Ever wondered how filmmakers come about chilling horror movie concepts? Well, most horror movies have been inspired by age-long unexplainable events and folklores. Most of the well-known horror classics like The Exorcist, the haunting in Connecticut and many more are said to have been inspired by true events, although there are no proven facts to back them up.
For many decades, movie producers and book publishers have perfected the art of making their works more horrifying just by adding the words, “inspired by true events”. Some of these movies are made up of stories that people have come to believe over time. Other horror content creators draw inspiration from age-long tales but one common feature they all have is that they are terrifying in their way. You might just want to know the stories behind some of the classic horror movies, so let’s dive into a few;
The exorcist.
A 1970’s classic that was inspired by an exorcism that took place on a young boy in Maryland. It was reported in the papers that the boy screamed and cursed violently in a language he never knew before which was Latin. This story inspired the production of the 1971 novel and 1973 movie, both titled “The Exorcist”. A publication made in 1999 through an investigation revealed that the boy most likely had psychological issues and the Latin he spoke was the mimicry of the priest’s words. Even with these findings, some didn’t care about what happened that day.
The Amityville horror.
The story behind this movie stems from a homicide that occurred in Amityville, New York. Not long after this event, the family that purchased the house, the Lutz, reported experiencing paranormal activities like sighting red-eyed creatures and their family members levitating during their sleep. Their claims inspired the 1979 classic titled “The Amityville Horror”. These claims were later debunked by an eyewitness who said everything was made up.
The haunting in Connecticut.
Most times, the phrase “based on a true story” is enough to convince people about the non-fictional origin of movies. This can be said about the 2009 classic, “the haunting in Connecticut”. This story was inspired by a documentary made by famous ghost hunters, the Warrens. They reported the experiences of the Snedeker family who claimed that they were raped by demons in their rented apartment in Connecticut.
The serpent and the rainbow.
Have you ever imagined a horror classic with an Indiana Jones concept? This is what you will find in the 1988 classic titled “the serpent and the rainbow”. The story was adapted from a 1985 publication of a Harvard scientist who claimed to have discovered the secret of Haitian societies to bring back people from the dead as zombies. Even though his claims were debunked by a scientist, his story became a source of the horror classic.
Nosferatu.
This comes in as one of the oldest horror classics and tells the story of the popularly acclaimed vampire, Count Dracula. The story was adapted from the stories about a 15th-century ruler of Wallachia Romania named, Vlad Dracula. The name Dracula means “devil” in the Wallachian language. Even though few changes were made in the movie, the core still centered on Dracula and his exploits as a monster.
Other notable mentions are; the conjuring, Annabelle comes home and the nun. These movies are the 21st-century releases based on the claims of famous ghost hunters Ed and Lorraine Warren. Believing in these stories depends on how well the movie producers can convince their audience using the phrase “based on a true story”.
