Connect with us

News

Terrifying Films You Might Not Know Are Based On Real Events

Published

on

One of the things that draws many people to horror movies is that they’re not real; they’re just stories to give us a fleeting scare… but sometimes the scare isn’t so fleeting.

Occasionally, a horror movie will leave us uneasy or even frightened for quite a while after we’ve watched it. Now imagine that the film that left you so uneasy or scared is based on real life events. It’s terrifying to discover that a supposedly fictional tale is not fiction at all…

The following terrifying films are based on actual events, so don’t expect a simple passing scare!

Ravenous (1999)

Most of us react with horror at the thought of snacking on people, and the film Ravenous uses this to great effect. The movie is set in California in the 1840s during the Mexican-American War and follows the story of Second Lieutenant Boyd as he tries to survive. In a desperate attempt to avoid starving to death, Boyd eats a dead soldier, and that’s where his troubles really begin!

Ravenous is loosely based on the true story of the Donner Party and that of Alfred Packer. The Donner Party was an ill-fated group of America pioneers who tried to get to California but got stuck in the Sierra Nevada mountains during one of the worst winters on record. Some of the party cannibalized their fellow pioneers to survive. Similarly, Alfred Packer was an American prospector who killed and ate five men to survive a harsh winter in Colorado. Ravenous is definitely worth watching, but be sure to pick up a few vegetarian meals first!

The Haunting in Connecticut (2009)

We’ve all heard the story about a family who moves into a new house, only to be tormented by ghosts with major anger management problems. This is essentially what The Haunting in Connecticut is all about. In this film, the Campbell family decide to move into a house that’s closer to the hospital where their son Matthew is being treated for cancer.

After the family moves into a new house, Matthew chooses the basement as his bedroom. It’s not long before he starts having frightening visions of corpses and an old man, and he soon discovers a strange door in his new bedroom. The family decides to investigate the house’s history and are horrified to learn that it used to be a funeral home and the door in Matthew’s bedroom leads into the mortuary. And sadly for the Campbell family, things only go downhill from there. What makes this movie stand out from most haunted house movies is the fact that it’s based on a true story.

In the 1980s, the Snedeker family rented a house close to the hospital that was treating their son Philip for cancer. Philip really did sleep in the basement and experienced disturbing visions there. The Snedekers eventually discovered that the house had been a funeral home for decades and that Philip was sleeping in the coffin display room next to the mortuary. The Haunting in Connecticut is exceptionally creepy, and its true-to-life origins only serve to make it creepier.

Chatroom (2010)

Social media has become an essential part of life for many people, making it easy to keep in contact with family and friends. Unfortunately, social media has also opened up many new opportunities for crazy people to exploit. In Chatroom, five teenagers meet in a chatroom created by William Collins, a depressed teen who has recently tried to commit suicide. Initially, the teens chat about their daily lives, but Collins gets increasingly threatening and develops an unhealthy obsession with suicide. He even starts to watch people commit suicide online. That soon gets old though, and he starts looking for new thrills. He decides to convince one of the other teens, Jim, to commit suicide.

Horrifyingly, Collins’ story actually echoes that of William Melchert-Dinkel, who spent his free time posing as a depressed young woman online and trying to convince other depressed people to kill themselves. Tragically, Melchert-Dinkel managed to convince two people to commit suicide. It’s quite clear that there really are dangerous people lurking online. When interacting with strangers online, you should invest in a few security measures, such as anti-virus software and even a good VPN to protect your identity.

 Annabelle (2014)

In the supernatural horror movie Annabelle, John Form gives his pregnant wife, Mia, a doll as a gift. One night, Mia hears her neighbor being brutally murdered. While she’s calling the police, a man and young woman come from her neighbor’s house and attack her. The police arrive in time to shoot the man before he can hurt Mia, and the woman, Annabelle, slits her wrists. A drop of her blood falls on the doll, and she dies holding the doll. When the horrible ordeal is over, Mia asks John to throw the doll away, which he does. But the possessed doll comes back and terrorizes Mia and later her new baby, Leah. While the Form’s are fictional, the vengeful doll, Annabelle, is not. She’s based on a real Raggedy Ann doll.

