, the Lutz family moves into the house. They soon begin to experience strange and disturbing events, such as hearing voices, seeing apparitions, and being attacked by unseen forces. The family eventually flees the house after 28 days, claiming that they are being haunted by the spirits of the DeFeo family.
Critical reception
The Amityville Horror was a critical and commercial success, grossing over $86 million worldwide on a budget of $4.7 million. The film was praised for its atmosphere, suspense, and special effects. However, it was also criticized for its slow pace and lack of character development.
Box office performance
The Amityville Horror was a box office success, grossing over $86 million worldwide on a budget of $4.7 million. It is one of the highest-grossing horror films of all time.
In 1974, Ronald DeFeo Jr. murdered his family members at their home in Long Island, New York. After the terrible event George, Kathy Lutz and their three children moved into the same house where the crimes had occurred but only a month later they escaped.
They said they were terrified of evil spirits and other paranormal phenomena, such as feeling cold spots in the house and finding sons Daniel and Christopher levitating in their beds. The events, which have since been labeled a hoax, served as the inspiration for the book and film: The Amityville Horror.
Horror Movies Based on True Stories from the 80s
Eaten Alive (1980)
Eaten Alive (1980) is a horror film directed by Tobe Hooper, the director of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974). It stars Neville Brand, Marilyn Burns, and Stuart Whitman. The film tells the story of a group of strangers who are stranded at a rundown motel run by a cannibalistic proprietor named Judd Crandall (Brand).
The film begins with a young woman named Faye (Burns) driving through Texas. She stops at the Starlight Motel to get some rest, but she quickly realizes that something is wrong. The motel is run-down and deserted, and Judd Crandall, the proprietor, is a creepy old man with a violent temper.
Faye is not the only guest at the motel. There is also a truck driver named Buck (Whitman) and a group of bikers. Judd begins to torment the guests, and eventually, he begins to kill them.
Critical reception
Eaten Alive received mixed reviews from critics upon its release. Some critics praised the film’s gore and atmosphere, while others criticized it for being too campy and derivative of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre.
Box office performance
Eaten Alive was a commercial failure, grossing only $2 million at the box office on a budget of $1 million.
This horror film is based on the true story of Joe Ball, a man who eliminated about 20 women and also enjoyed eating alligators. Some women disappeared: maids, ex-girlfriends and his wife too. When 2 Bexar County Deputy Policemen doubt him in 1938, Ball pulled a pistol from his cash register and killed himself with a bullet to the heart.
A handyman who conspired with Ball, Clifford Wheeler, confessed to helping Ball dispose of the bodies of 2 of the women he killed. Wheeler led them to the remains of Hazel Brown and Minnie Gotthard.
Poltergeist (1982)
Poltergeist (1982) is an American supernatural horror film produced by Steven Spielberg and directed by Tobe Hooper. The film stars Craig T. Nelson, JoBeth Williams, Heather O’Rourke, Oliver Robins, Zelda Rubinstein, and Beatrice Straight. It tells the story of the Freeling family, whose suburban home is invaded by malevolent spirits who kidnap their youngest daughter.
The film begins with the Freeling family moving into a new home in the Cuesta Verde housing development. Their youngest daughter, Carol Anne (O’Rourke), begins to communicate with the spirits through the television set. The spirits become increasingly aggressive, and eventually kidnap Carol Anne.
The Freelings turn to a paranormal investigator named Dr. Lesh (Rubinstein) for help. Dr. Lesh and her team of experts discover that the Cuesta Verde development was built on the site of a former cemetery. The spirits are angry because their graves were disturbed, and they are seeking revenge.
The Freelings and Dr. Lesh’s team must work together to rescue Carol Anne and defeat the spirits.
Critical reception
Poltergeist was a critical and commercial success, grossing over $73 million worldwide on a budget of $10.7 million. The film was praised for its special effects, suspenseful atmosphere, and performances.
Box office performance
Poltergeist was a box office success, grossing over $73 million worldwide on a budget of $10.7 million. It was the fourth-highest-grossing film of 1982.
It is an iconic film in horror cinema and the events in Poltergeist are based on terrifying true stories which happened at the Herrmann House in 1958.
Bottles containing various substances started moving and bursting around the house. Other household items were thrown across the room with “no device that could have propelled them”.
