Top 10 Movies Based on Real Unsolved Mysteries

“Strangers” writer-director Bryan Bertino was directly influenced by the Manson killings and the accompanying true crime book “Helter Skelter.” However, many critics and academics also note strong similarities with a quadruple homicide that occurred in 1981. In April of that year, Glenna Sharp, two of her children, and a family friend were killed in Keddie, California. The historic event bears many similarities with “The Strangers,” including the isolated setting, the breaking into of a private residence, and the vicious nature of the killings. The main suspects in the case are Martin Smartt and his friend John Boubede, but they both died without being charged thanks to a tragically bungled investigation.

The Mothman is one of the most enduring legends in modern American folklore. Between November 1966 and December 1967, the West Virginian city of Point Pleasant was inundated with sightings of the Mothman. Famously described as a large man-bird hybrid, the Mothman became a national sensation when UFOlogist John Keel published his investigative book “The Mothman Prophecies.” He argued that the Mothman was a supernatural creature with connections to the Silver Bridge, which collapsed in December of 1967, killing forty-six people. Keel’s famous book was turned into a movie in 2002 starring Richard Gere as a journalist who becomes entangled in the mystery. The enjoyment of this one hinges entirely on how much stock you put into the Mothman legend.

Starring Jodie Foster and John Lithgow, “Mesmerized” is loosely based on the mystery of the Pimlico poisoning. Named after the London district in which it occurred, this event concerns the bizarre death of Edwin Bartlett. Bartlett had been found dead with chloroform in his stomach. However, no one could figure out how it got there, as his throat and larynx were free of burns. Bartlett’s wife Adelaide was arrested and charged with the death. However, a significant lack of evidence resulted in her acquittal. No one knew how the chloroform got into Edwin’s stomach, with some arguing that Edwin gulped it down quickly to end his own life. Adelaide Bartlett later disappeared from public record, taking any potential answers with her.

The people of Texarkana were not enjoying ice cream and sunsets during the summer of 1946. Instead, they were locking themselves inside their homes and watching the police patrol their neighborhoods. It was the town that dreaded sundown, and that’s because the Phantom Killer was on the loose. The evasive culprit had killed five and attacked eight throughout the preceding spring, with all of the crimes occurring on weekend nights. The killer was never caught or identified, although many experts believe it was career criminal Youell Swinney. The story greatly inspired the cult slasher, which was filmed in the real area and employed the locals as extras. To mirror reality, the killer’s face is never seen.

Like “The Mothman Prophecies,” “Willow Creek” wants you to believe in a mythological creature. Perhaps the most legendary object of modern American folklore, Bigfoot has generated endless discussion throughout the years. The cryptid’s popularity skyrocketed in the late ‘60s with the Patterson–Gimlin film, which purports to show Bigfoot sauntering around the woods of northern California. The short film serves as a microcosm of the Bigfoot debate, with some screaming hoax while others insist on its authenticity. The Patterson–Gimlin film is directly referenced in the found footage film “Willow Creek,” which sees a couple traveling into the forest to film their own Bigfoot video. It’s an undertaking that many have done, hoping to catch a glimpse of America’s greatest legend.

A cult favorite, “The Entity” is about a single mother named Carla Moran who is sexually assaulted and terrorized by a poltergeist. Moran is directly based on Doris Bither, a woman who reportedly experienced paranormal events in the mid ‘70s. Bither contacted parapsychologist Barry Taff and relayed that she had been assaulted and stalked by a malicious entity. Taff didn’t believe the assault claims but nevertheless agreed to investigate Bither’s house. He and assistant Kerry Gaynor reportedly experienced significant poltergeist activity, and Taff labeled it an official haunting. Others are more skeptical, arguing that Taff was a poor investigator who misinterpreted harmless events as paranormal evidence.

Directed by Brian De Palma and starring an A-list cast, “The Black Dahlia” is based on James Ellroy’s semi-fictional novel of the same name. The story is based on the famous case of the Black Dahlia. Real name Elizabeth Short, the Dahlia was infamously killed in 1947, and her death remains one of the most tantalizing unsolved mysteries in modern history. Ellroy’s novel blends fiction with fact, basing much of the story in reality while making up various fictitious elements. One of Ellroy’s inventions is a character named Ramona, who is eventually revealed to be the killer. De Palma carried this over into his film, with Fiona Shaw playing the murderer. In real life, no one has the faintest idea as to who killed Elizabeth Short.

The very name of Jack the Ripper is synonymous with unsolved crimes. Back in 1888, an unknown person terrorized the seedy London district of Whitechapel, killing at least five sex workers. This instantly became the biggest true crime story of its age thanks to the ferocious nature of the killings and the media sensation that it inspired. It has become legend by remaining unsolved. The movie takes its name from the famous “From Hell” letter, which was a piece of correspondence allegedly written by the killer. Included with the letter was half a human kidney. The case has inspired numerous films, including this horror thriller starring Johnny Depp as detective Frederick Abberline.

One of the biggest questions that has plagued America since the mid ‘70s is, “What the heck happened to Jimmy Hoffa?” Hoffa was a prominent labor union leader who got involved with organized crime and disappeared in the summer of 1975. His body has never been found. In 2004, an investigator named Charles Brandt published the nonfiction book “I Heard You Paint Houses,” which is about labor union official Frank Sheeran. Sheeran claims to have killed Hoffa on orders of the Bufalino crime family, and this event is played as gospel in Martin Scorsese’s film adaptation. It’s important to note that nothing has been confirmed, and many people doubt the authenticity of Sheeran’s claim. To this day, Hoffa’s disappearance remains a mystery.

This is a different kind of true crime film. Rather than focusing on the killings, the movie devotes two and a half hours to the investigative process. This makes it all the more frustrating, because as we know, the Zodiac Killer was never caught. One of America’s most notorious serial killers, the Zodiac took at least five lives in California and taunted both the police and media with boastful letters. They suddenly ceased communication with the media in 1974 following one last letter, and the trail went freezing cold. A team calling themselves the Case Breakers claimed to have solved the case in October of 2021, but experts quickly cast doubt on their claim. The case was not in fact broken and officially remains open.