Horror movies are scary enough, but knowing they’re inspired by real events makes them even more disturbing. There’s something deeply unsettling about knowing that the terrifying events on screen were inspired by real-life hauntings, unexplainable encounters, and shocking crimes. However, that’s also what makes them all the more fascinating. The fact that these films are based on true stories adds a layer of authenticity to the fear, making it feel all too real.
It’s the kind of fear that lingers long after the film ends because when the terror on screen is drawn from real life, it sticks with you, haunting your thoughts and making you feel as if the horrors could reach into your own world. If you’re looking for a fright that feels too close to reality, here are six scary films inspired by true stories that will keep you on edge long after you've watched them.
The Strangers (2008)
Inspired by: The Strangers was inspired by the Manson family murders, specifically the brutal murder of actress Sharon Tate in August 1969. The film was also loosely inspired by the director's own childhood experiences. When The Strangers director Bryan Bertino was a young boy, his parents left him and his younger sister at home by themselves when they heard a knock at the door and a person asking for someone who didn't live at the residence. Bertino would later find out that people were going around the area knocking on doors to rob houses that were empty.
The Strangers follows a couple who, after attending a wedding reception, are terrorized in their remote vacation home by three masked assailants. The couple must fight to survive as the strangers, who seem to have no motive, torment and trap them inside the house.
- Director and writer: Bryan Bertino
- Cast: Liv Tyler and Scott Speedman
- Where to watch: Max
Poltergeist (1982)
Inspired by: Poltergeist was loosely inspired by the true story of the Herrmann House, a residence in Long Island, New York, where a family reportedly experienced paranormal disturbances in the '50s.
After a series of disturbing supernatural events occur at their suburban home, a family of five discovers that the house is haunted by malevolent spirits. The youngest daughter is eventually abducted by the spirits and pulled into another dimension, leaving the family desperate to save her.
- Director: Tobe Hooper
- Writers: Steven Spielberg, Michael Grais, Mark Victor
- Cast: JoBeth Williams, Craig T. Nelson, Beatrice Straight, Heather O'Rourke
- Where to watch: Paramount+
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)
Inspired by: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre was inspired by the crimes of the real-life infamous serial killer and corpse defiler Ed Gein, whose disturbing acts of violence shocked the world in the '50s.
A group of friends travel through rural Texas to visit the gravesite of one friend's grandfather and unknowingly crosses paths with a twisted family of cannibals, who begin hunting them down one by one.
- Director: Tobe Hooper
- Writers: Tobe Hooper and Kim Henkel
- Cast: Marilyn Burns, Paul A. Partain, Edwin Neal, Jim Siedow, Gunnar Hansen
- Where to watch: Prime Video, Tubi, or Peacock for free
Scream (1996)
Inspired by: Scream was inspired by the Gainesville Ripper murders, which occurred in the '90s. In 1990, American serial killer Danny Rolling went on a four-day killing spree, targeting college students in Gainesville, Florida.
Scream follows a bunch of teenagers who are thrust into a terrifying game of survival when a masked killer known as Ghostface begins targeting them. This film would go on to spawn multiple sequels, with a seven movie, Scream 7, slated to be released in theaters on Feb. 27, 2026.
- Director: Wes Craven
- Writer: Kevin Williamson
- Cast: David Arquette, Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, Matthew Lillard, Rose McGowan, Skeet Ulrich, Drew Barrymore
- Where to watch: Max
A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
Inspired by: A Nightmare on Elm Street was inspired by a series of mysterious deaths in the '70s involving a group of Southeast Asian refugees. The movie's director, Wes Craven, had come across several newspaper articles in the L.A. Times that were printed in the '70s about Hmong refugees who were dying in their sleep after experiencing terrifying nightmares.
Then, to create the infamous serial killer Freddy Krueger, Craven drew from a chilling memory from his own childhood, where he once saw a mysterious man wearing an overcoat and a fedora hat. In addition, Craven came up with Freddy's first name from a boy who used to bully him in elementary school.
A Nightmare on Elm Street centers on a group of teens who are stalked and murdered in their dreams by the vengeful spirit of Freddy Krueger, a disfigured undead child killer who was burned alive by parents seeking justice years before.
- Director and writer: Wes Craven
- Cast: John Saxon, Ronee Blakley, Heather Langenkamp, Amanda Wyss, Nick Corri, Johnny Depp, Robert Englund
- Where to watch: Available to rent or buy via digital retailers
Open Water (2003)
Inspired by: Open Water was loosely inspired by the true story of Tom and Eileen Lonergan, a couple who were accidentally left behind in the ocean during a scuba diving trip in 1998.
Open Water revolves around an American couple who finds themselves stranded in the middle of the ocean after a scuba diving trip goes wrong. Left behind by their tour group, the couple must fight to stay alive as they struggle to survive in shark-infested waters with no sign of rescue.
- Director and writer: Chris Kentis
- Cast: Blanchard Ryan, Daniel Travis, Saul Stein
- Where to watch: Tubi