The Entity (1982)
The Entity (1982) is a horror film directed by Sidney J. Furie and starring Barbara Hershey as a single mother who is raped and tormented by an invisible force. The film is based on the novel of the same name by Frank De Felitta, which is loosely based on the real-life case of Doris Bither.
The film begins with Carla Moran (Hershey) moving into a new house with her three children. Soon after, she begins to experience strange and disturbing events, such as hearing voices and seeing apparitions. She is also repeatedly raped by an invisible force.
Carla turns to a psychiatrist, Dr. Phil Sneiderman (Ron Silver), for help. Dr. Sneiderman is initially skeptical of Carla’s story, but he eventually comes to believe that she is being attacked by a supernatural entity.
Carla and Dr. Sneiderman team up to investigate the entity. They discover that the entity is attracted to Carla’s fear. The more afraid Carla is, the stronger the entity becomes.
Carla and Dr. Sneiderman must find a way to defeat the entity before it kills her.
Critical reception
The Entity received mixed reviews from critics upon its release. Some critics praised the film’s atmosphere and Hershey’s performance, while others criticized it for being too exploitative and disturbing.
Box office performance
The Entity was a commercial failure, grossing only $13.3 million at the box office on a budget of $5 million.
In 1974, Doris Bither, a single mother of three, reported hearing strange smells, objects falling off shelves by themselves, and strange lights. After seeing a hazy apparition, Bither claims she was sexually assaulted by the evil spirits that inhabited her home.
Bither contacted parapsychologists Barry Taff and Kerry Gaynor, who took photos during her investigation of the house. Bither’s story is sad as by all accounts she was quite upset, but where a psychologist or social worker would have identified her as a woman in need of help, Taff and Gaynor saw an opportunity to strengthen their work. Bither’s story was adapted to film in 1982 and she died in 1999.
Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) is an American supernatural horror film directed by Wes Craven and starring Heather Langenkamp, Johnny Depp, Robert Englund, and Amanda Wyss. The film tells the story of a group of teenagers in Springwood, Ohio, who are stalked and killed by Freddy Krueger (Englund), a disfigured man who was burned to death by the teenagers’ parents.
The film begins with Nancy Thompson (Langenkamp) having a nightmare in which she is chased and killed by a disfigured man with a metal-bladed glove. She wakes up in a cold sweat, only to discover that her friend Tina Gray (Wyss) has been murdered in her sleep in the same way.
Nancy soon learns that Tina is not the only one of her friends to have been killed in this way. Several other teenagers in Springwood have also been murdered in their sleep, and Nancy begins to suspect that they are all being stalked by the same killer.
Nancy’s suspicions are confirmed when she has another nightmare in which she meets Freddy Krueger. Freddy tells Nancy that he is the one who is killing her friends, and that he will come for her next.
Nancy must find a way to stay awake long enough to defeat Freddy, or she will be his next victim.
Critical reception
A Nightmare on Elm Street was a critical and commercial success, grossing over $57 million worldwide on a budget of $1.8 million. The film was praised for its atmosphere, suspense, and special effects. It is also credited with popularizing the slasher film genre in the 1980s.
Box office performance
A Nightmare on Elm Street was a box office success, grossing over $57 million worldwide on a budget of $1.8 million. It was the highest-grossing slasher film of 1984.
For a killer who stalks teenagers in their sleep, it’s surprising to learn that the murders of Freddy Krueger in Nightmare on Elm Street are based on a series of articles published by the LA Times in the 1970s.
A young boy, whose family had survived the death camps of Cambodia, had terrible nightmares of something monstrous chasing him in his sleep. “He was afraid that if he slept, the thing chasing him would get him, so he tried to stay awake for days on end,” said director Wes Craven in 2014.
The Stepfather (1987)
Stepfather (1987) is a psychological thriller film directed by Joseph Ruben and starring Terry O’Quinn, Shelley Hack, Jill Schoelen, and Charles Durning. The film tells the story of a young woman, Stephanie, who begins to suspect that her stepfather, Jerry Blake, is a psychopathic killer.
The film opens with Stephanie moving in with her mother Susan and new stepfather Jerry to Los Angeles. Stephanie is initially reluctant to accept Jerry, but she eventually begins to warm up to him.
