Curious about the origins of the most chilling horror ideas? You might be astonished to discover that it’s not solely the product of a disturbed writer holed up in a room with Mike Myers masks and a backyard filled with deceased animals. The sheer terror of some of the scariest movies stems from one straightforward fact—they are rooted in real-life stories!
Table of contents
Here are 10 scary movies based on real life events, along with their trailers:
1. Zodiac (2007)
A thriller based on the true story of the Zodiac Killer, who terrorized San Francisco with a series of unsolved murders and cryptic messages in the 1960s. Watch trailer.
2. The Amityville Horror (2005)
A remake of the 1979 classic, based on the alleged haunting of a house in Long Island where a family was murdered by their son. Watch trailer.
3. The Exorcism of Emily Rose (2005)
A horror drama based on the case of Anneliese Michel, a German woman who died in 1976 after a failed exorcism. Watch trailer.
4. The Strangers (2008)
A home invasion horror based on the director’s childhood experience of a stranger knocking on his door, as well as the Manson Family and Keddie Cabin murders. Watch trailer.
5. The Entity (1982)
A supernatural horror based on the case of Doris Bither, who claimed to be attacked and raped by invisible spirits. Watch trailer.
6. The Conjuring (2013)
A haunted house horror based on the investigations of paranormal experts Ed and Lorraine Warren, who encountered a demonic presence in a Rhode Island farmhouse. Watch trailer.
7. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)
A slasher horror based on the crimes of serial killer Ed Gein, who skinned and mutilated his victims and made furniture and clothing from their remains. Watch trailer.
8. The Exorcist (1973)
A horror classic based on the novel by William Peter Blatty, which was inspired by the 1949 exorcism of a boy named Roland Doe. Watch trailer.
9. The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
A psychological thriller based on the novel by Thomas Harris, which features the fictional serial killer Hannibal Lecter, who was partly inspired by real-life murderers such as Ted Bundy and Ed Gein. Watch trailer.
10. Psycho (1960)
A horror masterpiece by Alfred Hitchcock, based on the novel by Robert Bloch, which was also influenced by the crimes of Ed Gein. Watch trailer.
11. Compliance (2012)
This film is based on a prank caller who convinces a fast food restaurant manager to interrogate an innocent young employee
I hope you enjoy these movies, but don’t get too scared!.
