Horror movies leave a lasting impression on audiences, especially those based on real events, which are particularly thrilling to watch. Are you looking for a thrilling and spine-chilling experience this Halloween? Confused about which horror movie to watch? Here’s a compilation of some of the best horror movies based on true stories.
Conjuring
Conjuring is based on a real-life story. The film, directed by James Wan, is about the Perron family living in a farmhouse in Rhode Island, began experiencing paranormal activities. The horror film, which was released in 2013, starred Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga in the lead roles.
The Entity
This 1982 horror movie revolved around a single mother who is attacked by an invisible poltergeist. The film was based on a real-life incident that happened in 1974. Doris Bither claimed that she was attacked and raped by a paranormal entity. To understand what was happening, she took the help of a parapsychologist, who conducted an investigation in her house.
Jennifer’s Body
Directed by Karyn Kusama and starring Megan Fox, this horror film was loosely inspired by the tragic murder of 15-year-old Elyse Pahler. Elyse was killed by a group of boys who believed in a Satanic sacrifice. In the film, Megha’s character, Jennifer, who is a high school student, becomes possessed after being killed in a similar type of ritual sacrifice. Still, instead of dying, she gains supernatural powers and starts killing her male classmates.
Things Heard and Seen
This 2021 movie, based on Elizabeth Brundage’s novel All Things Cease to Appear, revolved around a Manhattan family that moved to New York’s Hudson Valley, where they encountered spooky paranormal events. The book and the movie were inspired by the 1982 axe murder of Cathleen Krauseneck and the author’s own supernatural experiences.
The Exorcist
This 1973 movie directed by William Friedkin starred Ellen Burstyn, Max von Sydow, Jason Miller, and Linda Blair in the lead roles. The movie is about a young girl who is possessed and her mother’s attempts to rescue her through an exorcism with the help of two Catholic priests. The movie is based on William Peter Blatty’s novel of the same name, which in turn is based on the real-life of a boy named Roland Doe who was possessed by demons in 1949. Several books have been written about people who witnessed real exorcism.
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre
Directed by Tobe Hooper, this 1974 horror film starred Marilyn Burns, Paul A. Partain, Edwin Neal, and others in the lead roles. The crimes of serial killer Ed Gein inspired the film. The movie revolved around a group of friends who, while visiting an old homestead, fell victim to a chainsaw-wielding maniac and his cannibal family.
The Silence of the Lambs
Directed by Jonathan Demme, this 1991 film can be revered as the scariest film of all time! The movie, which starred Anthony Hopkin, Jodie Foster, Ted Levine and others in the lead roles, was based on a 1988 novel. The movie revolved around the story of Buffalo Bill, whose real name is Jame Gumn, who targeted and killed women to create a “woman suit” from their skin. To catch him, a young FBI trainee seeks the advice of a brilliant psychiatrist and cannibalistic serial killer.
The Amityville Horror
This 2005 movie was based on true events that happened in 1975 in the new house of the Lutz family in Amityville. The house was the site of a gruesome mass murder, and the Lutz family fled the house after experiencing paranormal events. Jay Anson also wrote a book of the same name about it in 1977. The movie is about a young married couple who moves to a new house but is disturbed by the unexplainable things happening in the haunted house.
The Rite
This supernatural horror film is loosely based on Rome-based American journalist Matt Baglio’s book The Rite: The Making of a Modern Exorcist, which in turn is based on true events that were experienced by Father Gary Thomas. The movie directed by Mikael Håfström starred Anthony Hopkins, Colin O’Donoghue, Alice Braga and others in the lead roles.
Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer
This 1986 film by John McNaughton, starring Michael Rooker, Tracy Arnold, and Tom Towles in pivotal roles, attracted controversy and positive critical attention. The characters in the film, Henry and Otis, are loosely based on convicted real-life serial killers Henry Lee Lucas and Ottis Toole.
Deranged
This psychological horror film starring Roberts Blossom, Cosette Lee, and Robert Warner in the lead roles, is loosely based on America’s most notorious serial killer and grave robber, Ed Gein, after the death of his mother, who was a religious fanatic and raised him to be a misogynist. The movie, directed by Alan Ormsby and Jeff Gillen, is about a middle-aged man named Ezra Cobb, who becomes obsessed with preserving his mother’s body, which leads him to exhume corpses and murder other women in an attempt to reconstruct his mother by murdering other women. The movie provides a chilling glimpse into the mind of a necrophile.
Wolf Creek
This 2005 horror movie by Greg McLean is based on the real-life murders of backpackers by Ivan Milat (1990) and Bradley Murdoch (2001). The plot revolves around three backpackers who fall victim to a sadistic, psychopathic, and xenophobic serial killer in the remote Australian outback. The movie sends chills down your spine and makes you reconsider before seeking help from locals or strangers.