However, Stephanie begins to notice some disturbing behavior from Jerry. He is always very controlling and manipulative, and Stephanie begins to feel like she can’t trust him.
Stephanie’s suspicions are confirmed when she discovers that Jerry has a criminal past. He has been convicted of murder and served 12 years in prison.
Stephanie is determined to find out the truth about Jerry, and she begins to investigate his past. She discovers that Jerry is a psychopathic killer who murdered his first wife and children.
Jerry discovers that Stephanie is on to him, and he begins to threaten her. Stephanie is forced to flee from home and go into hiding from the police.
In the end, Stephanie is able to defeat Jerry and save herself. Jerry is arrested and sentenced to life in prison.
Critical reception
Stepfather was a critical and commercial success, grossing over $44 million worldwide on a budget of $10 million. The film was praised for its performances, suspense, and tension.
Box office performance
Stepfather was a box office success, grossing over $44 million worldwide on a budget of $10 million. It was the highest-grossing horror film of 1987.
Obviously an extreme version of reality, the slasher film The Stepfather is loosely based on the true story of assassin John List, who murdered his wife, mother and three children in their New Jersey home and then disappeared.
In The Stepfather, fictional murderer Jerry Blake marries a widow with a teenage daughter and continues his homicidal tendencies, however in real life List expressed remorse for what he had done and died of complications from pneumonia in prison in 2008 .
Child’s Play (1988)
Child’s Play (1988) is a slasher horror film directed by Tom Holland and starring Catherine Hicks, Brad Dourif, and Alex Vincent. The film tells the story of a doll possessed by the spirit of a serial killer.
The film opens with a small toy store in Chicago being robbed by a serial killer named Charles Lee Ray. Ray is killed by the police, but before he dies, he transfers his soul into a doll named Chucky.
The doll is bought by Karen Barclay (Hicks), who gives it to her son Andy (Vincent) for his birthday. Andy soon begins to notice that something is wrong with Chucky. The doll seems to have a mind of its own and behaves in a menacing way.
When Andy’s friends begin to die under mysterious circumstances, Karen begins to suspect that Chucky is involved. However, no one believes her, and she is forced to protect her son on her own.
In the end, Karen and Andy are able to defeat Chucky and destroy his soul. Chucky is burned in a fire, and his soul is finally released.
Critical reception
Child’s Play was a critical and commercial success, grossing over $43 million worldwide on a budget of $9 million. The film was praised for its innovative ideas, suspense, and black humor.
Box office performance
Child’s Play was a box office success, grossing over $43 million worldwide on a budget of $9 million. It was the highest-grossing horror film of 1988.
The manuscript was based on a nurse who apparently placed a voodoo curse on musician Robert Eugene Otto that turned his childhood dolls into danger. All of us have actually seen terrifying doll movies, but realizing that the doll really existed is creepy.
The doll originally came from Robert Eugene Otto, an eccentric musician from a Key West family. The doll was allegedly made by the Steiff Company of Germany, purchased by Otto’s grandfather while vacationing in Germany in 1904, and given to young Otto as a birthday present.
The doll’s sailor suit was probably a suit Otto wore as a young man. According to the story, the doll has extraordinary abilities that allow it to move, alter its face and even make sounds and laughter.
Horror Movies Based on True Stories from the 90s
Fire in the Sky (1993)
Fire in the Sky (1993) is a drama film directed by Joe Dante and starring Travis Walton, James Garner, D.B. Sweeney, and Peter Berg. The film is based on the true story of Travis Walton, a logger who was abducted by an UFO in 1975.
The film opens with Travis Walton and his co-workers returning home after a day of work in an Arizona forest. During the drive, they see a bright light in the sky. Travis decides to get out of the truck to see what it is, but he is struck by a light and passes out.
His co-workers return to town and tell the story of Travis’s disappearance. The police begin to investigate, but they are unable to find Travis.
After five days, Travis reappears, disoriented and unable to remember what happened to him. Investigators question him, but they don’t believe him.
Critical reception
Fire in the Sky was a critical success, with many critics praising Travis Walton’s performance and Joe Dante’s direction.
Box office performance
Fire in the Sky was a box office success, grossing over $18 million worldwide on a budget of $10 million.
Can you think exactly what it really feels like to be captured by aliens and imprisoned in a cocoon along with the remains of other individuals? Travis Walton claims that aliens captured him in 1975 and this film also focuses on what happens to him. It’s a science fiction film horror not to be missed!
