Lakeshore Ent Corp/Kobal/Shutterstock; New Line/courtesy Everett Collection; Warner Bros. Pictures/courtesy Everett Collection
Sure, films such asThe Amityville Horror, Nightmare on Elm StreetandThe Texas Chainsaw Massacreare all part of Halloween lore, but part of the reason why these films got so popular initially was because they were art that loosely imitated life. After all, what’s scarier than a movie plot line that’s plausible enough to happen to you or someone you know?From haunted houses and possessed dolls to true-life exorcisms, check out these 10 horror movies based on real-life events.
Sure, films such asThe Amityville Horror, Nightmare on Elm StreetandThe Texas Chainsaw Massacreare all part of Halloween lore, but part of the reason why these films got so popular initially was because they were art that loosely imitated life. After all, what’s scarier than a movie plot line that’s plausible enough to happen to you or someone you know?
From haunted houses and possessed dolls to true-life exorcisms, check out these 10 horror movies based on real-life events.
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‘The Amityville Horror’
Though there is still major debate on whether or not the alleged paranormal events that took place at 112 Ocean Ave. in Amityville, N.Y., are true, the murders that led to the story being written in the first place certainly are.
After DeFeo Jr. was sent to prison, the family home was put on the market a year later, which is when George and Kathleen Lutz moved in with their three children. The Lutzs would go on to report a series of paranormal activities happening in the house, which is where the story ofThe Amityville Horrororiginated. Apparently, the hauntings were so severe, they had to escape the house in the middle of the night, only a month after they had moved in.
The Lutzs' story has been the subject of much debate, especially given the fact that the next family to take over the house — James and Barbara Cromarty — resided in the residence for a decade without any paranormal occurrences.
02of 10
‘A Nightmare on Elm Street’
No, there never was an actual child killer who was haunting teenagers in their dreams.
However, the concept of Freddy Kruger came toA Nightmare on Elm Streetdirector Wes Craven after he read an article about a boy who died in his sleep after suffering petrifying night terrors.
“I’d read an article in theL.A. Timesabout a family who had escaped the Killing Fields in Cambodia and managed to get to the U.S,” he toldVulturein 2014. “Things were fine, and then suddenly the young son was having very disturbing nightmares. He told his parents he was afraid that if he slept, the thing chasing him would get him, so he tried to stay awake for days at a time.”
“When he finally fell asleep, his parents thought this crisis was over. Then they heard screams in the middle of the night. By the time they got to him, he was dead. He died in the middle of a nightmare. Here was a youngster having a vision of a horror that everyone older was denying. That became the central line ofA Nightmare on Elm Street.“
03of 10
‘The Conjuring’
Though filmmakers took some creative liberties while makingThe Conjuring,the crux of the story is based on the real-life Roger and Carolyn Perron, who moved into 1677 Round Top Road in Rhode Island in 1971 and experienced some purported paranormal activities in the home.
04of 10
‘Annabelle’
‘Annabelle’.Warner Bros. Pictures/courtesy Everett Collection
Warner Bros. Pictures/courtesy Everett Collection
According to the Warrens, the real-life Annabelle doll’s hauntings were so dire, they had to lock her up in their occult museum in Monroe, Connecticut.
Upon their arrival, however, the Warrens explained to the young women that they had been ill-informed and that Annabelle was in “search of a human host.” The couple would go on to order an exorcism and later moved the doll to their occult museum, where she resides now.
05of 10
‘The Exorcism of Emily Rose’
‘The Exorcism of Emily Rose’.Lakeshore Ent Corp/Kobal/Shutterstock
Lakeshore Ent Corp/Kobal/Shutterstock
With a star-studded cast featuring Laura Linney, Campbell Scott, Tom Wilkinson and of course, Jennifer Carpenter in the titular role, the events inThe Exorcism of Emily Roseare nearly as chilling as the real-life events the film is loosely based on.
Emily Rose is based on a 19-year-old named Anneliese Michel, who died after almost 70 exorcism sessions in Bavaria, West Germany,per Collider.
Michel — who grew up in a hyper-religious family — had been diagnosed with schizophrenia and epilepsy as a teenager. However, things took a dark turn when her convulsions turned into hallucinations and she came to believe she was possessed. Michel then insisted on being exorcised and her parents sought the help of Father Arnold Renz and Father Ernst Alt, who performed a host of exorcisms beginning in September 1975.
The young teen died on July 1, 1976, and her parents — Ana and Joseph Michel — along with the clergymen, were charged with negligent homicide as she had stopped taking her medication and was found to be malnourished and dehydrated.The Exorcism of Emily Rosefollows the complicated court case of the four adults, in which judges had to debate the validity of their faith vs. the facts of the case.
All parties were found guilty, “but were given lenience, sentenced only to time served, and three months probation,” says Collider.
06of 10
‘The Exorcist’
‘The Exorcist’.HA/THA/Shutterstock
HA/THA/Shutterstock
Though this case didn’t end as tragically as Anneliese Michel’s, the events behindThe Exorcistare still fascinating.
Thirteen-year-old Roland Doe was grief-stricken over the passing of his Aunt Harriett, a spiritualist “who’d taught him many things — including how to use a ouija board,” perAll That’s Interesting.
His parents then sought the help of some Catholic priests and Father E. Albert Hughes performed the first exorcism on Doe in February 1949. A few days after the ritual, scratches spelling out “Louis” appeared on Doe’s body and his mother took that to mean they needed to leave Maryland to get more help.