The Wailing
Real-life incidents of supernatural occurrences and unexplained illnesses in rural Korea inspire this 2016 South Korean horror film. Directed by Na Hong-jin and starring Kwak Do-won, Hwang Jung-min, and Chun Woo-hee, it revolves around a police officer who investigates a series of mysterious killings and illnesses in a remote village to save his daughter.
Communion
With so many alien news stories reported these days, this sci-fi horror flick might make you believe in aliens! Communion, directed by Philippe Mora, is based on Whitley Strieber’s 1987 book of the same name, where he narrates his real-life encounters with aliens. The film tells the story of a family that experiences an extraterrestrial phenomenon at a remote home, where the father gets abducted, dramatically changing their lives.
A Nightmare On Elm Street
This 1984 film by Wes Craven starring Freddy Krueger and Johnny Depp was inspired by a series of real cases involving a group of Laotian refugees who died in their sleep, and their medical reports showed no apparent cause of death. The film’s story revolves around a group of teenagers living in Elm Street, who are targeted and attacked by a vengeful undead child killer who can murder people in their dreams.
Child’s Play
This creepy movie will make you fear dolls for sure! This 1988 film by Tom Holland, starring Catherine Hicks, Chris Sarandon and Alex Vincent, is inspired by the real-life stories of haunted dolls. It is about a doll that a widowed mother gives to her son, unaware of it being possessed.
Annabelle
This is another creepy movie that will terrify you and make you fear dolls. The ghost-hunting Warrens claimed that a real Raggedy Ann doll moved on its own and wrote creepy notes. It is a spin-off and prequel to The Conjuring (2013).
The Mothman Prophecies
This supernatural horror-mystery film is based on John Keel’s 1975 book of the same name, which is in turn based on true events from the summer of 1966, when the residents of Point Pleasant, Virginia, reported seeing a giant moth-like creature with red glowing eyes, which left them terrified and confused. The film by Mark Pellington starred Richard Gere, Laura Linney, Will Patton and others in pivotal roles.
Psycho
This 1960 movie based on Robert Bloch’s novel of the same name is directed and produced by Alfred Hitchcock and is considered one of his best films. It is loosely inspired by serial killer Ed Gein and grave robber Wisconsin. The movie stars Anthony Perkins, Janet Leigh and Vera Miles in pivotal roles.
Ravenous
This is yet another spine-chilling cannibal film that’s set in 1840s California. Directed by Antonia Bird, this movie was shot in Europe. Ravenous is inspired by the real-life story of Alfred Packer, who was known as the Colorado Cannibal and survived the snowy San Juan Mountains by eating five of his companions.
The Strangers
Written and directed by Bryan Bertino, this 2008 film is about a couple who are attacked by three masked intruders at their vacation house. It is based on real-life incidents, the Mason family’s multiple homicide Tate murders and a series of break-ins that occurred in Bertino’s neighborhood as a child.
The Haunting In Connecticut
This 2009 movie is apparently based on Carmen Snedeker and her family’s experiences. In the film, Campbells moves into a house that used to be a mortuary to help their son, who has cancer. Soon, the family experiences terrifying and traumatic supernatural events in the house.
The Possession
This 2012 movie starring Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Kyra Sedgwick and Natasha Calis, is based on the 2004 Los Angeles Times article “A Jinx in a Box?” which is about the haunted dybbuk box. Whoever bought the box faced consequences as strange things happened to them.
The Exorcism of Emily Rose
Starring Laura Linney and Tom Wilkinson, this 2005 supernatural horror film is loosely based on Felicitas D. Goodman’s book The Exorcism of Anneliese Michel, which tells the story of Anneliese Michel, who was possessed by demons and whose exorcism took lasted nearly a year.
The Hills Have Eyes
The Hills Have Eyes (2006) is a horror film, a remake of Wes Craven’s 1977 film of the same name, which was inspired by the gruesome legends of 16th-century Scottish cannibal Sawney Bean. Starring Aaron Stanford, Kathleen Quinlan and others in lead roles, the movie is directed by Alexandre Aja. It revolves around a family who a group of cannibalistic mutants targets after their car breaks down in the desert.
Eaten Alive!
This 1980 Italian horror film is based on a man named Joe Ball who killed around 20 women and watched them eat by alligators! It tells the story of a young women, who is in search of her sister, who was abducted in New Guinea.
The Girl Next Door
This 2007 movie is based on Jack Ketchum’s 1989 novel of the same name. The film is inspired by the true story of the torture and murder of a teenage girl, Sylvia Likens. Directed by Gregory M. Wilson, this film Stars Blanche Baker, Daniel Manche and Blythe Auffarth in the lead roles.
