Horror films captivate audiences with their terrifying stories and visuals. While many are pure fiction, some are based on real events, making them even more frightening. From haunted houses to serial killers, here are some horror films you might be surprised to learn are rooted in real life, proving that truth can be scarier than fiction.
The Amityville Horror
The horrors of the Amityville house have inspired multiple movies. The true story involves Ronald J. DeFeo Jr. murdering his entire family while they slept. The house itself is surrounded by tales of paranormal activity, and the movies capture the chilling atmosphere left in its wake.
The Haunting in Connecticut
This movie depicts the struggles of a family moving into an eerie old house, only to find out it was once a mortuary, leading to expected paranormal activity. The true story involves the Snedeker family, who discovered mortuary tools in the basement, revealing the house’s past as a funeral parlor. Their son then began experiencing ghostly visions.
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The Conjuring
Ed and Lorraine Warren were real-life paranormal experts, and “The Conjuring” is based on their investigation of the Perron family’s farmhouse. The Perron family experienced intense paranormal activity and later uncovered the farmhouse’s dark history, where eight generations of former inhabitants had met gruesome deaths.
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The Conjuring 2
“The Conjuring 2” is based on another true story from Ed and Lorraine Warren’s case files. The Enfield Poltergeist involved a young girl in a family living in England who was said to be possessed by a supernatural entity. The haunting featured furniture being thrown around and strange voices being heard.
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Winchester
“Winchester” tells the story of the widow of a firearm manufacturer who believes she is haunted by the victims of the Winchester rifle. The mansion in the movie, with its bizarre renovations, is based on the real-life Winchester Mystery House. The real widow spent decades renovating the house according to the instructions she believed she received from spirits.
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Wiki Commons
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre
“The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” has spawned numerous remakes and sequels, with the character of Leatherface being particularly memorable. While Leatherface is fictional, the movie’s story is based on the real-life murderer Ed Gein. Gein would mutilate his victims’ bodies and wear their skin, inspiring the terrifying character in the film.
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Vacancy
“Vacancy” tells the story of a couple stranded in a motel who discover cameras in their room, revealing they are the unwitting stars of a snuff film. While the plot is fictional, it is loosely inspired by the true story of a motel owner who created crawlspaces above rooms to secretly watch his guests.
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The Black Dahlia
The story of the Black Dahlia is based on the real-life murder of Elizabeth Short. Elizabeth, an aspiring actress, was murdered in 1947. Her body was found in a Los Angeles park, severed in two at the waist. The woman who discovered her initially thought she was seeing a store mannequin. Elizabeth’s death remains one of the most famous unsolved cases in American history.
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Zodiac
The Zodiac Killer was a real-life serial killer, and his case remains unsolved. Active in the 60s and 70s, he became one of America’s most notorious criminals. The movie about him accurately portrays the manhunt to capture him, including his infamous puzzle clues and taunting letters sent to the police.
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The Haunting of Sharon Tate
This movie portrays actress Sharon Tate having disturbing premonitions before she is ultimately murdered by the Manson family. The real-life Sharon Tate, who was pregnant at the time, was brutally killed by the Manson family cult. While the film shows her having visions of her fate, in reality, Tate was unaware of the impending tragedy.
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Changeling
In California during the 1920s, there were real-life abductions and murders of young boys. “The Changeling” tells the story of a mother whose son goes missing and is later returned, but the boy seems different. This reflects the true story of a mother who took in a boy claiming to be her real son, but her actual son was never found.
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The Watcher
The movie portrays a couple who buy a new home and are harassed by an anonymous stalker. In reality, Derek and Maria Broaddus purchased their dream home and began receiving unsettling letters before they even moved in. These letters detailed the stalker’s observations of their children and movements.
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Murder by Numbers
This movie portrays two gifted students plotting the perfect murder while facing off against an experienced detective. In reality, Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb executed their plan by kidnapping and murdering a 14-year-old boy, aiming to commit the so-called ‘perfect crime.’
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Backcountry
The real-life story behind this survival horror movie involves hikers Mark Jordan and Jacqueline Perry, who were attacked by a black bear while in Missinaibi Lake Provincial Park, north of Chapleau, Ontario. Jacqueline was the first to be attacked, and although Mark managed to fend off the bear, Jacqueline later succumbed to her injuries.