The family traveled to St. Louis, where they were connected to Father Walter H. Halloran and Rev. William Bowdern from St. Louis University, who agreed to exorcise young Roland. They worked on the boy until April of that year when he finally revealed the devil possessing him had gone.
Decades later, it was revealed the young boy grew up to have a completely normal adulthood. According toVanity Fair, Roland Doe was actually Ronald Edwin Hunkeler, a NASA engineer who aided in the 1969 moon landing. His identity was only revealed after he died in 2020.
07of 10’Poltergeist'‘Poltergeist’.Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer/GettySteven Spielberg knows how to make a phenomenal film, however, for 1982’sThe Poltergeist, the screenwriter had plenty of material to work with.The film is based on the real-life happenings at the Herrmann house, which took place in the ’50s in Seaford, Long Island.One morning in February 1958, James Herrmann received a phone call from his freaked-out wife, Lucille, telling him that strange things were happening in their home, perLongIsland.com. Their teenagers, who had reportedly heard inexplicable popping noises around the house, later found caps of “shampoo, bleach and a vial of holy water,” all removed from their corresponding bottles. The family dismissed the spooky incident, with James even believing there might have been a weird chemical reaction that caused the popping.In the following weeks, however, the strange happenings escalated. In one instance, the Herrmanns even phoned the police, who failed to explain also. The devout Catholics then turned to a priest, but after he prayed over the house, things got “more violent with figures smashing and a bookcase falling over randomly.” The case of the Seaford poltergeist went national andLife Magazinepublished an article about it.After documenting 70 different incidents between Feb. 3 and March 10, 1958, the Herrmanns vacated the suburban home.
07of 10
‘Poltergeist’
‘Poltergeist’.Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer/Getty
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer/Getty
Steven Spielberg knows how to make a phenomenal film, however, for 1982’sThe Poltergeist, the screenwriter had plenty of material to work with.
The film is based on the real-life happenings at the Herrmann house, which took place in the ’50s in Seaford, Long Island.
One morning in February 1958, James Herrmann received a phone call from his freaked-out wife, Lucille, telling him that strange things were happening in their home, perLongIsland.com. Their teenagers, who had reportedly heard inexplicable popping noises around the house, later found caps of “shampoo, bleach and a vial of holy water,” all removed from their corresponding bottles. The family dismissed the spooky incident, with James even believing there might have been a weird chemical reaction that caused the popping.
In the following weeks, however, the strange happenings escalated. In one instance, the Herrmanns even phoned the police, who failed to explain also. The devout Catholics then turned to a priest, but after he prayed over the house, things got “more violent with figures smashing and a bookcase falling over randomly.” The case of the Seaford poltergeist went national andLife Magazinepublished an article about it.
After documenting 70 different incidents between Feb. 3 and March 10, 1958, the Herrmanns vacated the suburban home.
08of 10
‘The Rite’
‘The Rite’.Warner Bros/Kobal/Shutterstock
Warner Bros/Kobal/Shutterstock
Though, of course, certain aspects of the film were exaggerated for dramatic effect, the true story goes like this: Father Gary Thomas had been selected to train as an exorcist when he met journalist Matt Baglio in an exorcism class. From there, Baglio followed the priest as he traveled Rome, performing his new duty.
Currently, the real-life Reverend Thomas serves as director of the propaedeutic year program at St. Patrick’s Seminary and University in Menlo Park, California.
09of 10’The Texas Chainsaw Massacre'‘The Texas Chainsaw Massacre’.New Line/courtesy Everett CollectionSo much of what happens inThe Texas Chainsaw Massacreis disturbing. But perhaps no other character in the movies is as frightening as Leatherface, the menacing, basement-dwelling killer who eats people and wears their faces after killing them.And while the character was never a real person, his traits were based on serial killer Ed Gein, who “was known for exhuming corpses from graveyards and making mementos with their bones and skin,“reportsCosmo.
09of 10
‘The Texas Chainsaw Massacre’
‘The Texas Chainsaw Massacre’.New Line/courtesy Everett Collection
New Line/courtesy Everett Collection
So much of what happens inThe Texas Chainsaw Massacreis disturbing. But perhaps no other character in the movies is as frightening as Leatherface, the menacing, basement-dwelling killer who eats people and wears their faces after killing them.
And while the character was never a real person, his traits were based on serial killer Ed Gein, who “was known for exhuming corpses from graveyards and making mementos with their bones and skin,“reportsCosmo.
10of 10
‘The Strangers’
Gemma Ward, Kip Weeks, Laura Margolis, Liv Tyler, and Scott Speedman in ‘The Strangers’.Glenn Watson/Rogue/Mandate/Kobal/Shutterstock
Glenn Watson/Rogue/Mandate/Kobal/Shutterstock
This Bryan Bertino thriller is an amalgamation of three separate real-life events. First, and perhaps most obvious, the fictional thriller draws inspiration from the Manson Family’s home invasion and murder of Sharon Tate and her friends, Jay Sebring, Abigail Folger and Wojciech Frykowski, as well as Steven Parent, who was visiting the home’s caretaker.
The Strangersalso incorporates parts of the Keddie Cabin Murders, reportsScreen Rant, in which four people were killed in a small resort town in California. That case went cold as the murderers were never caught.
source: people.com
