11 Horror Movies Based on True Stories!

6. A Nightmare on Elm Street

The Movie

A Nightmare on Elm Street is about how even if you set a pedophile on fire, they will still come after your children, and life isn’t fair and never will be and you should just go have whiskey and ice cream.

The True Story

Wes Craven read a string of reports in the L.A. Times about Cambodian immigrants dying in their sleep. Apparently these individuals were scared to go to sleep and when they finally did, they died. It’s called sudden unexplained death syndrome. Here’s a quote from the man himself:

"In the middle of the night they heard these horrendous screams and crashings and they ran in and he’s thrashing on the bed. They ran to him and by the time they got to him he was dead. They did an autopsy on him and there was nothing physically wrong with him. And I just thought: “My God.” -Wes Craven 5. The Mothman Prophecies The Movie A film based on events that occurred in Point Pleasant, West Virginia, these events were blamed on local legendary creature the Mothman. By the  way, there are like no good pictures from this movie, they’re all of Richard Gere with his mouth half open, and no one wants to look at that while they’re trying to read something cool. The True Story Sightings of the Mothman began in 1966, a group of gravediggers say they saw a giant winged man fly right above their heads. After that, reports came rolling in. On November 15 of that year, two separate couples claim to have encountered the creature. They all said the creature was close to 7 feet tall with huge wings on it’s back. They also claimed to have seen it fly at speeds of up to 100 mph (I guess in West Virginia it’s customary to bring radar guns on your dates). Police got hundreds of reports of this strange creature with red glowing eyes. These reports were all the same. Huge man. Red glowing eyes. Giant wings. There were also reports of UFOs in the area, as well as the actual Men in Black (did you know those guys were real too? Seriously, Google them, it’s crazy). The best evidence of the Mothman came on December 15, 1967. Rush hour traffic was crossing a 700 foot bridge that connected Point Pleasant and Ohio. Suddenly, the bridge collapsed. Cars were sent into the freezing water, 46 people died (they only found 44 bodies). Several people in the area reported strange lights that night, as well as strange men appearing on their doorsteps asking questions about the mysterious lights. This was the last “official” sighting of the Mothman. 4. The Girl Next Door The Movie The Girl Next Door is a movie about a teenage girl who is sent to live with her aunt. Her aunt then chains her in the basement and tortures her mercilessly with the help of the young boys in the neighborhood. The True Story This one is really bad, seriously, you don’t want to read this, go to the next one, it’s about a haunted house. Still here? Here you go, don’t say I didn’t warn you: Sylvia Likens Sylvia Marie Likens was born to two carnival workers. They dropped Sylvia and her sister Jenny off with Gertrude Baniszewski in exchange for $20 a week. When Sylvia’s father failed to pay, Gertrude began abusing both girls. Gertrude really zoned in on Sylvia, accusing her of stealing, of spreading rumors about her own daughters being prostitutes, and of being pregnant. She forbade Sylvia to leave the house, soon after, Sylvia urinated in her bed, after which Gertrude locked her in the cellar. Gertrude then encouraged neighborhood children to abuse Sylvia. They put cigarettes out on her skin, and on at least two occasions they molested her with a Coca-Cola bottle. Gertrude, and the neighborhood children, including a ten year old girl, would use a heated needle to burn things like, “I am a prostitute and proud of it!” on the skin of Sylvia’s stomach. She was also submerged in scalding water and given only crackers to eat. Sylvia attempted to escape a few days before her death, apparently after overhearing Gertrude talk about dumping her body in the woods. On October 26, 1965 Sylvia succumbed to her wounds, as well as malnutrition, she was 16 when she died. See, I told you that you didn’t want to read it. I sort of skimmed the gory details, if you want to know more, then you need therapy. 3. The Haunting in Connecticut The Movie A family moves into a big old house in order to be closer to the treatment center that their son needs to treat his cancer. They find out that the house used to be a funeral parlor and due to some super pissed off ghosts, all hell breaks loose. The True Story The Real Snedeker Family In 1986, Allen and Carmen Snedeker moved into an old house with their daughter and three sons. While exploring their new home, Carmen found morticians tools in the basement. They later found out that their home had once been a funeral parlor. What was to follow, was a living nightmare. The eldest Snedeker son began seeing ghosts and demons. Soon, the whole family began experiencing these terrible visions. Carmen said she was once mopping in the kitchen when the water turned blood red and smelled like rotten fish. Both Carmen and Allen claim to have been raped and sodomized by demons in the home. Carmen could even describe the demons, “One of the demons was very thin, with high cheekbones, long black hair and pitch black eyes. Another had white hair and eyes, wore a pinstriped tuxedo, and his feet were constantly in motion.” The family finally contacted famed paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren (you’ll read those names a few more times before this article is