The Travis Walton case was an alleged abduction of an American forestry employee by a UFO on November 5, 1975, while he was operating in the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests near Snowflake, Arizona. Walton was lost for 5 days and 6 hours.
Walton claims he resurfaced along a road near Heber, Arizona. Walton’s story garnered much media hype and remains among the best-known unusual abduction accounts, while some consider it a scam.
Scream (1996)
Scream (1996) is a slasher horror film directed by Wes Craven and starring Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, and David Arquette. The film is a self-aware deconstruction of the slasher genre, and it features a killer who targets teenagers in a small town while using horror clichés to taunt his victims.
The film opens with Sidney Prescott (Campbell), a high school student, receiving a threatening phone call from a mysterious voice. The voice warns Sidney that she will be killed soon, and Sidney begins to suspect that the killer is someone she knows.
As the film progresses, more and more teenagers are murdered, and Sidney becomes the prime suspect. She must team up with her friends and boyfriend to try to figure out who the killer is and stop him before it’s too late.
Critical reception
Scream was a critical and commercial success, grossing over $173 million worldwide on a budget of $15 million. The film was praised for its humor, suspense, and self-awareness.
Box office performance
Scream was a box office success, grossing over $173 million worldwide on a budget of $15 million.
It’s one of the most iconic horror movies of all time, but few would know that Scream is based on a true story. A series of murders committed by Danny Rolling, aka the Gainesville Ripper, served as the basis for the ghost’s mask in the classic slasher film starring Courtney Cox, David Arquette, Neve Campbell and Drew Barrymore.
Rolling murdered five boys in Gainesville, Florida within a short space of time, raping, stabbing and maiming his victims. Ted Bundy confessed to the five murders and was sentenced to death in 1994.
Horror Movies Based on True Stories from the 2000s
Dahmer (2002)
Dahmer (2002) is a biographical film that explores the life of Jeffrey Dahmer, one of the most notorious serial killers in America.
Plot
The film follows Dahmer from his childhood, marked by sexual abuse by his father, to his arrest in 1991.
Dahmer began killing young men in 1978, luring them into his home before drugging and killing them. He mutilates the bodies of his victims and, in some cases, cannibalizes them.
The film explores Dahmer’s psychology and tries to understand what drove him to commit these horrific crimes.
Criticism
Dahmer received positive reviews from critics, with many praising Jeremy Renner’s performance and its realistic portrayal of Dahmer’s psychopathy. The film was also praised for its raw and disturbing direction.
However, the film was also criticized for its graphic portrayal of violence and murder. Some critics have argued that the film is too disturbing and should not be seen by a wide audience.
Box office
Dahmer was a box office success, grossing over $10 million worldwide on a budget of $7 million.
Actor Jeremy Renner plays sadistic real-life killer Jeffrey Dahmer in this independent film. Killed and maimed 17 boys and young men in the late 1970s and early 1990s. While undoubtedly horrific, the film was well received by audiences and critics alike for its attempt to “rationalize the monstrous.”
The Exorcism of Emily Rose (2005)
The Exorcism of Emily Rose (2005) is a supernatural horror film directed by Scott Derrickson and starring Laura Linney, Tom Wilkinson, and Jennifer Carpenter. The film is based on the true story of Anneliese Michel, a German woman who underwent a series of exorcisms in the 1970s.
The film begins with Emily Rose (Carpenter), a college student, who begins to experience strange and disturbing visions and hallucinations. She is diagnosed with schizophrenia and hospitalized, but her condition worsens.
Emily’s family eventually turns to Father Richard Moore (Wilkinson), a Catholic priest, for help. Moore believes that Emily is possessed by a demon and begins to perform a series of exorcisms on her.
Critical reception
The Exorcism of Emily Rose received mixed reviews from critics. Some praised the film’s performances, atmosphere, and direction, while others criticized its slow pace and lack of scares.
Box office performance
The Exorcism of Emily Rose was a box office success, grossing over $142 million worldwide on a budget of $19 million.
The character of Emily is based on the real experiences of German woman Anneliese Michel who at 16 began hallucinating and shaking uncontrollably.