According to demonologists Ed and Lorraine Warren, the doll was given to a nursing student, Donna, by her mother. But as soon as Donna took the doll home, strange things started to happen. Donna came to believe that the doll was possessed by the spirit of a child called Annabelle Higgins. The Warrens disagreed and claimed the doll was actually possessed by a demon pretending to be the spirit of Annabelle Higgins. As if a doll possessed by a dead child isn’t bad enough! The doll is currently kept at the Warrens’ Occult Museum in a special demon-proof box.

 The Possession (2012)

In The Possession, Clyde Brenek and his daughters Emily “Em” and Hannah visit a yard sale where Clyde buys an old wooden box engraved with Hebrew letters for Em. Later, they discover that they can’t open the box. That night, Em hears whispering from the box, and she manages to open it. She finds a dead moth, a tooth, a wooden figurine and a ring which she decides to wear. After this, Em becomes increasingly introverted and angry, eventually attacking a classmate.

The Possession was inspired by a real wooden wine cabinet called the dybbuk box, which is said to be haunted by a malicious spirit called a dybbuk. Kevin Mannis first brought people’s attention to the box when he auctioned it on eBay. Mannis claims he bought the box at the estate sale of Havela, a Holocaust survivor. Havela’s granddaughter insisted that he take the box as she didn’t want it because it was haunted by a dybbuk. When he opened the box, Mannis found two 1920s pennies, a small golden goblet, a candle holder, a dried rosebud, a lock of blonde hair, a lock of dark hair and a small statue.

Many people who’ve owned the box claim to have had horrific nightmares about an old hag. The current owner of the box, Jason Haxton, says he developed strange health issues after buying the box and has subsequently resealed it and hidden it in a secret location. The moral of the story: don’t buy boxes that are named after the angry spirits said to possess them!

 Have you watched any terrifying movies and discovered that they’re based on actual events? Tell us about them in the comments!

'Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire' Popcorn Bucket

Click to comment

You must be logged in to post a comment Login

Leave a Reply

News

‘Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey 3’ Is a Go with Enhanced Budget and New Characters

Published

on

Winnie the Pooh 3

Wow, they’re churning things out fast! The upcoming sequel “Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey 3” is officially moving forward, promising an expanded narrative with a larger budget and the introduction of beloved characters from A.A. Milne’s original tales. As confirmed by Variety, the third installment in the horror franchise will welcome Rabbit, the heffalumps, and the woozles into its dark and twisted narrative.

This sequel is a part of an ambitious cinematic universe that reimagines children’s stories as horror tales. Alongside “Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey” and its first sequel, the universe includes films such as “Peter Pan’s Neverland Nightmare”, “Bambi: The Reckoning,” and “Pinocchio Unstrung”. These movies are set to converge in the crossover event “Poohniverse: Monsters Assemble,” slated for a 2025 release.

Winnie the Pooh Poohniverse

The creation of these films was made possible when A.A. Milne’s 1926 children’s book “Winnie-the-Pooh” entered the public domain last year, allowing filmmakers to explore these cherished characters in unprecedented ways. Director Rhys Frake-Waterfield and producer Scott Jeffrey Chambers, of Jagged Edge Productions, have led the charge in this innovative endeavor.

The inclusion of Rabbit, heffalumps, and woozles in the upcoming sequel introduces a new layer to the franchise. In Milne’s original stories, heffalumps are imagined creatures resembling elephants, while woozles are known for their weasel-like characteristics and a penchant for stealing honey. Their roles in the narrative remain to be seen, but their addition promises to enrich the horror universe with deeper connections to the source material.

'Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire' Popcorn Bucket

Continue Reading

News

How to Watch ‘Late Night with the Devil’ from Home: Dates and Platforms

Published

on

Late Night With The Devil

For fans eager to dive into one of this year’s most talked-about horror films from the comfort of their own home, “Late Night with the Devil” will be available for streaming exclusively on Shudder starting April 19, 2024. This announcement has been highly anticipated following the film’s successful theatrical release by IFC Films, which saw it earning rave reviews and a record-breaking opening weekend for the distributor.

