For many, horror is a genre that can be beaten by no other. The thrill, the adrenaline rush that individuals feel through horror movies cannot be matched with any other. After all, you know that it was a brilliantly horrifying movie when you can’t stop looking behind your shoulder every 2 seconds or are afraid to make a trip to the bathroom in the middle of the night — the spooks facilitate giving you just the right amount of jitters. We have heard of an unlimited number of horror movies that have been inspired by real-life events, such as Annabel, The Exorcism of Emily Rose, etc. However, how many times does it happen that we hear of horrifying crimes inspired by movies? Following are the 15 horror movies that eerily came true and shocked people to their core:
15. The Possession (2012)
The Possession narrates the story of a haunted dybbuk box. Similar to The Exorcist and The Omen, strange occurrences took place during the shooting of the movie. Despite no electrical issues, lights would constantly go on and off, and a strange sort of chill would set without any apparent source.
To top it all off, the storeroom which housed all of the props caught fire and destroyed the decoy dybbuk box. The owner of the real box agreed to bring it over for the movie, however, the cast and crew collectively declined due to the spooks.
In hindsight, it can be said that it is indeed horrifying when fact and fiction overlap with each other. After all, fiction is enjoyed solely because it is fiction, however, when it starts to transcend into reality, that’s when you can’t help but look over your shoulder every 2 seconds, expecting a creature from your nightmares to start crawling up.
14. The Omen (1976)
What is more horrifying than a horror movie? A horror reality. Similar to what the majority of the people believed to be happening on the set of The Exorcist, it was said that the set of The Omen was haunted by satanic supernatural beings as well. The dog handlers were injured, the dogs themselves were spooked by an unknown presence, and a cast member was killed in a car crash.
What was eerie about the crash was that he was decapitated in a similar way as a character in the movie. Moreover, the brother of the actor who played the priest in the movie drew out consecutive 6’s in a card game shortly before he died.
13. The Purge (2013)
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The Purge is a shocking movie in which the plot revolves around a concept: all crime is legalized for 12 hours. Sometime after the movie’s release, a 19-year-old, Jonathan Cruz terrorized the town for four days before the police were able to catch him.
During these four days, he fatally shot three men and even attempted robbery. He was then given three consecutive life sentences.
12. London After Midnight (1927)
A 1920s silent-era horror movie, London After Midnight focused on a character who compelled others to commit crimes like murders through hypnosis.
In 1928, Robert Williams went on to propose to a beautiful woman by the name of Julia Mangan. After she declined his proposal, he admitted to seeing a vision of the character from London After Midnight which, in his rage, motivated him to take out a razor blade and fatally wound Julia Mangan with it.
11. The Birds (1963)
The Birds centers around a town where birds have started to dive and attack people. A decade after the release of its book and shortly before the release of the movie, the birds, including seagulls, had started to dive and attack people in California.
For a long while, the incident was left unexplained and was chilling to the bone. However, sometime later, scientists concluded that toxic algae had entered the food of the birds and had gone on to mess with their brain chemicals, causing them to attack people.
10. The Exorcist (1973)
A film that still can shock and horrify us to our very core is none other than The Exorcist. The movie is quite frightening, but all that, as we are well aware, is “movie magic”. However, as it turns out, the set of the movie and all that took place after was not peaceful at all.
People believed that some larger forces were at work as many unexplainable incidents would occur. In post-production, two actors who died in the movie passed away in real life as well. Moreover, during its premiere in Rome, a historical, 16th-century church also collapsed to the ground after being struck by lightning.
9. Queen Of The Damned (2002)
It is advised to keep check of people who go on to watch the same a hundred times back to back. In 2002, Allan Menzies did just that. After watching Queen Of The Damned over a hundred times, Menzies went on to stab his childhood best friend and beat him up with a hammer.
Before burying the body, he even drank his blood and ate some of his flesh. According to Menzies, the female vampire in the movie, Akasha, visited him and told him to do it if he wished to be granted eternal life as a vampire.
8. Poltergeist (1982)
One of 1982’s most iconic horror movies of all time is none other than Poltergeist, which tells the story of a family haunted by spirits. While the events that followed after its release weren’t exactly inspired by the movie itself, they were damn creepy and scary coincidences.
