10 Horror Movies Inspired by Terrifying Real Life Murders

10 Horror Movies Inspired by Terrifying Real Life Murders

Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re taking a look at 10 scary movies that drew inspiration from real world killings and killers.

#10: “The Strangers” (2008)

Director/screenwriter Bryan Bertino drew on the crimes of the Manson Family, as well as personal experience, for this home invasion horror film. Bertino stated he remembers a group of people knocking on the doors in his neighborhood asking if a made-up person was home. If no one answered the door, they would rob the house. His movie takes a much more sinister approach, focusing instead on a group that wants to kill innocent people in their homes for no reason. As with “Them”, it’s the randomness and senselessness of their acts that leaves you shivering.

#9: “The Girl Next Door” (2007)

Based on Jack Ketchum's 1989 novel, this horror drama is such a harrowing watch, it will make you ache to learn that its “based on true events” message wasn’t only a marketing ploy. Unfortunately, this tale about a victim who’s tormented under the watchful eye of a supposed guardian is based on the 1965 case of Sylvia Likens. Although a few things are changed from the real story, “The Girl Next Door” puts a lot of this crime's cruelty on full display. Stephen King described it as “a long look into hell, suburban style”.

#8: “The Hills Have Eyes” (1977)

While in search of inspiration for his second film, the now legendary horror filmmaker Wes Craven stumbled upon the historic legend of Sawney Bean. Bean was a 16th century figure who led a clan of cannibals in Scotland. Over a span of 25 years, Bean and his clan members are believed to have cannibalized over 1,000 people. This striking tale became the basis for Craven’s horror classic “The Hills Have Eyes,” which was released in 1977. Although similar in many ways, the savage family in Craven’s film suffer a different fate from their real-life counterparts. Bean and his clan were hunted down by King James VI’s men and executed in a particularly macabre fashion.

#7: “Ravenous” (1999)

Starvation and desperation can make people do strange things. The Western horror film "Ravenous" is not based on one specific historical incident but it does take inspiration from different sources, primarily the life of Alferd Packer and the Donner Party. Along with some nods to these real incidents of humans eating their dead, "Ravenous" presents the idea that once someone tries it, nothing else will ever satisfy them again. Atmospheric, unsurprisingly gory, weirdly comedic, and featuring a mesmerizing performance by Robert Carlyle, "Ravenous" uses history and myth to craft a strange but captivating horror film.

#6: “Wolf Creek” (2005)

Rather than being based on one set of circumstances, this film is an amalgamation of various real-life events. These include the crimes of two Australian killers, Ivan Milat and Bradley John Murdoch. Both preyed on tourists, Milat in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s, and Murdoch in 2001, when he attacked British traveler Peter Falconio and his girlfriend, Joanne Lees. Paralleling the events of the movie, the couple was driving through the Australian outback, when their car was flagged down by a stranded motorist. Lees managed to escape but heard gunshots; Falconio was never seen again and his body hasn’t been recovered.

#5: “Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer” (1986)

Henry Lee Lucas seems like the stuff of nightmares, but unfortunately, he’s based on a real life figure. Active between the years of 1960 and 1983, Lucas claimed to have committed hundreds of murders. Initially, the police accepted his claims. However, it turned out that most of his confessions were false. Nevertheless, Lucas was convicted of 11 homicides, three of which were confirmed by authorities. The film states that it was inspired by his life and fantasies more than his actual murders; but it did get many details right, including being maltreated as a child by his mother and his partnership with Ottis Toole.

#4: “Scream” (1996)

Underneath "Scream's" satirical tone and marketable slasher villain lies a story about a small town driven to chaos by a string of violent murders. The script behind Wes Craven's '90s horror flick was sparked into existence by the Gainesville murders committed by Daniel Rolling in 1990. While there are a couple of similarities, "Scream's" screenwriter was primarily inspired by the widespread fear caused by the killings. It’s the idea that there could be a faceless psychopath standing outside the window, waiting for the opportunity to strike.

#3: “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” (1974)

The notorious murderer Ed Gein has served as a loose inspiration for plenty of horror films, with "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" being one of the most famous. The similarities mostly come down to Leatherface's mask, as Gein also fashioned such keepsakes, although not in order to hide a physical deformity like the movie's killer. The film's disturbing house also bears some resemblance to Ed Gein's grotesque flesh-themed home. "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" is far from an Ed Gein biopic, but the film's grisly aesthetic reflects the depraved nature of the murderer's crimes.

#2: “Psycho” (1960)

The "Psycho" novel and Hitchcock’s adaptation were released only a few years following the capture and trial of Ed Gein. Norman Bates is a socially awkward but seemingly harmless outcast defined by his unhealthy relationship with his fanatical and harsh mother, traits reminiscent of the real-life murderer. Although Gein influenced the presentation of Norman Bates in various ways, the character's crimes were wholly the invention of Robert Bloch, the book's author. A landmark release in the slasher genre, "Psycho" holds up as a stylish and frightful exploration of violence and madness.

#1: “The Amityville Horror” (1979)

One of the most controversial horror movies inspired by true events, "The Amityville Horror" chronicles the Lutz family's stay in a house that had recently seen a gruesome tragedy. With pig creatures, walls spouting blood, and ancient burial grounds, "The Amityville Horror" presumably takes a few liberties with a story that has plenty of skeptics, but the grim murders that started everything undoubtedly happened. Taken on its own, "The Amityville Horror" is a quintessential haunted house movie, a tale about a fractured family driven to the point of insanity by mind-breaking phenomena.

Which of these real life crimes keeps you up at night? Let us know in the comments below.