Ward off the evil: A list of popular horror movies based on real stories, you probably weren’t aware of

Have you ever imagined, what it would be like if someday a horror movie comes to real life?

If only you wake up one morning to experience the same paranormal activities that the Warrens from The Conjuring franchise were able to investigate through.

Well, you might be astonished to know, that not all movies, especially the horror ones, are fictional and completely imaginary.

Although scripted with some amount of freedom to the roles, certain movies of the horror genre do exist, that are based on real life incidences, or are completely true.

Read on to find out what it takes for a film to be real and true, and how are these inspired by true stories-

The Conjuring, 2013

The first ever film, marking an inaugural in the Conjuring Universe, this 2013 James Wan movie shows it’s relation to the Amityville, in the opening scene, and later follows the story of Rhode Island residents, the Perrons family, who shift at their Harrisville apartment, only to know that the house was haunted by the evil spirit of a witch named Bathsheba Sherman, who passed away in 1885.

This witch is real and buried away in the Harrisville cemetery.

The Conjuring 2, 2016

Adding to the Conjuring Universe, this sequel released in 2016, is based on the Hodgson family’s haunting experience while residing at the borough of Enfield in London.

They were confirmed of being haunted between 1977 and 1979, which seems to be true as it had been reported by the British media during those days.

The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It, 2021

This one’s the latest addition to the Universe, released in 2021, revolving around the consequences of a demonic possession by Arne Cheyenne Johnson during 1981, when he was charged guilty of killing his landlord, with a first degree manslaughter conviction.

The Watcher, 2016

A 2016 film based on the paranormal experiences of the residents of Westfield, New Jersey, follows with stories, that a family living there at 2014, claimed of someone threatening them with letters, who referred to himself as the watcher. Later in 2018, the new family who moved here, is still unaware of the mystery stalker.

The Exorcist, 1973

This 1973 movie is an adaptation of a 1971 novel ‘The Exorcist’, authored by William Peter Blatty, based on the true story of 14 year old boy named Roland Doe, who has been through several exorcism practices, performed by the Roman Catholic Church, due to his pseudonym personality in 1940.

Scream, 1996

More like a murder thriller, this franchise that debuted with it’s very first episode in 1996, is based on the life of a serial killer named Danny Rolling, also known as the Gainesville Ripper, accused of murdering five college students in Florida, before he was booked in 1990.

Winchester, 2018

The 2018 film features Helen Mirren in the lead role, playing the protagonist Sarah Winchester, a widowed woman of the company, Winchester’s founder.

It is true that this lady, who was a wife of the gun manufacturing firm’s owner, resided at the Winchester Mystery House until her demise in 1922, and is now open to tourists in San Jose.