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The Quiet Ones
“The Quiet Ones” features a professor attempting to make a breakthrough regarding the ‘other side.’ The movie is loosely inspired by the real-life Philip experiment conducted in 1972. Both the real experiment and the movie’s storyline aim to explore the paranormal and determine its existence.
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Monster
The movie “Monster” is based on the true story of serial killer Aileen Wuornos. The biographical film earned actress Charlize Theron an award for her portrayal of Wuornos, who used her role as a sex worker to murder her male clients while traveling through Florida.
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The Snowtown Murders
This movie is based on the true events involving serial killer John Justin Bunting and his accomplices. In the 1990s, they murdered twelve victims, some of whom were tortured before being killed. The bodies were found in barrels in an abandoned bank vault in South Australia.
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Wolf Creek
The horror movie “Wolf Creek” is not entirely based on fact, but it appears to be inspired by a series of murders near Sydney. In the 1990s, backpackers were murdered in a state forest by the killer Ivan Milat.
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Open Water
One horror trope that resonates with many is being ‘lost at sea while a shark circles you.’ The true story behind the movie “Open Water” involves American tourists Tom and Eileen Lonergan, who were left behind on a scuba expedition off the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, just like in the film. In reality, the diving school took two days to realize their mistake, and the couple was never seen again.
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The Exorcism of Emily Rose
There are plenty of exorcism horror movies, but “The Exorcism of Emily Rose” is one of the best. The movie is based on the real-life case of Anneliese Michel, a German woman who died from starvation after undergoing 67 exorcisms in an attempt to rid her of demons.
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The Rite
“The Rite” stars Anthony Hopkins as an experienced exorcist, and the movie is based on the real-life experiences of California priest Father Gary Thomas. Thomas was assigned to study exorcism at the Vatican. In the movie, his on-screen counterpart, Father Michael Kovak, is played by Colin O’Donoghue.
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wikipedia
The Sacrament
The story of the movie “The Sacrament” is fictionalized, but it is inspired by the real-life Jonestown Massacre. This tragic event involved the mass murder-suicide of members of a cult led by Jim Jones. After a Congressman began investigating the cult and was subsequently attacked, the cult leader initiated a mass suicide plan. A total of 909 people died in the incident.
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Wiki Commons
Dead Ringers
The disturbing movie “Dead Ringers” tells the story of identical twins who work as gynecologists, spiraling into madness and planning to use experimental medical tools on women. In real life, Stewart and Cyril Marcus were identical twin gynecologists who died together under mysterious circumstances.
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The Afflicted
The movie “The Afflicted” is loosely based on the real-life case of Theresa Knorr. Theresa Knorr was an American woman who tortured and murdered two of her children, using her four remaining children to help cover up her crimes.
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wikipedia
The Girl Next Door
The horror movie “The Girl Next Door” is based on the real-life murder of Sylvia Likens. Sylvia, a teenage girl, was tortured for three months before being murdered by her caregiver, the caregiver’s children, and several neighborhood friends. She died from extensive injuries and malnourishment.
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10 Rillington Place
This British crime film depicts the real-life story of serial killer John Christie. “10 Rillington Place” was the address where Christie committed his murders, including the strangulation of his own wife. He killed at least eight people and was also accused of necrophilia.
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Nightcrawler
Jake Gyllenhaal’s character in “Nightcrawler” is an accurate portrayal of some members of the paparazzi. Cameraman Austin Raishbrook, for example, has gained notoriety for getting up close to accident scenes and capturing first shots after chasing ambulances or crime scenes late at night.
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Lost Girls
The haunting real-life story behind “The Lost Girls” involves the disappearance of sex worker Shannan Gilbert. While searching for her, investigators discovered the bodies of 10 other murdered women and sex workers who had previously gone missing. The murders took place in Long Island, New York.
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The Iceman
The movie “The Iceman” is based on the real-life serial killer and hitman Richard Kuklinski. Kuklinski was responsible for at least five murders. He earned his nickname from freezing the bodies of his victims to obscure the time of death. Kuklinski would lure people to ‘business deals,’ only to kill them and steal their money.
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The Texas Killing Fields
The plot of this movie is loosely based on the real events involving women who were kidnapped and murdered in Texas, with their bodies discovered along the I-45 corridor, bayous, and oil fields. In the Texas Killing Fields area, 30 bodies have been found.
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