Doctors said it was epilepsy and psychosis, but her Catholic family believed she was possessed by demons. Six years after her symptoms first appeared, a priest was granted permission to perform an exorcism twice a week. After the first improvements, she died of malnutrition at the age of 23.
Wolf Creek (2005)
Wolf Creek (2005) is a horror film directed by Greg McLean and starring John Jarratt, Nathan Phillips, and Cassandra Magrath. The film tells the story of three backpackers who are stalked and murdered by a sadistic serial killer in the Australian Outback.
The film begins with the backpackers, Kristy, Liz, and Ben, driving through the Outback on their way to Wolf Creek Crater. They stop to ask for directions from a friendly man named Mick Taylor (Jarratt). However, Mick is not what he seems. He is a serial killer who abducts the backpackers and takes them to his remote campsite.
Mick tortures and kills the backpackers one by one, and the film follows their increasingly desperate attempts to escape. The film is a slow-burning but suspenseful horror film that builds to a shocking and disturbing climax.
Critical reception
Wolf Creek received positive reviews from critics, with many praising its realism, suspense, and Jarratt’s performance. The film was also a commercial success, grossing over $16 million worldwide on a budget of $1.2 million.
In the late 1980s and early 1990s, Ivan Milat hunted down and killed several hitchhikers, a practice considered a cheap and safe means of travel in Australia at the time, through southern New South Wales to Australia .
The dead bodies of 7 young hitchhikers aged between 19 and 22, were found partially buried in Belanglo forest. Milat was convicted and died in prison, serving as the inspiration for the deranged Wolf Creek serial killer, Mick Taylor. Actor John Jarratt said it took him six months to perfect the menacing laugh his character is now known for.
The Girl Next Door (2007)
The Girl Next Door (2007) is a psychological horror film directed by Gregory Wilson and starring Blythe Auffarth, William Atherton, and David Morse. The film tells the story of two sisters, Meg and Susan, who are tortured and murdered by their aunt, Ruth Chandler.
The film begins with David Moran, a 12-year-old boy who lives in a suburban neighborhood in Indiana. One day, David meets Meg and Susan, two sisters who have recently moved into his neighborhood. David and Meg begin dating, but their relationship is cut short when Ruth, Meg and Susan’s aunt, decides to take them in.
Ruth is a sadistic and violent woman who begins to torture and abuse Meg and Susan. David, who is aware of the abuse, tries to help the sisters, but he is powerless to stop Ruth. In the end, Ruth kills Meg and Susan, and David is the only witness.
The film is a psychological horror film that explores themes such as domestic violence, child abuse, and the loss of innocence. The film has been criticized for its violence and its disturbing depiction of domestic violence.
Critical reception
The Girl Next Door received mixed reviews from critics. Some praised the performances and direction of the film, while others criticized its violence and its disturbing depiction of domestic violence.
Box office performance
The Girl Next Door was a box office success, grossing over $30 million worldwide on a budget of $10 million.
This film is loosely based on what is said to be one of the most horrific criminal offenses in the state of Indiana. Sylvia Likens was hurt and finally eliminated by Gertrude Baniszewski in 1965 and the film is inspired by it.
Sylvia Marie Likens was an American teenager who was injured and killed by her caretaker, Gertrude Baniszewski. This violence lasted for 3 months before Likens died of his injuries and malnutrition on October 26, 1965 in Indianapolis, Indiana. Likens’ postmortem examination revealed 150 wounds throughout his body, consisting of a series of burns, scald marks and worn skin.
With fearsome tactics, the younger sister, Jenny, was forced to take part in her persecution. The main reason for his death was a mix of hematoma and shock, rendered lethal by severe malnutrition.
Borderland (2007)
Borderland (2007) is a horror film directed by Zev Berman and starring Jake Muxworthy, Rider Strong, and Martha Higareda. The film tells the story of three American college students who travel to Mexico for spring break and become involved in a drug cartel’s human sacrifice ritual.
The film begins with the three students, Ed, Henry, and Phil, arriving in Mexico and meeting a group of American tourists who are also on spring break. The group decides to go on a camping trip in the desert, but they soon realize that they are not alone. They are being hunted by a group of drug cartel members who are conducting a human sacrifice ritual.
The students are captured and taken to a remote location where they are forced to participate in the ritual. They are tortured and killed, and their bodies are used in a sacrifice to a Mayan god.
