Top 10 Horror Movies That Are Said To Be Based On True Events

We all love a spine-chilling movie, but there's something extra unsettling about those films that claim to be “Based on True Events,” adding a whole new level of fear.

Here’s a list of 10 films that supposedly draw from real-life incidents, along with the events that are said to have inspired them.

10. A Nightmare on Elm Street

A Nightmare on Elm Street, released in 1984, introduced the infamous Freddy Krueger, who stalks the children of Elm Street in their dreams, murdering them in their sleep. The film itself is terrifying, but the idea that it could have been inspired by a true story only intensifies the horror.

While the real-life events were unsettling, they pale in comparison to the claw-wielding killer depicted in the film. Wes Craven, the creator of the film, came up with the script after reading a story in the L.A. Times about a Hmong family that had fled the Cambodian Killing Fields and moved to America. The youngest son in the family started experiencing disturbing nightmares, often staying awake for days out of fear that the entities in his dreams would kill him.

Eventually, sleep claimed the boy, and his worst fears came true as he tragically passed away.

In the 70s and 80s, there was a wave of mysterious deaths within the Asian community, all occurring while the victims slept. Combine this with memories of a childhood tormentor, and you have the foundation for a film that became a cornerstone of American horror.

9. The Strangers

The similarities between real-life events and the 2008 film The Strangers begin with the secluded house and a late-night knock on the door. Beyond that, the connection to reality ends.

In the film, a couple is relentlessly stalked, tormented, and ultimately (spoiler alert) murdered by a group of killers with doll-like faces. The trailer suggests that the story is inspired by true events, demonstrating how far imagination can go when sparked by even the smallest idea.

Bryan Bertino, the film's writer, shared that the concept for the script stemmed from a childhood memory. His family lived on a street far from the nearest neighbor, and one night, while his parents were away, a pair of strangers knocked on their door. The uninvited visitors asked for someone neither Bertino nor his sister recognized, so they left. It was later discovered that the couple had been going door-to-door and breaking into homes where no one answered. No one was harmed, but the memory lingered with Bertino and evolved into the story on the screen.

8. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre

In 1974, Tobe Hooper released a film so shocking that it left some questioning his sanity. Imagine the shock when it was later revealed that The Texas Chainsaw Massacre was supposedly based on real-life events!

The film, which portrays a family of cannibals who kidnap and torment a group of young travelers, became a sensation, in part due to the “true story” claim. However, the similarities to actual events were minimal.

In the film, the character Leatherface wears a mask made of human flesh. Hooper revealed that Leatherface, along with several other details, was inspired by the infamous serial killer Ed Gein. Gein was known for making household items like lampshades from human skin and bones, and he even created a “woman suit” to wear in an attempt to impersonate his mother.

The rest of the story stemmed from a random thought Hooper had one holiday season while standing in a packed Montgomery Ward. As he glanced at a display of chainsaws, it crossed his mind that he could quickly cut through the crowd if he simply revved one of the machines. The tale of Gein, paired with this unsettling thought, eventually merged into the story.

It’s no surprise that Ed Gein inspired other iconic Hollywood characters, including Norman Bates from Psycho and Buffalo Bill from Silence of the Lambs.

7. Return of the Living Dead

In 1968, Night of the Living Dead redefined the zombie genre, creating a trend that has endured for decades. This genre has branched into numerous subgenres, but it all began with the release of 1985’s Return of the Living Dead.

Return of the Living Dead was born out of a disagreement between George Romero and John Russo over how to approach sequels to the Night of The Living Dead series. While it can get a bit convoluted, the film opens with the words “Based on True Events.”

Wait, are they suggesting that zombies are real?

There are two tales behind this intriguing message on the screen. The first is a more playful one, though probably just an urban legend. It claims that a chemical truck spilled in a graveyard, and when they removed the contaminated soil, they discovered a grave where a body was found to be moving.

The actual explanation is a bit more Hollywood than Halloween. In the movie, the events of Night of the Living Dead are presented as real, turning that film into a legend, while this one is dubbed the true story.

Misleading? Absolutely. But honestly, wouldn’t we rather it be a hoax than face a real zombie apocalypse?

6. Poltergeist

In 1958, the Hermann family from Seaford, New York, captured national attention when they reported mysterious happenings in their home. Strange sounds, objects being displaced, and bottles inexplicably popping open and spilling their contents became common occurrences.

Initially, the family suspected one of the children was playing pranks, but as the incidents continued, they contacted authorities. At first, the authorities dismissed it as a hoax, but soon they too began to experience the strange phenomena firsthand.

Psychics were consulted, and investigations ensued. Various theories were put forward and swiftly disproven. It seemed that something truly unexplainable was happening inside the Hermann household, though no one could determine exactly what it was.

The family eventually moved out, but their story had already become a part of popular culture. In 1982, the film *Poltergeist* was released, and while its plot diverged significantly from the real events, the filmmakers later acknowledged that the tale of 'Popper the Poltergeist' inspired the screenplay.

5. When a Stranger Calls is a haunting tale that has gripped audiences for decades. The infamous story of a babysitter who continuously receives eerie phone calls from an unknown source asking if she’s checked on the children is a chilling narrative. As the story goes, the calls persist so relentlessly that the babysitter, fearing for her safety, calls the police. When they track the call, the chilling discovery is made: 'The call is coming from inside the house!' This unnerving revelation became the core of the 1979 film, When a Stranger Calls. But did you know the legend is rooted in a real-life event?

