I despise True Story Horror Movies that end up being 90% B.S. Or in the case of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre pretty much near 100% crap. Don’t get me wrong I like the Texas Chainsaw Massacre but saying it is based on a true story is like saying The Tooth Fairy or the Easter Bunny is real.
Sorry if I crushed anyone telling you The Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy are not real. So since I truly love true story horror movies I wanted to take a minute to share 7 Actual True Story Horror Movies that are truly fantastic and should be on all of your lists of films to watch.
Wolf Creek
Wolf Creek
This movie is VERY barely a true story but it makes the list since so many think its based entirely in truth. The film is based on the abduction of British Tourist Peter Falconio and the attack on his girlfriend Joanne Less in July 2001 by Bradley John Murdoch. This film was being released while the trial was going on so the courts filed an injunction to prevent it swaying the outcome.
Those who have seen Wolf Creek and know the story should recognize that this movie is more based on the Australian Backpack murders by Ivan Milat then the single murder by Peter Falconio. John Jarratt who plays the killer in Wolf Creek went to great extremes to get inside the head and become Ivan Milat the backpack killer. It worked because he was scary as hell in Wolf Creek!
Open Water
Open Water
Open Water was released in 2003 and was based on Tom and Eileen Lonergan an American Couple who were stranded in 1998 after going scuba diving. They were accidentally left behind by the boat crew who did not do a proper head count and found themselves stranded in open water with the lion of the seas… sharks. Made for $130,000 it went on to gross $55million dollars and is a great film for fans afraid of the water.
The Girl Next Door
The Girl Next Door
The Girl Next Door tells the story of a girl who is kidnapped by her neighbor, tortured, raped and mutilated in the basement by the local neighborhood kids. Jack Ketchum’s dark and disturbing movie is so surreal and violent that it actually made my stomach turn.
What is even scarier is when you look up the case files of the actual crime you will find that Jack Ketchum’s telling of the tale was no stretch of imagination. The Girl Next Door is sadistic, disturbing and will have you locking your kids up if you have any. Without question one of the best real-horror movies I have seen in my entire life.
Worth noting their is another version of this film called An American Crime which stars Ellen Page but I for one think The Girl Next Door is not only a better film its also much more disturbing. An American Crime had a more well known cast but its not nearly as good as the film based on Jack Ketchum’s book.
The Zodiac
The Zodiac:
The Zodiac killer was never caught and the true story thriller starring Robert Downey Junior is one of the best crime-thriller movies made in years. Touting a fantastic cast and a script true to the actual events the movie is riveting, creepy and although by no means true ‘horror’ it will give you the willies.
The big draw for ZODIAC for me was definitely the collectors edition DVD which included interviews with the only survivors as well as the police officers who investigated the crimes, including the first one. The film is a masterpiece of suspense and storytelling and the only thing that makes me feel warm and fuzzy about this killer is that if he is still alive he is to old to really harm me now.
From Hell
From Hell:
There have been so many tellings of the story of Jack The Ripper it’s almost become its own sub genre in horror. Most of them are mystical with supernatural twists but From Hell is the first one I have watched that matched great story telling with actual facts to try to tell the actual story of Jack the Ripper through the eyes of one of the investigators played by Johnny Depp.
The film is to the point, violent and visually impressive as it takes you through the actual murders. This film much like the other Ripper tellings has its fair share of fiction mixed into it but this one at least goes through the actual crimes and tries to tell it from a straight up angle without the need for ghosts and goblins.
Great film, great storytelling and all around an awesome tale.
Categorised in: Others (Horror Related)
This post was written by Nadia Vella