Critical reception
Borderland received mixed reviews from critics. Some praised the film’s atmosphere and suspense, while others criticized its violence and gore.
Box office performance
Borderland was a commercial success, grossing over $10 million worldwide on a budget of $1.5 million.
Based on an authentic cult leader Adolfo de Jesús Constanzo, this film contains gory information about how the cult practiced human sacrifice.
As an adult, Constanzo moved to Mexico City and began running a lucrative good-luck charms organization that involved sacrificing chickens, goats, snakes, zebras, and even lion cubs. Most of his clients were drug dealers and violent criminals. His cult was claimed to be related to the Gulf Cartel.
Constantius began raiding cemeteries for human bones to place in his nganga, or cauldron. Soon, his cult decided that the spirits of the dead who remained in the nganga would surely be more powerful with human sacrifices than the old bones.
The resulting murders quickly numbered more than twenty, whose mutilated bodies were discovered around Mexico City.
The Strangers (2008)
The Strangers (2008) is a home invasion horror film directed by Bryan Bertino and starring Liv Tyler, Scott Speedman, and Gemma Ward. The film tells the story of a couple who are terrorized by three masked strangers at their remote vacation home.
The film begins with Kristen and James (Tyler and Speedman) arriving at their vacation home on a remote lake. They are expecting a quiet weekend away, but their plans are interrupted when three masked strangers arrive at their door.
The strangers are silent and menacing, and they refuse to leave. They begin to terrorize Kristen and James, breaking into the house and threatening them with violence. Kristen and James try to defend themselves, but they are outnumbered and outmatched.
The film is a slow-burning but suspenseful horror film that builds to a terrifying climax. The strangers are never fully explained, and their motives are unknown. This makes them all the more terrifying and unpredictable.
Critical reception
The Strangers received positive reviews from critics, with many praising its suspenseful atmosphere and its chilling portrayal of home invasion horror.
Box office performance
The Strangers was a commercial success, grossing over $80 million worldwide on a budget of $9 million.
The director of this film got ideas from the murders of serial killer Charles Manson and a collection of facts that took place near his childhood residence.
In early August 1969, some members of the Manson family committed murders in Los Angeles. The Manson family gained national notoriety after the murders of actress Sharon Tate and four other people at her home on August 8 and 9, 1969, and Leno and Rosemary LaBianca the next day.
Tex Watson and three other family members committed the Tate-LaBianca murders, allegedly under Manson’s instructions. Although it was later accepted at trial that Manson never specifically ordered the killings, his behavior was believed to justify a conviction for first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder. Evidence pointed to Manson’s obsession with inciting a race war.
The Haunting In Connecticut (2009)
The Haunting In Connecticut (2009) is a supernatural horror film directed by Peter Cornwell and starring Virginia Madsen, Kyle Gallner, and Elias Koteas. The film is based on the purported true story of the Snedeker family, who claimed to have been haunted by demonic forces in their home in Southington, Connecticut, in the 1980s.
The film follows the Campbell family, who move into a new home in order to be closer to the hospital where their son, Matt, is being treated for cancer. However, the family soon discovers that their home is haunted by a malevolent spirit that begins to torment them, and Matt’s condition worsens.
As the family tries to cope with the haunting, they learn more about the dark history of their home and the malevolent spirit that inhabits it. They must find a way to exorcise the spirit before it claims Matt’s life.
Critical reception
The Haunting In Connecticut received mixed reviews from critics, with some praising its atmosphere and scares, while others criticizing its clichés and predictability.
Box office performance
The Haunting In Connecticut was a commercial success, grossing over $52 million worldwide on a budget of $19 million.
The story of this film is not new. You get a brand new house to live in and you’re not happily greeted by the ghosts that populate it. What’s scary is that we understand that this actually happened to Al and Carmen Snedeker who had their home on a funeral home.
Advertisements for the film stated that it was “based on true events” experienced by the Snedeker family of Southington, Connecticut in 1986. Ed and Lorraine Warren stated that the Snedeker residence was a former burial chapel where undertakers often performed dark rituals.
Carmen Snedeker’s claims of obsession with a “bad entity” and even subsequent exorcism were dramatized in episodes of the television collection A Haunting, Paranormal Witness and Also Mysteries at the Museum.