over). Lorraine, a clairvoyant, said that while it was a funeral parlor the house was used for practicing necromancy and necrophilia. She and Ed also experienced the same demonic forces claimed by the Snedekers. When Lorraine was asked about the film based on the family’s story, she replied that the true story was, “much, much scarier than any movie could ever be.”2. The Amityville Horror The Movie A newlywed couple moves into a house that was once the site of a horrific murder. Then they are attacked by ghosts, bees, and bad 70s hair. The True Story Ronal DeFeo Jr. Ronald DeFeo Jr. was a bad dude. On November 13, 1974 used a .35 caliber rifle to kill his entire family, including his parents and his four younger siblings (ages 9, 12, 13, and 18). That same night, DeFeo was detained, but claimed a mob hit man name Tony Mazzeo had carried out the killings. The next day, however, DeFeo confessed. He said that once he started he couldn’t stop, and he had also taken a bath and discarded his bloody clothing. Since his conviction, DeFeo has tried to give several different reasons for the killings, even claiming at one time that he killed his sister because she had killed everyone else. In December of 1975, thirteen months after the DeFeo killings, George and Kathleen Lutz purchased the home. They moved in, along with Kathleen’s three children from a previous marriage. They were well aware of the murders, so this wasn’t a Poltergeist, “YOU ONLY MOVED THE HEADSTONES!” thing, but the house was super cheap, so why not? A little water and ammonia and blood stains come right out! After they moved in they experienced cold spots, bad vibes, and George began an odd obsession with their fireplace. Kathleen said she was touched by unseen hands, and even claimed that one time her face turned into an old hag face and stayed that way for hours. The children began speaking to shapeshifting spirits, and George became a recluse. On their last night in the house, all of the children’s beds began to slam themselves into the walls, and Kathleen even levitated. The lights flickered, and the dog continued to throw up all night. Kathleen later had no recollection of these events, and the family packed up and left the next day. Side note: Good ol’ Ed and Lorraine Warren investigated this house as well. They said that the house was the personification of evil.1. The Conjuring The Movie A family is tormented by the evil spirit of a satanic witch in their home. They seek the help of paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren (I feel like I’ve heard those names before….). The True Story Lorraine Warren and Annabelle the Haunted Doll What’s great about The Conjuring is that we get TWO true scary stories! It’s the BOGO of the horror world! First of all, we get Annabelle. Eff. Annabelle. This doll is messed up. So messed up that she’s getting her own movie . Annabelle was given to a young nurse named Donna by her mother. Donna noticed that Annabelle would move on her own. At first she would just be in a changed position, but soon Annabelle would end up in different rooms. Donna would leave the doll in her room, and come home to find her on the couch. Donna and her roommate, Angie, had a friend named Lou. Lou didn’t like Annabelle, and apparently she didn’t like him either. You see, Annabelle began leaving notes for Lou. Notes that said things like, “Help Lou”. These messages were written on old parchment, something Donna didn’t have in her apartment. Lou and Donna once heard rustling coming from Donna’s room. Lou listened at the door and could hear vivid movement happening. He threw open the door and found Annabelle, off of her spot on the bed where Donna had left her, and sitting in the corner. He approached the doll, and after the overwhelming feeling that something was watching him, he felt a burning on his chest. He lifted his shirt to find three claw marks. Our buddies the Warren’s came by and said that Annabelle wasn’t haunted by a ghost, but a demon. They called a Catholic priest to exorcise Annabelle. The priest didn’t take them seriously. He took one look at Annabelle and said, “You’re just a doll. You can’t hurt anyone!”, on his way home, his brakes failed and his car was totaled. Of course, that was just part of the true story of The Conjuring. In the real story, things happened much more slowly. The family actually lived in the house for 10 years. The Perrons reported spirits both good and evil, the smell of rotting flesh, and at 5:15 every morning, their beds would levitate. According to the family, the movie is incredibly accurate. Even Lorraine Warren gave the movie an A-OK, facts wise. Since the movie follows the true story so well, I won’t reveal much here. The only difference is that their really was a Bathsheba Sherman, but there is no evidence that she was a witch. She also died of old age, instead of what is described in the movie. The family says there was an evil entity that was hard to describe cinematically, so Bathsheba became the vehicle for this spirit. One of the daughters, Andrea Perron, has written three books on their experiences. She says the movie is an amalgamation of many years of incidents, but they are all true nonetheless. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter @1428_Elm!In the middle of the night they heard these horrendous screams and crashings and they ran in and he’s thrashing on the bed. They ran to him and by the time they got to him he was dead. They did an autopsy on him and there was nothing physically wrong with him. And I just thought: “My God.” -Wes Craven"