“Late Night with the Devil” emerges as a standout horror film, captivating audiences and critics alike, with Stephen King himself offering high praise for the 1977-set film. Starring David Dastmalchian, the movie unfolds on Halloween night during a live late-night talk show broadcast that disastrously unleashes evil across the nation. This found footage-style film not only delivers scares but also authentically captures the aesthetic of the 1970s, drawing viewers into its nightmarish scenario.

David Dastmalchian in Late Night with the Devil

The film’s initial box office success, opening to $2.8 million in 1,034 theaters, underscores its wide appeal and marks the highest opening weekend for an IFC Films release. Critically acclaimed, “Late Night with the Devil” boasts a 96% positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes from 135 reviews, with the consensus praising it for rejuvenating the possession horror genre and showcasing David Dastmalchian’s exceptional performance.

Rotten Tomatoes score as of 3/28/2024

Simon Rother of iHorror.com encapsulates the film’s allure, emphasizing its immersive quality that transports viewers back to the 1970s, making them feel as if they are part of the eerie “Night Owls” Halloween broadcast. Rother lauds the film for its meticulously crafted script and the emotional and shocking journey it takes viewers on, stating, “This whole experience will have viewers of the Cairnes brothers’ film glued to their screen… The script, from beginning to end, is neatly sewn together with an ending that’ll have jaws on the floor.” You can read the full review here.

Rother further encourages audiences to watch the film, highlighting its multifaceted appeal: “Whenever it is made available to you, you must attempt to view the Cairnes Brothers’ latest project as it will make you laugh, it will creep you out, it will amaze you, and it might even strike an emotional cord.”

Set to stream on Shudder on April 19, 2024, “Late Night with the Devil” offers a compelling blend of horror, history, and heart. This film is not just a must-watch for horror aficionados but for anyone looking to be thoroughly entertained and moved by a cinematic experience that redefines the boundaries of its genre.

'Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire' Popcorn Bucket

Continue Reading

News

‘Strange Darling’ Featuring Kyle Gallner and Willa Fitzgerald Lands Nationwide Release [Watch Clip]

Published

on

Strange Darling Kyle Gallner

‘Strange Darling,’ a standout film featuring Kyle Gallner, who is nominated for an iHorror award for his performance in ‘The Passenger,’ and Willa Fitzgerald, has been acquired for a wide theatrical release in the United States by Magenta Light Studios, a new enterprise from veteran producer Bob Yari. This announcement, brought to us by Variety, follows the film’s successful premiere at Fantastic Fest in 2023, where it was universally praised for its creative storytelling and compelling performances, achieving a perfect score of 100% Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes from 14 reviews.

Strange Darling – Movie Clip

Directed by JT Mollner, ‘Strange Darling‘ is a thrilling narrative of a spontaneous hookup that takes an unexpected and terrifying turn. The film is notable for its innovative narrative structure and the exceptional acting of its leads. Mollner, known for his 2016 Sundance entry “Outlaws and Angels,” has once again employed 35mm for this project, cementing his reputation as a filmmaker with a distinct visual and narrative style. He is currently involved in adapting Stephen King’s novel “The Long Walk” in collaboration with director Francis Lawrence.

Bob Yari expressed his enthusiasm for the film’s upcoming release, scheduled for August 23rd, highlighting the unique qualities that make ‘Strange Darling’ a significant addition to the horror genre. “We are thrilled to be bringing nationwide theatrical audiences this unique and exceptional film with terrific performances by Willa Fitzgerald and Kyle Gallner. This second feature from talented writer-director JT Mollner is destined to become a cult classic that defies conventional storytelling,” Yari told Variety.

Variety’s review of the film from Fantastic Fest lauds Mollner’s approach, saying, “Mollner shows himself to be more forward-thinking than most of his genre peers. He’s clearly a student of the game, one who studied his forebears’ lessons with adroitness to better prepare himself to put his own mark on them.” This praise underlines Mollner’s deliberate and thoughtful engagement with the genre, promising audiences a film that is both reflective and innovative.

Strange Darling

'Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire' Popcorn Bucket

Continue Reading

Embed Gif with Clickable Title