In a scene, there is a Super Bowl poster above a child’s bed, which reads, “1988 Super Bowl XXII” — a poster of XXII Super Bowl 6 years before it even happened. What’s more creepy is that the actress who plays the little girl in the movie fell ill soon after and died at the age of 12 on the 31st of January 1988 — the same date as Super Bowl XXII.
7. Interview With The Vampire (1994)
All of us at one point have somewhat believed in the mystical creatures known as Vampires: A childlike wish inspired through the time’s pop culture. After the release of the movie, Interview With The Vampire, many people were obsessed — partly due to its fantasy and party due to the beauty of Brad Pitt.
In 1994, Daniel Sterling watched the movie with his long-term girlfriend. Later, in the middle of the night, she woke up to him staring at her and telling her how he would kill and drink her blood. The next day, inspired by the movie and his belief in vampires, Sterling stabbed his girlfriend 7 times and proceeded to fulfill his promise.
6. Rosemary’s Baby (1968)
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The insanely horrifying movie, Rosemary’s Baby went on to show us exactly how gruesome black magic can be. It is a timeless classic movie in the horror genre, released in 1968. In 1969, the director of the movie was working in London while his very pregnant wife, Sharon Tate was at their home in America.
Sometime later, Tate with her unborn child, and a few more people were killed viciously in their home. For quite a while the reason behind their deaths remained to be a mystery. However, eventually, it was discovered that the cult leader, Charles Manson was behind the murders.
5. Nightmare On Elm Street (1984)
Let’s face it, after watching the movie, all of us at one point were afraid to sleep in case the infamous Freddy Krueger decided to visit us in our dreams.
While the majority of the people hated the very existence of the fictional scarred man, a paranoid schizophrenic patient, Daniel Gonzalez made him his role model as he aspired to become a famous serial killer as well. Thus, in 2004, he went on to murder four people and injured 2 others. Later, he wrote letters to himself explaining in detail how much he enjoyed committing the murders.
4. Child’s Play (1988)
The sole franchise responsible for instilling a great fear of dolls in us is none other than Child’s Play. Maybe the sole idea that an object meant to be played with by children could bring such gruesome destruction is unsettling, however, Child’s Play is extremely famous in all corners of the world.
In 1996, it even inspired a great deal of crime from an Australian serial killer, Martin Bryant who went on a shooting spree that killed 35 people and injured 23. With an IQ level of just 66, his psychiatrists deduced that Child’s Play had served as a motivation for his crimes.
3. Saw (2004)
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The gruesome and bone-chilling franchise of Saw is made up of seven movies. In each of the movies, the primary killer, Jigsaw, gives the victims torturous and sadistic challenges. Moreover, he also sets up cameras to record their murders.
Limited to the TV screen, the crimes displayed in Saw were more or less okay. However, in 2009, two teenagers just 14 and 15 years of age were charged with three counts of conspiracy after one teenager’s mother had overheard them planning detailed kidnappings, torture, and murders of people they believed were harming others. Their list of probable victims even included a police officer and two young girls.
2. The Conjuring (2013)
Released in 2013, The Conjuring quickly gained worldwide fame for its chilling supernatural horror. What made it even more horrifying was that the movie was inspired by the real-life events that took place at the family home of the Perron family during the 1970s. However, the horror did not stop there and it continued till the present day.
During the shooting, the real Perron family would visit the set several times (all except the mother Carolyn), and once, during the visit, strong winds began to blow and surround them. What was chilling was the fact that the nearby trees weren’t moved by the winds at all. Moreover, the director’s dog once kept barking at something in the air, and Carolyn, in her home, felt an evil presence shortly before falling.
1. Scream (1996)
After being released in 1996, Scream quickly gained its rightful fame and became a classic in the process — a film now highly regarded in the slasher genre. Scream’s primary attraction, according to critics, results from its brilliant capability of using a few satirical takes on clichés, bringing forward a new, refreshing, and highly original masterpiece to the world of horror. However, the film also brought forward eye-opening, shocking, and gruesome crimes.
In 1998, two cousins, 16-year-old Mario Padilla, and a 14-year-old, Ramirez, purchased two Ghostface costumes and a voice changer. Later, inspired by the movie, Ramirez held down Padilla’s mother while Padilla himself stabbed her 45 times.
Did we miss any of the horror movies that eerily came true? Feel free to share your views in the comments below!
