
At least, that’s true in horror movies, but when those horrors are real it makes them so much more real. They turn people into slack-jawed puzzles about what is real and what is fake, and so they are more shocking. Here in this article, I will take my time and highlight some of the best and most famous horror movies and I will give details of the real life events behind them and why people find them interesting.
The Allure of True Stories
A major element of appeal of the horror movies that are based on actual events is that they are events that unfortunately can happen in real life. Thus, when people understand that what they see is a real story, the tension and fear increase manifold. Such a link produces considerable anxiety hence leaving audiences with the question of whether such incidents can happen to them.
Here We Can List Some Horror Movies Based on Real Life Events
Here’s a list of some of the most memorable horror films that are rooted in reality, along with their real-life inspirations:
Movie Title | Year | Real-Life Event | Summary |
The Amityville Horror | 1979 | Amityville murders (1974) | A family experiences supernatural occurrences in a home where a mass murder took place. |
The Conjuring | 2013 | Perron family haunting (1971) | Paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren help a family terrorized by a dark presence. |
Texas Chainsaw Massacre | 1974 | Ed Gein murders (1950s) | A group of friends encounters a family of cannibals in rural Texas, inspired by real-life murderer Ed Gein. |
Zodiac | 2007 | Zodiac Killer (1960s-70s) | Based on the unsolved serial killings attributed to the Zodiac Killer in Northern California. |
A Nightmare on Elm Street | 1984 | The “Dream Death” phenomenon | Inspired by a series of mysterious deaths in Southeast Asia linked to nightmares. |
The Exorcist | 1973 | The exorcism of Roland Doe (1949) | A young boy undergoes an exorcism, based on a real case of demonic possession. |
My Friend Dahmer | 2017 | Jeffrey Dahmer’s teenage years | A portrayal of serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer’s life before he committed his gruesome crimes. |
Monster | 2003 | Aileen Wuornos murders (1989-90) | A biographical film about Aileen Wuornos, a female serial killer who killed seven men. |
The Haunting in Connecticut | 2009 | The Snedeker family haunting (1986) | A family experiences disturbing paranormal events in their new home, which was once a funeral home. |
Ed and Lorraine Warren Series | Various | Various paranormal investigations | This series encompasses multiple films (including The Conjuring franchise) based on the real-life paranormal investigators. |
The Stories Behind the Films
1. The Amityville Horror
The story of The Amityville Horror is based on the story of the family of Lutz who had a tragic fate of moving to a house at 112 Ocean Avenue in Amityville, New York, where a brutal murder had happened. The filming of this story is based on the book by Jay Anson; what makes this story still questionable are controversies between real and fake paranormal events of the family.
2. The Conjuring
The plot of The Conjuring learning from real-life paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren, revolves around the demon-infested Perron family’s house in Rhode Island. The Warrens, famous for their paranormal investigating work, reported about numerous ghostly experiences in their practice. The film success led to the creation of sequels as well as spin-offs all charged by the Warrens cases.
3. Texas Chainsaw Massacre
This is a famous slasher movie which plot was based on the crimes of Ed Gein – the person who dug up corpses to use their bones, skin and other organs. Despite gross inaccuracies this movie has spark a new kind of horror with the portrayal of a murderous family of cannibals and a crazed man with chainsaw.
4. Zodiac
Zodiac is based on the forms of the Zodiac Killer, or simply Zodiac, a serial murderer who targeted individuals in California during 1969 and the early 1970s. The actual subject of the film under discussion is the process of the investigation of the criminal and the people whose lives are intertwined with the action of the killer, and it is the film directed by David Fincher. It remains rather shocking how actual horror can creep into reality.
5. A Nightmare on Elm Street
This slasher film is based on stories about numerous incidents when young men in Southeast Asia died in their sleep after having nightmares. The movers and shakers of the film turn Freddy Krueger into not only the dream demon but also the face of faculty sleep using an element of fear that has its root back in infancy.
6. The Exorcist
The Exorcist is inspired by the biography of a young man as the subject of exorcism in the last ten years of the forties. As in scare that mad dad’s philosophy of faith, evil and the fight for a soul keep the viewers thinking in the supernatural.
7. My Friend Dahmer
This films explore Jeffrey Dahmer’ s life when he was in his teens before he turned into one of the serial killers in America. My Friend Dahmer raises a lot of questions and shows people that made such actions, which makes the audience think.
8. Monster
Monster features Charlize Theron; the film describes the life of a woman who committed a series of murders in Florida and was executed for it. Her life story as presented in the movie along with the circumstances that saw her become a killer contradict conventional screen images of killers.
9. The Haunting in Connecticut
This picture tells a story of a tale of the Snedeker family, who acquired paranormal experiences in their new residence, which was a former funeral home. It shows the ability of a family to fight with supernatural beings in a sort of thrilling manner.
10. Ed and Lorraine Warren Series
The movies about Ed and Lorraine Warren combine several real-life incidents together as a single story of their investigations. As this series demonstrate, the Warrens are dedicated in assisting families to deal with the paranormal issues that make horror a part of real life and part of commercial film production.
Why True Event Horror Movies Agree
Movies with elements of supernatural horror that are based on real life scenarios attract more audiences than fictional movies because they appeal to very real fear.
- Authenticity: The fact that one watches a film based on a real life story makes one feel more endangered all the time.
- Connection to Real Life: Such stories often signify a societal concern, pain, or injustice, hence the viewers find something emotional with which they can resonate.
- Exploration of Morality: Numerous true event horror movies cause viewers to think about such issues as morality and justice, as well as the darkness within human nature, which is why thinking occurs.
- Cultural Reflection: They can reflect the spirit or attitudes of the society at that given time and therefore can be referenced.
Conclusion
They point to the fact that horror films focusing on real life events can be rather fascinating because people like watching the scripts which are quite real. It goes from supernatural horror, to purely psychological thrillers, that will reveal that often, it is indeed the horrors of the world that are real.
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