5 scariest horror movies based on real events

Horror filmmakers find different ways to get to the hearts and minds of viewers, hooking them with special effects, sound design, or clever directorial techniques. And let's be honest, they often succeed in scaring us. At the same time, we can always take comfort in the fact that it's just a movie.

However, according to the Far Out website, this statement is only partially true. In fact, there are a number of horror films based on real events. And many of them are now recognized as classics of the genre.

Here are 5 such horror films with the background stories of their creation, according to Far Out.

The Amityville Horror (Stuart Rosenberg, 1979)

The true story of The Amityville Horror, directed by Stuart Rosenberg, may seem creepy or just unpleasant, depending on whether you are a skeptic or a firm believer in otherworldly forces.

The story of a family that moves into a large house with a terrible past, and where inexplicable things start happening in the course of the plot, has a rather unusual origin.

The film is based on the book by Jay Anson, published in September 1977 and based on the Lutz family's stories about paranormal phenomena. According to the book, in 1974, Ronald DeFeo Jr. shot and killed six members of his family. A year later, the Lutz family moved into this house and left it less than a month later, claiming that they were terrorized by paranormal phenomena.

The Birds (Alfred Hitchcock, 1963)

While most horror films focus on human killers or demons, Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds takes a different approach, scaring viewers with aggressive birds that attack anyone who comes into view. The film's script was based on a story by Daphne du Maurier, which describes a real-life situation of aggressive bird behavior.

While du Maurier was influenced by the sight of a farmer being attacked by seagulls, Hitchcock himself was inspired by an incident that occurred after the story was published. In 1961, birds that had eaten poisonous algae wreaked havoc in one of the California districts and began to fly into houses en masse, terrifying the residents.

Black Christmas (Bob Clark, 1974)

Black Christmas, released the same year as The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, is considered one of the first slasher films that launched the popular genre.

Bob Clarke's film tells the story of a group of college girls who become victims of a maniac during the holidays.

A simple scenario in which a man calls from home and attacks the girls in their own home terrifies the audience. However, even more frightening is the fact that Clarke's film is based on a series of real-life murders that took place in Montreal in the 1940s. Back then, a young man killed his family in his own home, though Clarke changed the situation to a college women's club.

Dead Ringers (David Cronenberg, 1988)

The Canadian master of body horror David Cronenberg is known to audiences for such classic films as The Fly and Videodrome. However, there is one more of his works that is considered to be highly underrated.

It's the movie Dead Ringers (1988) with Jeremy Irons and Genevieve Budgold. It tells the story of twins who work in a gynecological clinic and lead double lives until their love for the same woman destroys their world.

Cronenberg's film is based on the story of Beverly and Elliot Mantle, real-life "twin gynecologists" who are addicted to sedatives. Despite the fact that the couple tried to put their lives in order, they were found dead in their apartment.

The Exorcist (William Friedkin, 1973)

The Exorcist, a supernatural horror film directed by William Friedkin in 1973, was the first horror film to receive an Academy Award nomination for Best Picture.

For decades, the film has terrified audiences with its terrifying depictions of demonic possession, which is carried by a sweet 12-year-old girl named Regan.

Regardless of whether you believe in this phenomenon, The Exorcist is based on a real-life incident that took place in 1949. In fact, there is a lot of speculation in this story, but there are also facts. Roland Doe, a 14-year-old boy, was rumored to be possessed and attacked priests who tried to exorcise the devilish essence from him.