5 Horror Movies Based on True Events That Will Scare You To Hell

Ah yes, the greatest marketing ploy in the history of movies is that of true events. No, I’m not talking about documentaries, I’m talking about the classic biopic, and the horror movies that are all too real for some viewers. I once had an argument with a woman about how some of the iconic movies in horror really happened, and she told me that it was impossible. She was half-right, as some stories are never going to make it to the silver screen, and are reserved for books, magazine articles, and the kindle that never seems to arrive at my front door. (sadly)

After getting a backhanded compliment from a former client about how bad my writing is, I decided to take a step back and write for my passion, which has always been blogging. So here is a list to settle in before I dump 5 or 6 more movie reviews on you, my 2 or 3 readers still waiting for an update. You may be surprised at what I pull out of the proverbial hat, that’s for sure.

Here in no particular order are 5 horror movies based on true events!

From Hell

Jack The Ripper’s detailed and intricate story may not be easy to quantify in a biopic, but in this movie we get a whole lot of myth and fact. The story of Jack The Ripper as a part of a larger cult, may work out for the movie, but it’s the gruesome and iconic storytelling that gets this one a nod in my list. Despite the fact that I can’t stand Johnny Depp, I found his portrayal quite fascinating, and the story compelling enough to reel me in. The visuals are shocking, the story is intrepid in terms of what may or may not have happened in reality, and if you are a Ripper historian, you may want to check this one out. Even if it is cartoony-like at times, it has a good narrative flow that will definitely find a home with just about any horror fan. I liked it, even though it gets a tad bit long at times.

The Entity

Ah yes, horror movies in which women are molested by ghosts. Sounds more like something you’d find in a porno, and in fact I recall purchasing one long ago starring Asia Carrera and…oh never mind. The point is that this movie is one that was based on real world investigation. In the early 1970s a team of investigators looked into the case of Doris Bither, a woman who swore up and down that she was being tormented by a ghost, and was even getting beat and sexually assaulted on a regular basis. Well the investigation turned up some strange happenings in the house, and maybe a ghost like object on film, but other than that, is up in the air as far as I’m concerned. The Entity tries to shoehorn that notion into film and well, it works well enough.

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre

Tobe Hooper and his crew made one of the lasting impressions of horror ever when they were able to make Texas Chainsaw Massacre. This 1974 classic is alive and well today, but the events depicted in the film are similar to that of Ed Gein. There were several situations that occurred in Wisconsin in which visitors ended up a part of a sinister plot. The crazy thing about it all was the story of Gein’s arrest. Investigators at the scene reportedly found a heart on the stove of the psychopath, which goes into the same kind of thing that was alive and well for the crew in Texas Chainsaw Massacre. I prefer the sequel, which didn’t happen to have true events, and a dancing leather face.

Eaten Alive

Tobe Hooper makes it twice on this list. This classic for me came out in 1977, and it features some awesome moments. The crocodile death sequence from the trailer comes to mind, but the whole movie is just a cool concept with hacked execution. The story is about a Texas psychopath that feeds anyone that crosses him to his croc. The inspiration was a guy by the name of Joe Ball. The serial killer ran an Inn and happened to enjoy feeding people to crocodiles. If you recall the dramatic television show Nip/Tuck, you will recall that feeding people to these reptiles is nothing new of a concept. I you haven’t seen this one in a while, check it out sooner than later, it’s well worth a look or two. Hooper really punched up the gore on this one, on his way to making more and more horror movies.

Every Exorcism Movie Ever!

I was trying to narrow down the list a bit, and ran into a wall. There’s so many movies that feature exorcisms and all of them claim that it happened in real life. So I’m not going to fight it, just go and pick up any movie about hauntings, exorcisms, and the likes and you will most likely run into a film that has been listed on someone else’s top 10 or 13 or 5 list. For this blog, I will just say this much, I hate exorcism movies, plain and simple.

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