The “based on real events” label has appeared on horror movie posters for more than half a century, but the truth behind it varies a lot: sometimes it is a case from the archives, sometimes just a detail that the director developed into a whole plot. We chose 12 horror films whose connection to reality is directly described on Wikipedia pages, and next to each one we briefly explain what happened in real life. The films run from older to newer. No spoilers: we describe only the setup, and we mention real tragedies with restraint, without details. The data was checked against Wikipedia on October 19, 2026.
Psycho
Official trailer · “Psycho” (1960)Psycho is a black-and-white thriller: an office worker who has run off with someone else’s money stops at a motel run by the shy Norman Bates. The film received four Oscar nominations, including one for directing. In real life: the film is based on Robert Bloch’s 1959 novel, and according to Wikipedia the novel was loosely inspired by the case of the Wisconsin murderer Ed Gein. Why watch: one of Alfred Hitchcock’s best-known works.
The Exorcist
Official trailer · “The Exorcist” (1973)A girl who is believed to be possessed by a dark force, and two Catholic priests who try to save her through the rite of exorcism: that is the setup of The Exorcist, based on William Peter Blatty’s 1971 novel. It was released in US theaters on December 26, 1973, and, according to Wikipedia, audiences waited in long lines to get in. In real life: some elements of the novel were inspired by an exorcism performed in 1949 by the Jesuit priest William Bowdern. Why watch: it is one of the best-known exorcism films, starring Ellen Burstyn, Max von Sydow and Linda Blair.
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre
Official trailer · “The Texas Chain Saw Massacre” (1974)The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is an independent horror film about a group of friends who drive to an old family homestead and fall into the hands of a family of cannibals. Tobe Hooper made it for less than $140,000, and the film was banned in several countries. In real life: the film was marketed as based on true events, but according to Wikipedia only the main villain and minor details were inspired by the crimes of Ed Gein, while the plot is largely fictional. Why watch: to see how the “based on real events” tagline was used to draw audiences.
The Amityville Horror
Official trailer · “The Amityville Horror” (1979)In The Amityville Horror, a young couple, George and Kathy Lutz, buy a house in which hostile supernatural forces seem to be at work. The film premiered on July 24, 1979, at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, and went into wide release three days later. In real life: the film is based on Jay Anson’s 1977 book about the paranormal events the Lutz family claimed to experience in a house in Amityville, where Ronald DeFeo Jr. killed his family in 1974; Wikipedia calls these experiences “alleged,” so this is the family’s account, not an established fact. Why watch: it is the first film in a long series about Amityville.
A Nightmare on Elm Street
Official trailer · “A Nightmare on Elm Street” (1984)In A Nightmare on Elm Street, teenagers are stalked by Freddy Krueger, who kills people in their sleep. It is Johnny Depp’s film debut, and the movie itself was one of the first films from New Line Cinema, made for about $1.1 million. In real life: according to Wikipedia, Wes Craven loosely drew on 1970s newspaper stories about Hmong refugees who, after fleeing to the US, suffered from nightmares and were afraid to sleep, and some of whom died in their sleep. Why watch: here a real-life mystery became the basis of a story about the line between dreams and reality.
The Mothman Prophecies
Official trailer · “The Mothman Prophecies” (2002)The journalist John Klein unexpectedly ends up in the town of Point Pleasant, West Virginia, where people talk about a large winged creature: that is how The Mothman Prophecies begins. Richard Gere and Laura Linney star. In real life: the film is based on John Keel’s 1975 book and claims to draw on real events that took place in Point Pleasant from November 1966 to December 1967, as described by the author. Why watch: a mystical story about a real place and the legend that grew up around it.
The Exorcism of Emily Rose
In The Exorcism of Emily Rose, an agnostic lawyer (Laura Linney) defends a priest who is accused of negligent homicide after an exorcism. The film combines horror with a courtroom drama and leaves room for two explanations: a medical one and a supernatural one. It won a Saturn Award for Best Horror Film. In real life: the story is loosely inspired by the case of Anneliese Michel, a German woman who died in 1976 after exorcism rites; the priest and her parents were convicted of negligent homicide at the time. Why watch: horror and a courtroom drama in one film.