The first 20 minutes of the 1979 film are considered by many to be among the most suspenseful moments in film history, keeping viewers in a state of constant tension. The movie's success led to a sequel, When A Stranger Calls Back, and even a 2006 remake. Yet, the real events that inspired the tale were even darker and more tragic than the movie itself.

In 1950, the Columbia Police Department received a harrowing call from 13-year-old Janett Christman. The call consisted only of a scream followed by the chilling words, 'come quick,' before the line went silent. With no clues to follow, the police were left in the dark about the caller’s identity or location. At the time, Janett was babysitting a 3-year-old boy, Greg Romack. Tragically, when Greg’s parents returned, they found Janett’s lifeless body. She had been violently assaulted, beaten, and strangled.

The police launched an investigation, but despite their best efforts, the killer was never identified. However, they believed the perpetrator must have been familiar with the house’s layout, suggesting the crime could have been committed by someone close to the family—an 'inside job.'

The case remained unsolved, leaving an air of mystery and dread surrounding the crime. Despite the lack of closure, the tragic events of that night became part of the eerie folklore that inspired the terrifying urban legend of When a Stranger Calls.

4. Scream

The 1996 film Scream was inspired not only by the real-life crimes of a notorious serial killer but also by the earlier film When A Stranger Calls.

Scream begins with a chilling scene where a young girl, home alone, receives a phone call from an anonymous voice asking about her favorite scary movies. As the conversation unfolds, it becomes clear that the caller is inside her house, setting the stage for a terrifying encounter.

The film portrays a small town plagued by a masked killer who stalks and harasses local teenagers, using a cell phone and wearing a mask reminiscent of The Scream by Edvard Munch. While it's a stretch to say the story is 'based on true events,' elements of real-life experiences certainly influenced its creation.

The concept for Scream was conceived by Kevin Williamson after he heard about a man named Danny Rolling, who had murdered five college students. One evening, Williamson returned home to find a window left open for no apparent reason. This unsettling discovery inspired him to write an 18-page short story that would ultimately lay the groundwork for the film.

It took many years for Scream, originally called Scary Movie, to come to life. However, once it hit theaters, its box office success and the subsequent sequels showed that incorporating some real-life elements into a story can make a significant impact.

3. JAWS

Regarded as one of the most terrifying films of all time, JAWS is the movie that instilled a fear of swimming in open water. Released in 1975, the film is based on the novel by Peter Benchley.

JAWS follows the story of a 25-foot Great White shark that embarks on a man-eating rampage in the beach town of Amity during a Fourth of July weekend. After several attacks, three men—Sheriff Martin Brady, Oceanographer Matt Hooper, and self-styled shark hunter Quint—are tasked with capturing and killing the creature.

Although many believed that the novel was inspired by a series of shark attacks in New Jersey in 1916, Benchley has denied this connection. While the events were briefly referenced in the book, Benchley explained that his fascination with the idea of a deadly shark stemmed from a 1964 incident when fisherman Frank Mundus harpooned a 4,500-pound Great White off the coast of Long Island. Benchley revealed that Mundus' story inspired the character of Quint, and from there, the rest of the narrative took shape.

Regardless of where the inspiration for JAWS came from, this movie has become an iconic favorite among horror enthusiasts. It has spawned multiple sequels and remains a beloved classic that continues to be shown at local drive-ins more than 45 years later.

2. Annabelle

The story begins in 1970, when a nursing student received an antique Raggedy Ann doll as a birthday present from her mother. Shortly after, she and her roommate began noticing strange occurrences in their apartment. The doll would be found in different positions than they remembered, and mysterious, cryptic notes would appear with messages like 'Help me.'

A psychic was consulted and revealed that the doll was inhabited by the spirit of a young girl named Annabelle. Initially, the roommates attempted to live peacefully with the spirit. However, things quickly took a darker turn—scratches began to appear on them, reports of blood oozing from the doll surfaced, and one of them even claimed to have been attacked.

It was then that Ed and Lorraine Warren were called in to investigate. After examining the doll, they concluded that the spirit was not that of a young girl, but a demonic entity. The Warrens performed a cleansing of the apartment and took the doll to their occult museum, where it remains securely locked up to this day.

Some elements of the original Annabelle story were incorporated into the 2013 film The Conjuring, although the appearance of the doll was altered. This segment of the movie gained such popularity that it eventually led to a spinoff, Annabelle, in 2014, followed by two sequels: Annabelle: Creation (2017) and Annabelle Comes Home (2019). Despite the presence of the doll and the name Annabelle, the films don't closely follow the true story; nonetheless, they provide a chillingly enjoyable cinematic experience.

1. The Blob

The Blob, initially released in 1958 and later remade in 1980, tells the tale of a meteorite that crashes to Earth, releasing a viscous creature that consumes any living being it touches. As the creature absorbs, it grows larger, eventually becoming massive and terrorizing a town.

Is there any truth to this?

In 1950s Philadelphia, two police officers witnessed an object descend from the sky and land in a field. Upon investigating, they found a strange, purplish substance with a soap-like consistency that disappeared upon contact. Within thirty minutes, the mysterious jelly-like material had completely dissolved.

The Air Force was contacted, but with no physical evidence left to examine, no conclusions were reached. Nonetheless, the notion lingered, becoming the inspiration for a story written by Kay Linaker and Theodore Simonson.

The film went on to generate over $4,000,000.00 from a modest budget of just $110,000.00! A remarkable success for a creature concept inspired by extraterrestrial slime.