Think you know the real life horrific inspiration behind these films?
Horror movies often claim to be “based on a true story,” but more often than not, the reality is far scarier than the fictionalized version. Below are 10 horror films where the real-life events behind them are even more disturbing than what ended up on screen.
1. The Exorcist (1973)
The Movie: Regarded as one of the scariest films of all time, The Exorcist tells the tale of a young girl possessed by a demon, leading to a terrifying exorcism.
The Real Story: The film was inspired by the 1949 exorcism of a young boy, referred to as “Roland Doe” or “Robbie Mannheim.” His family sought the help of priests after strange events began occurring—furniture moved by unseen forces, and the boy exhibited violent, disturbing behavior. Multiple exorcisms were performed, and several witnesses claimed to have experienced paranormal events. Unlike the movie, the real exorcisms were drawn out over months, and the priests involved described the experience as deeply traumatic and haunting.
2. The Amityville Horror (1979)
The Movie: The Lutz family moves into a seemingly perfect home, only to be terrorized by demonic forces.
The Real Story: The horror surrounding the house at 112 Ocean Avenue began with a grisly mass murder in 1974, when Ronald DeFeo Jr. killed six members of his family as they slept. A year later, George and Kathy Lutz moved into the house with their children. They claimed to have experienced horrifying supernatural events, from cold spots and foul odors to unseen forces pushing them. Though some believe the Lutzes fabricated their story, the house’s dark history of murder is undeniably chilling.
3. The Conjuring (2013)
The Movie: Paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren help the Perron family escape the clutches of a malevolent spirit.
The Real Story: The Perron family lived in a farmhouse in Rhode Island that they claimed was haunted by several spirits, most notably a vengeful witch named Bathsheba. The haunting was relentless, lasting over a decade, and involved physical attacks on the family members, disembodied voices, and terrifying apparitions. According to the family, the real experiences were far more intense than what was depicted in the film, with Bathsheba allegedly trying to kill the mother, Carolyn Perron.
4. A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
The Movie: A group of teenagers is tormented in their dreams by the burned, knife-wielding Freddy Krueger.
The Real Story: Wes Craven’s A Nightmare on Elm Street was inspired by a series of mysterious deaths among young refugees from Southeast Asia in the late 1970s and early 1980s. These otherwise healthy young men died suddenly in their sleep after experiencing terrifying nightmares. The medical community was baffled by what came to be called “Sudden Unexpected Nocturnal Death Syndrome.” The real-life phenomena remain unsolved to this day.
5. The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)
The Movie: A group of friends is terrorized by a family of cannibals, led by the monstrous Leatherface.
The Real Story: While Leatherface is a fictional character, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre drew inspiration from the real-life horrors of Ed Gein, a murderer and grave robber from Wisconsin. Gein fashioned clothing, furniture, and even masks from the skin and bones of his victims, and his house was filled with grotesque, body-part-based decor. His crimes shocked the world and influenced several horror icons, including Leatherface, Norman Bates, and Buffalo Bill.
6. The Girl Next Door (2007)
The Movie: A teenager is subjected to horrific abuse by her caretaker, eventually leading to her death.
The Real Story: The film is based on the true story of Sylvia Likens, a 16-year-old girl who was tortured and murdered by her caretaker, Gertrude Baniszewski, and several of Baniszewski’s children and neighborhood kids in 1965. Likens was starved, beaten, burned, and humiliated in the most brutal ways for weeks. The cruelty and neglect she endured were so horrific that even seasoned police officers were disturbed by the crime scene. The real-life case is often regarded as one of the most heinous crimes in American history.
7. The Strangers (2008)
The Movie: A couple is terrorized by three masked strangers who invade their home.
The Real Story: Director Bryan Bertino cited two real-life inspirations for The Strangers. One was the Manson Family murders, where members of Charles Manson’s cult broke into homes and brutally murdered the inhabitants. The second inspiration came from a childhood experience of Bertino’s, when strangers knocked on the door of his family’s home asking for someone who didn’t live there. Later, he learned that homes in his neighborhood had been burglarized. The randomness of these crimes made the real-life events even more terrifying.
8. The Exorcism of Emily Rose (2005)
The Movie: A priest is put on trial after a young woman dies following an exorcism meant to rid her of demonic possession.
The Real Story: The film is based on the exorcism of Anneliese Michel, a young German woman who began experiencing seizures and auditory hallucinations at the age of 16. After multiple failed medical treatments, her devout Catholic family became convinced she was possessed. Over the course of ten months, she underwent 67 exorcisms. Anneliese eventually died from malnutrition and dehydration, and her parents and the priests involved were charged with negligent homicide. Her tragic case remains a haunting intersection of faith, mental illness, and extreme religious practice.
9. Annabelle (2014)
The Movie: A possessed doll wreaks havoc on its owners and those around it.
The Real Story: The real Annabelle was a Raggedy Ann doll, not the creepy porcelain doll seen in the movie. It was said to be possessed after being given to a nursing student in the 1970s. Strange things began happening around the doll: it moved on its own, and mysterious notes appeared in the house. The Warrens, famed paranormal investigators, were called in and declared the doll to be a conduit for an inhuman spirit. They took the doll to their occult museum, where it remains locked up to this day.
10. Open Water (2003)
The Movie: A couple on a scuba-diving trip is left behind in the ocean and must fend off sharks while awaiting rescue.
The Real Story: The film is based on the real-life disappearance of Tom and Eileen Lonergan, who were accidentally left behind during a dive trip on Australia’s Great Barrier Reef in 1998. The couple was never found, but their dive gear, including their wetsuits and tanks, washed up later. Their fate is unknown, but experts believe they either drowned, succumbed to dehydration, or were eaten by sharks. The sheer terror of being stranded alone in the open ocean, with no help in sight, makes this true story far more horrifying than the film.
Conclusion
These films might have scared audiences, but the real-life stories behind them prove that reality can be far more disturbing than fiction. When horror meets history, the results are often darker and more unsettling than any screenplay could ever convey.