Curse Of The Zodiac
This 2007 horror film was inspired by the real-life story of the infamous serial killer known as Zodiac, who claimed responsibility for a series of unsolved murders that happened in 1960s-70s in San Francisco. Starring Cassandra Church and Jack Quinn, this film was directed by Ulli Lommel.
The Birds
This 1963 horror film directed by Alfred Hitchcock was loosely based on Daphne du Maurier’s 1952 short story of the same name, which focused on a series of sudden and mysterious bird attacks on the people living in Bodega Bay, California.
The Dentist
This 1996 slasher film is based on a dentist who was also a serial killer. Directed by Brian Yuzna, the film stars Corbin Bernsen, Linda Hoffman and others in the lead roles and is about a successful dentist from Los Angeles who is mentally unstable and goes on a murder spree.
Black Water
This 2007 film was inspired by the true story of a crocodile attack in Australia’s Northern Territory in 2003. The plot revolves around a pregnant woman, her boyfriend, and her sister, who go on a boat tour through a mangrove swamp. Their trip turns out to be a nightmare as a deadly saltwater crocodile hunts them. This Australian-British horror film by Andrew Traucki and David Nerlich starred Diana Glenn, Maeve Dermody, and Andy Rodoreda in the lead roles.
Borderland
This 2007 horror flick is loosely based on the true story of Adolfo de Jesús Constanzo, a drug lord and the leader of a religious cult who practised human sacrifice. Directed by Zev Berman, the movie follows three college students who travel to Mexico to have a fun time, but end up entangled in a deadly nightmare.
Poltergeist
This 1982 film directed by Tobe Hooper and produced by Spielberg, tells the story of a suburban family that moves to a house, that was haunted by malevolent ghosts who abduct their youngest daughter. It is believed that the film is loosely based on hauntings and poltergeist activity reported in various locations, but not based on any specific true story. Poltergeist is considered to be a masterpiece of American horror cinema and is also famous for spooky and eerie events that happened to some of the cast members, which some people call the “Poltergeist curse.”
Grimm Love
This 2006 psychological horror film by Martin Weisz, starring Keri Russell, Thomas Kretschmann and Thomas Hube in pivotal roles, is inspired by the gruesome true story of Armin Meiwes’ cannibal murder case. It is about an American student who chooses an infamous case for her thesis- the cannibal killer Oliver Hartwin.
Requiem
This German horror film is inspired by the real-life story of Anneliese Michel, a German woman, who was allegedly possessed by demons and had epilepsy. She died in 1976 due to malnutrition.
The Witch
Directed by Robert Eggers, starring Anya Taylor-Joy, Ralph Ineson and others in the lead roles, was considered one of the best horror films of the 2010s. This 2015 supernatural film set in 17th-century New England was inspired by real stories of witchcraft and Puritan beliefs.
The Toolbox Murders
This 1978 slasher film, directed by Dennis Donnelly, starred Cameron Mitchell, Pamelyn Ferdin, and Wesley Eure in pivotal roles. The story is about a serial killer, who wore a ski mask and stalked women in a Los Angeles apartment complex and murdered them using the contents of his toolbox. The film is said to be based on true events, though there is no confirmed source for this.
247°F
This 2011 horror flick directed by Beqa Jguburia and Levan Bakhiais, is about a group of friends who get trapped in a sauna. The film is inspired by a real event that happened in Georgia, where a group of friends was accidentally locked in a sauna when one member left to use the bathroom and forgot to return.
Silent House
This 2011 film is about a young woman who gets trapped in a house that’s haunted by ghosts. It is a remake of the 2010 film La Casa Muda, which was allegedly based on an incident that happened in 1940 in a village in Uruguay.
Backcountry
This 2014 Canadian horror film is loosely based on the true story of a predatory black bear that attacked a couple when they were camping in the backcountry of Ontario. The film directed by Adam MacDonald starred Missy Peregrym, Jeff Roop and others in the lead roles.
The Quiet Ones
This 2014 horror film is loosely based on the Philip experiment in Toronto in 1972. In it, a university professor attempts to prove that poltergeists are not supernatural entities but manifestations of the human psyche.
Winchester
In this 2018 movie, Helen Mirren plays the widow of a firearm manufacturer who believes that she is haunted by the ghosts of people killed by her husband’s rifles. The mansion in which she lived is based on a real-life place, Winchester Mystery House, where the actual woman, Mirren, lived for 38 years, constructing and renovating the house based on guidance that she received from spirits.
Deliver Us From Evil
This 2014 horror flick was based on the non-fiction book Beware the Night, which was believed to be inspired by true and terrifying events.