The Strangers
Official trailer · “The Strangers” (2008)The Strangers is a chamber horror film: a couple is staying at a vacation home, and at night three people in masks break in. Liv Tyler and Scott Speedman star, and the film was shot in rural South Carolina. In real life: according to Wikipedia, the screenplay was inspired by two real events: the murders committed by Manson’s “family” (the Tate case) and a series of break-ins in the neighborhood where the director lived as a child. Why watch: a story about one night in one house.
The Haunting in Connecticut
Official trailer · “The Haunting in Connecticut” (2009)In The Haunting in Connecticut, a family moves into a former funeral home with a dark history to make the trip to the hospital easier for their son, who has cancer. It is Peter Cornwell’s feature film debut, and the world premiere took place at the SXSW festival in 2009. In real life: the film is based on the account of Carmen Snedeker and her family about events in a former funeral home in Southington, Connecticut, in the late 1980s; Ray Garton wrote them down in a 1992 book but later publicly distanced himself from the accuracy of what he described. Why watch: a story about a family in a house with a past, starring Virginia Madsen.
The Rite
Official trailer · “The Rite” (2011)The Rite is about the seminarian Michael Kovak, who doubts his faith and goes to Rome to take an exorcism course. Anthony Hopkins and Colin O’Donoghue star, and the film was shot in Rome and Budapest. In real life: the film is loosely based on Matt Baglio’s book “The Rite: The Making of a Modern Exorcist,” which tells of real events: the American priest Gary Thomas trained to serve as an exorcist in Rome. Why watch: to see how a book about a real novice exorcist was turned into a feature film.
The Conjuring
Official trailer · “The Conjuring” (2013)In The Conjuring, the paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren help the Perron family, who settled in a farmhouse in Rhode Island in 1971 and face increasingly disturbing events. Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga star. In real life: the film draws on stories the Warrens told, and Wikipedia calls their reports “purportedly” real. Why watch: it is the first film of the Conjuring Universe, and for the viewing order of the whole series, read our guide to watching The Conjuring films in order.
Verónica
Official trailer · “Verónica” (2017)Verónica is a Spanish horror film. Madrid, 1991: fifteen-year-old Verónica, who looks after her younger siblings, holds a Ouija board séance with her friends in the school basement on the day of a solar eclipse, and from then on strange things happen around her. In real life: the film is loosely based on a 1991 case in Madrid’s Vallecas district, where a young woman died under mysterious circumstances after such a session; the director noted that he did not feel obliged to recreate the real events exactly. Why watch: the only film in the selection in Spanish.
How we chose
We took only films whose connection to reality is directly described on Wikipedia pages, and we pass that connection on as it is stated there. That is why in some cases we write “case,” in others “allegedly” or “loosely inspired.” There are no ratings, box-office figures or “scariest” comparisons here: everyone’s fear is different.
Looking for something for the holiday? See our selection of 20 horror films for Halloween, and for those who do not like being scared, there are 12 gentle horror films.
What to choose by mood
| What you want | What to pick |
|---|---|
| Old classics | Psycho, The Exorcist, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre |
| Houses with a past | The Amityville Horror, The Haunting in Connecticut, The Conjuring |
| Possession and exorcism | The Exorcist, The Exorcism of Emily Rose, The Rite, Verónica |
| Night break-ins and killers | A Nightmare on Elm Street, The Strangers, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre |
| Mystery and legends | The Mothman Prophecies |
| Not in English | Verónica |
Tip. A real-life basis does not turn a film into a “document”: Wikipedia discusses facts and speculation separately, so after watching it is worth reading the film’s page, where this is described.
Frequently asked questions
Do these films accurately reproduce real events?
No. Wikipedia distinguishes between cases: in The Texas Chain Saw Massacre and A Nightmare on Elm Street, reality only inspired some details; Psycho is based on a novel loosely inspired by a case; and The Amityville Horror and The Haunting in Connecticut rely on what the families “allegedly” experienced.
Where to start if you are interested in the series about the Warrens?
With The Conjuring from 2013. All the films in the series, in release order and in story chronology, are described in our guide.
Does the selection include films not in English?
Yes, Verónica was shot in Spanish (2017). The rest of the films are in English.
Are there spoilers here?
No. We describe only the initial situation and what Wikipedia says about the real-life basis of the film.
Sources
- The Conjuring (Wikipedia)
- The Exorcist (Wikipedia)
- The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (Wikipedia)
- The Amityville Horror (1979 film) (Wikipedia)
- A Nightmare on Elm Street (Wikipedia)
Data was checked against Wikipedia on October 19, 2026.
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