Top 5 “Based On A True Story” Horror Films

TV & Film

Aug 29

There is nothing scarier than starting a movie and mid-opening credits seeing the words “based on a true story” come onto the screen. With most horror films, we can remind ourselves that what we are seeing isn’t real, but that comfort is quickly ripped away by the following films! I guess there is one thing that can be scarier: finding out later on that a film was inspired by real events! Let’s take a look at five of the best horror films that were either based on a true story or inspired by real events that you should watch this spooky season!

5. Wolf Creek (2005)

The Film: This is one of the lesser-known films on the list, and it is also one of the most brutal. The film follows three backpackers who accept the help of a stranger after their car breaks down in the Australian Outback. What ensues is pure terror as they are drugged and then hunted.

The Real Story: The story the film is based on is far scarier! The serial killer in the film, Mick Taylor, is based on Australian serial killers Bradley Murdoch and Ivan Milat. Murdoch attacked two unsuspecting backpackers as they were making their way through the Outback. After murdering one, he kidnaps the other, but she is thankfully able to escape and run for help. Milat killed at least seven tourists between 1989-1993, and the killings would become known as “the backpack killings”. One of his final victims managed to survive and was able to not only identify the killer but also link all of the other killings.

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Lookback: 'Alien' (1979)

4. The Town That Dreaded Sundown (1976)

The Film: This film follows a small town that is terrorized by a hooded serial killer. He attacks couples while they are alone on the town’s Lover’s Lane, but soon he begins attacking people in other locations around the town. He is known as the Phantom Killer, and as quickly as he appears, he leaves the town never to be heard from again.

The Real Story: Growing up in Texas, this is a story we grew up with. In 1946, someone began terrorizing the town of Texarkana. The killings are now known as the Moonlight Murders, and there were a total of five victims. Unfortunately, the killer was never caught, and it is still one of the most talked about cold cases in the state.

3. The Exorcism Of Emily Rose (2005)

The Film: Most of the exorcism films that have come out in the last few years claim to be “based on” or “inspired by” true stories, but this one is just as heartbreaking as the real case. The film follows a young woman, Emily Rose, who is suffering from terrifying ailments that she claims are because she is possessed by multiple demons. Her family decides that she needs an exorcism, and that is when the real horror begins.

The Real Story: The film is based on the heartbreaking story of Anneliese Michel who claimed that she was being possessed by multiple demons. Fans of the original Paranormal Activity film may recognize her name because it was featured in the film. Anneliese was only a teenager when she began suffering from seizures and different ailments that led doctors to diagnose her with epilepsy and schizophrenia. She was convinced that she was actually being possessed, so two priests were sent to help her. Unfortunately, her story ends in a similar way to that of Emily Rose.

2. The Quiet Ones (2014)

The Film: This is another film that flew under most people’s radar. It follows a college professor who believes that supernatural entities are triggered by negative energy coming from humans. He takes a group of his students to the home of a young woman who they push to the brink of her sanity to see if they can conjure a poltergeist. They conjure more than they ever anticipated.

The Real Story: The film is based on tests that were done by the Toronto Society of Psychical Research. The group believed that the supernatural was manifested by human activity and not something that simply appeared on its own. To prove this theory they created an entity “Philip” to whom they gave an entire history in hopes that they could manifest him. It is unclear if the group actually succeeded in their attempts to conjure “Phillip”.

1. The Blair Witch Project (1999)

The Film: The marketing for this film is what made it such a cult classic. The film claims that it is the footage of a group of college students who went missing while researching The Blair Witch. The film starts with the group heading into town and interviewing the townspeople. Quickly though the footage becomes more terrifying as the group members go missing, and they are chased by an invisible entity.

The Real Story: It is not confirmed that the film was based on any true story, but it is believed that inspiration was taken from the story of Moll Dyer. Dyer was believed to have lived in the 17th century near Leonardtown where she worked as a “healer”. There is a rock near the town that locals believe looks like her hands. It is claimed that Dyer was attacked by a group of men who later had horrible luck which led many to believe that she was a witch and had cursed the men for hurting her. Unfortunately, there is no official record of anyone by the name of “Moll” living in this area which leaves us to wonder if she ever existed at all.

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