Are you into horror films? Like, REALLY into horror films? We call bullshit. No one is more into horror than our mainline to the under-verse, Haley. She breaks down your favorite scary flicks better than you knew possible. Her keen eye catches the scene within the scene and gives her the skills to critique films so you lucky High Fivers can glean a deeper knowledge of the psychology that is unique to the horror genre. Welcome, to the Gates of Haley.
Based on a True Horror…
It’s honestly insane that pretty much every idea for monsters, criminals, and murders in cinema can be traced to an actual event or something that happened that happened in history. For example, the idea of zombies can be followed all the way back to 18th century Haiti, where voodoo and the fear of the afterlife played a huge role in the development of what we know today as zombies. But what about the actual stories themselves? Which ones are based/inspired by crazy shit from history that we didn’t even know about?
The Amityville Horror
From a mass murder to unexplainable encounters with the paranormal, the Amityville house is 100% real and has been dubbed “America’s Most Haunted House”, deservingly. On November 13, 1974 Ronald J. DeFeo Jr. took a rifle and murdered his entire family in their sleep. Not even a year and a half later, the family who bought the house after the murders moved out, claiming to be experiencing extreme and malicious paranormal activity. The Lutz family even called for the help of Ed and Lorraine Warren (sound familiar? Yes, these are the same people who are focused on in the Conjuring, and they are very real people). This chain of events has been the inspiration for handfuls of books and movies.
The Conjuring and The Conjuring II
Like I mentioned above, both the mediums Ed and Lorraine Warren, as well as the stories that the movie follows, are totally real and you can find both accounts as well as pictures and audio from the real events online. Lorraine even worked closely with filmmakers in the production of The Conjuring, which follows a family being haunted by a witch that had placed a curse many years before. The Conjuring II is based on the story of The Enfield Poltergeist, a malicious spirit that had possessed a young girl in the family. Unlike the movie, however, the Warrens were way less involved than portrayed and even showed up to the house without an invite from the owners.
The Town That Dreaded Sundown
Yep, Texarkana is a real place, and the people who lived there in 1946 really did dread sundown. Known as “The Moonlight Murders”, between February and May 1946, eight people were attacked and five were murdered, sending the small town of Texarkana into a complete panic. Over time, however, the killings stopped and the murderer still hasn’t been caught ‘til this day.
The Girl Next Door
In Indianapolis, Indiana 1965, this abuse was really happening to a real-life person, young Sylvia Likens. Sylvia endured three long months of torture and abuse at the hands of a deranged family. Her abuser even charged neighborhood kids to witness Sylvia and her sister be beaten and tortured and eventually she died from shock and malnutrition. The actual story and trial can be found online, but seriously, it’s sick.
The Sacrament
The cult in The Sacrament is based on the events that happened in Guyana 1978. After fearing his devoted followers would turn away from him, crooked cult leader Jim Jones ultimately led himself and all his followers to proceed in a mass suicide, which killed hundreds of adults, children, and even pets alike. If you’re into something dark and chilling, the entire audio from the massacre is easily accessible online. It is absolutely bone-chilling.
Crazy right? Everything from crazy cult leaders to demonic possessions that seem impossible. Seriously, knowing that these movies have a very dark and very real past makes them ten times more disturbing to watch. Next time you gather around the big screen with friends, I guarantee you’ll be making a background check on every movie you watch. You might be shocked at what you find… *insert evil laughter here*.
About the Author (of Your Doom)