Horror Movies Based on True Stories 2010s
Silent House (2011)
Silent House (2011) is a psychological horror film directed by Chris Kentis and Laura Lau, and starring Elizabeth Olsen. The film is a remake of the 2010 Uruguayan film La casa muda (The Mute House), which is said to be based on a true story that happened in a village in Uruguay in the 1940s.
Plot
The film follows Sarah (Olsen), a young woman who is helping her father, John (Adam Trese), and uncle, Peter (Eric Sheffer Stevens), fix up their old family lake house. While Sarah is cleaning the house, she realizes that she is trapped inside and unable to contact the outside world. She also begins to hear strange noises and experience other supernatural phenomena.
Sarah soon realizes that she is not alone in the house. There is a malevolent presence that is hunting her down. Sarah must find a way to escape the house and survive the night.
Critical reception
Silent House received mixed reviews from critics, with some praising its atmosphere and scares, while others criticized its clichés and predictability. However, Olsen’s performance was universally praised.
Box office performance
Silent House was a commercial failure, grossing only $13 million worldwide on a budget of $2 million.
The film is a remake of the 2010 Uruguayan film, La Casa Muda, which was based on a real case that happened in a city in Uruguay in the 1940s. It is notable for its use of “real-time” video and also being shot in a single shot, comparable to Alfred Hitchcock’s Rope. The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2011.
Snowtown (2011)
Snowtown (2011) is a psychological horror film directed by Justin Kurzel and starring Daniel Henshall, Lucas Pittaway, and Louise Harris. The film is based on the true story of the Snowtown murders, a series of serial killings that took place in Adelaide, South Australia, in the 1990s.
Plot
The film follows Jamie Vlassakis (Pittaway), a teenage boy who is drawn into the world of John Bunting (Henshall), a sadistic serial killer. Bunting and his accomplices preyed on vulnerable people, including homeless people, sex workers, and people with disabilities. They tortured and killed their victims, and their bodies were buried in abandoned mineshafts.
Jamie is initially drawn to Bunting’s charisma and sense of power. However, he soon realizes that Bunting is a dangerous man. Jamie becomes trapped in Bunting’s web of violence and abuse, and he is forced to witness and participate in the murders.
Critical reception
Snowtown received critical acclaim, with many praising its unflinching portrayal of violence and its exploration of the dark side of human nature. The film was also a box office success, grossing over $10 million in Australia.
This Australian film is based on the true story of the horrific Snowtown murders committed by Robert Joe Wagner, James Spyridon Vlassakis and John Justin Bunting in the early to late 1990s in South Australia known as the “Body in Barrel Murders”.
The remains of eight victims were discovered in Snowtown on May 20, 1999. While in the cinema, some moviegoers actually walked out due to the gruesome torture and violence depicted in the film which told the life story of John Bunting, but overall, Snowtown was critically well received.
Winchester (2018)
Winchester (2018) is a supernatural horror film directed by Michael and Peter Spierig and starring Helen Mirren, Jason Clarke, and Sarah Snook. The film is based on the true story of Sarah Winchester, the heiress of the Winchester Repeating Arms Company.
Plot
The film follows Eric Price (Clarke), a psychiatrist sent to assess the mental health of Sarah Winchester (Mirren). Sarah is convinced that she is being haunted by the spirits of people killed by Winchester rifles, and she has dedicated her life to building a gigantic mansion designed to keep them at bay.
As Price tries to help her, he begins to believe that Sarah might be right. The mansion is full of secrets and mysteries, and Price begins to see strange phenomena.
Critical reception
Winchester received mixed reviews from critics, with some praising Mirren’s performance and the direction, while others criticized the plot and clichés.
Box office performance
Winchester was a box office success, grossing over $100 million worldwide on a budget of $30 million.
In San Jose, California, there is a gigantic labyrinthine house built by Sarah Winchester, the widow of gun entrepreneur William Winchester and company heiress.
Distraught after the deaths of her daughter and husband, Mrs. Winchester met a psychic medium who told her she would be haunted forever by those killed by Winchester rifles. The spirits demanded that he build them a home, and as more and more people continued to be killed with shotguns, he could never stop building.
From 1884 to 1922, builders worked on the house around the clock, resulting in seven floors, some 160 rooms, 2,000 doors, and 47 stairways, some leading to unexpected places like 15-foot drops or nowhere.
