 |
Movies to Die For
|
 |
Hungry for more real life horror? Here
are some more frighteningly factual films:
 •The
Exorcist
A cult classic since its 1973 debut, the film is based
on William Peter Blatty's fictionalized account of the true
story of a child's demonic possession in the 1940s. Replete
with levitating beds and rotating heads, The Exorcist
is guaranteed to keep you sleeping with a nightlight for
weeks.
 •
The
Serpent and the Rainbow
This 1988 film directed by Wes
Craven tells the story of a Harvard researcher sent to
Haiti in search of a drug that Voodoo
practitioners use to turn people into zombies. Wade Davis'
nonfiction book of the same title provides the factual basis
for the film.
• The
Stepfather Desire for familial perfection is taken
to homicidal levels in this 1987 film. The Stepfather
is inspired by John
List, who murdered his mother, wife, and three children
in 1971. List assumed the identity of Robert Clark and was
not apprehended until a 1989 airing of America's
Most Wanted led investigators to his Virginia home.
|
|
Fact, Fiction, or a Little of Both?
|
|
Nothing can make a horror film more
enticing than the phrase "based on a true story."
How much truth survives the filmmaking process is not nearly
as important as the potential for horrific activity in your
own backyard. Here are some spooky films that have just
enough truth to send chills up your spine!
• The
Amityville Horror — This 1979 classic tale
of a haunted house is based on the (allegedly) nonfiction
book by Jay Anson. The Lutz family moves into a house in
the Long Island community of Amityville.
Soon after they arrive, the haunting commences, and the
new owners are so frightened they leave everything behind
after less than a month. Though the actual haunting events
of the film have not been proven, the Lutz family did move
into the 112 Ocean Boulevard home in 1975. A littler over
a year earlier, 23-year-old Ronald DeFeo, Jr. murdered
his parents and four siblings in the house. DeFeo is currently
serving six life sentences in a New York prison.
• The
Mothman Prophecies — Richard Gere, Laura Linney,
and Debra Messing star in this 2002 release based on journalist
John Keel's investigation of the Mothman
phenomenon. The West Virginia legend of Mothman began in
1966 when two young married couples driving through a remote
area allegedly saw a 7-foot tall creature with wings and
huge, hypnotic eyes. Over the next year, several more sightings
of Mothman were reported, though they tapered off with the
tragic collapse of a bridge over the Ohio River. Rumor has
it that the tragedy was Mothman's final act of terror.
• Texas
Chainsaw Massacre — Teenagers out for a drive
find themselves pursued by a family of deranged cannibals
in this 1974 horror film. They are trapped in a "house
of horrors" and hunted by a chainsaw-toting character
named Leatherface. The film is loosely based on the activities
of Ed
Gein, born in 1906 in Wisconsin. Though Gein committed
only two murders, he spent many a night exhuming corpses
at the town graveyard, fashioning horrific souvenirs from
the bodies. Gein also inspired the films Psycho and
Silence of the Lambs. He was placed in a psychiatric
ward in 1957 and remained there until cancer claimed his
life in 1984.
• From
Hell — This psychological thriller starring
Johnny Depp and Heather Graham is based on the string of
gruesome 1888 murders committed by the killer nicknamed
Jack
the Ripper. His identity still remains a mystery. Links
to Masonic rituals, the Royal family, and a variety of plausible
suspects have all been up for speculation in the century
since five prostitutes were brutally murdered in the East
End of London.
Written by Christina M. Locke
Questions or comments about this story? E-mail
us!
|
|
On the Web
|
|
horrormovies.com
Horror
Movie Quiz
13thStreet.com
Upcoming Horror Movies
Horror
Film Database
|
After the Movie
|
|
 The
Art of Adaptation: Turning Fact and Fiction into Film
Think you could retell a riveting story? Adaptations of books,
short stories, plays and true stories are always in demand
in Hollywood. This book is geared toward both amateur and
professional screenwriters.
 Hidden
Files: Law Enforcement's True Case Stories of the Unexplained
and Paranormal
Sue Kovach's book offers insights into paranormal activities
like UFOs, ghosts, and other unexplained phenomena by delving
into the stories and files of various law enforcement agencies
in the U.S.
 Psycho:
The Complete Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
Alfred Hitchcock's classic film about Norman Bates and his
sinister motel is set to a sharp, chilling score composed
by Bernard Herrmann. The screeching violins of the shower
scene have already become a familiar motif in pop culture.
|
