If we talk about types of horror movies, perhaps the scariest group of the genre are those based on real events. And as? If it’s about creepy, evil and terrifying things that happened in real life, where any of us could be the target . The Top10World team , on this occasion, has prepared a selection of horror movies based on real events especially for you; movies that, without a doubt, will leave you with a chill for hours. Do you want to meet them? Continue reading!
1. Deliver Us From Evil (2014)
Of all the horror movies based on real events, this film is one of the most enigmatic to date . His story begins with a former New York cop investigating a supernatural crime spree. The film was directed by Scott Derrickson and is based on the book by Ralph Sarchie, a real New York cop who specialized in paranormal cases, and later became a demonologist .
However, we need to warn you that the story behind Deliver Us from Evil is based on Sarchie’s own experiences. This police sergeant, after dedicating himself to solving crimes in the Bronx, became interested in the paranormal and began to immerse himself in exorcisms . One of the horror classics that you cannot miss!
2. A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
It is not surprising that the curiosities of horror movies lead us to discover a part of the real history of humanity. However, horror movies based on real events often show us iconic, but insane characters that once roamed the streets… Remember Freddy Krueger?
This is one of the best villains in cinema ; inspired by three articles read by Wes Craven, the director of the film, which talked about a group of people who lived in Southwest Asia and died while having nightmares, all because of a genocide in Cambodia . In a green and red striped sweater, his hat and knife gloves, this character comes out of the darkness to make us shudder in the deepest nightmares.
3. Shark (1975)
Do horror movies based on real events extend to the realm of biology? It seems that if. In real life there was a white shark that almost killed more than 4 people ; from there comes the blockbuster movie Jaws directed by Steven Spielberg.
As you read it, this story is inspired by a novel by Peter Benchley where the events of 5 swimmers who disappeared were narrated. The remains of three of them were found in the stomach of a great white shark and the other two were never heard from again…
4. The Mothman: The Last Prophecy (2002)
This film based on the book of the same name by John Keel and directed by Mark Pellington is based on the apparently real investigations and sightings of the Mothman, a human figure with enormous wings and red eyes .
In fact, the first sightings occurred in 1966. After several more sightings, on December 15, 1967, the terrible Silver Bridge accident occurred that claimed the lives of 46 people. Many took the Mothman’s presence as a warning of this misfortune . Some associate this figure with alien abductions and others claim that Mothman is a monster that haunts the cold and dark nights. In any case, The Mothman is one of the horror movies based on real events that you cannot miss.
5. The Conjuring: The Warren File (2013)
Do you know why we like horror movies ? The answer is adrenaline; same that runs through your veins when you see the story of the Warrens , a couple of demonologists who are hired to investigate the curse of a family in New England.
And yes, like the rest of horror movies based on real events, The Conjuring is also part of the group. It is said that in 1971 a family moved to a small farm, where strange paranormal phenomena occurred . The most feared spirit was one that was identified in a seance, which came from a woman who was accused of being a witch…
After years of investigation, it was discovered that there were more than 24 deaths and at least 2 suicides on that farm.
6. Annabelle (2014)
Continuing with our pair of demonologists, it’s time to turn to 1968, when two nurses housed a doll that was possessed by the spirit of a girl named Annabelle Higgins . There, the Warrens explain to them that, in reality, it is a demonic entity that wanted to possess one of the nurses.
The film does not follow the same style as other horror movies based on real events; however, it keeps the viewer intrigued all the time , because with John Form, a porcelain doll arrives to sow terror in his home, attacking him and his wife. You know the story, right?
7. The Boston Strangler (1968)
Bloodthirsty men roam the streets of lonely cities looking for their next victim; that’s how Albert De Salvo got his fame. An American serial rapist and murderer who confessed to being the notorious Boston Strangler .
In 1968, a film was released narrating the horrific femicides carried out by this man from 1962 to 1964 . The Boston Strangler is one of the horror movies based on real events that will make your hair stand on end by reliving this very particular character.
8. The Rite (2011)
This film is based on the real experiences of Father Gary Thomas, who tells us about them in his book “The Making of a Modern Exorcist” (2009). In this work, he tells us how he overcame his own deep skepticism regarding the subject after being appointed apprentice exorcist and beginning to carry out this rite … We could not leave out horror movies based on real events where the story of one of the exorcists is told.
In the film appears a woman who spits nails. Father Thomas admits that he has never seen anything like it personally, but he does know some other priests who have witnessed it on several occasions . Exorcism , he assures him, is a relic of darker times and seems to have no place in the Modern Catholic Church, yet he insists that Evil has not gone away and will be present no matter what age we live in.
9. The Girl Next Door (2007)
Of all the horror movies based on true events, this may be the cruelest story on our list . The film is based on the novel of the same name by Jack Ketchum, who was inspired by the murder of Sylvia Likens. A teenage girl who was tortured and killed by her caregiver, Gertrude Baniszewski.
The abuse lasted for at least three months before Sylvia died from her extensive injuries and malnutrition. When prosecuted, Sylvia’s caregiver was sentenced to life in prison, but she was able to be released on parole for being a “model prisoner”, an act that led many citizens to outrage.
10. The Exorcism of Emily Rose (2005)
To close our list of horror movies based on real events, nothing better than doing it with one of the most horrifying cases we have known: the story of Anneliese Michel .
The true story of The Exorcism of Emily Rose tells that Anneliese was a young woman of German origin who underwent a large number of exorcisms in a short period of time. She lived a normal life until 1968, where she was diagnosed with epilepsy. After that, her mental and physical health began to worsen, getting to see diabolical images and obsessing that she was possessed .
His hallucinations became so strong that he no longer ate or drank anything, he just dozed on the floor waiting for his demons to be expelled from his body. According to her statements, she claimed that she was possessed by at least 6 demons: Lucifer, Cain, Judas, Nero, Belial and Legion . After a time full of exorcisms, she ended up dying from long periods of malnutrition and dehydration.
