10 Terrifying Non-Horror Movies Based on a True Story

By its very nature, horror is designed to disturb, provoke and frighten its audience. As such, it’s no surprise that horror has traditionally been the genre associated with the scariest films of all time. However, cinema has welcomed a number of non-genre offerings that are just as terrifying as the scariest horror film, if not more so. While film fans may look primarily to the best horror films of all time for their cinematic scares, a film’s ability to terrify its audience is by no means limited to one genre.

This status quo is only worsened when the film is inspired by an unbelievable true story. The fact that the horrific events depicted in the film in question are based in reality lends an eerie air of authenticity to the proceedings, which emphasizes the worst aspects that the human experience has to offer with unflinching clarity. As such, there is a unique type of fear associated with terrifying non-horror films based on true stories, from stories of wild animal attacks to alleged reports of alien abductions.

10

Monster (2003)

Directed by Patty Jenkins

Receiving rave reviews and earning protagonist Charlize Theron the Oscar for Best Actress in 2003 Monster tells the harrowing life story of serial killer Aileen Wuornos, a sex worker who kills seven male clients after suffering horrific physical and mental abuse in your line of work. An unflinching deep dive into the sensitive topics of mental illness and sexual violence, Monster is a terrifying depiction of a woman who has gone beyond her limit.

Patty Jenkins’ film is a bleak experience in its own right, without the revelation that the thriller is based on a true story. While Monster paints her as the victim of a lawsuit, Aileen Wuornos was a real serial killer who carried out the crimes portrayed in the film. Despite claiming that the murders were committed in self-defense, Wuornos was sentenced to death and executed by lethal injection in 2002, a year earlier. Monster debuted.

9

Fire in the Sky (1993)

Directed by Robert Lieberman

Narrating an extraterrestrial kidnapping against the backdrop of the United States in the 1970s, 1993 Fire in the sky sees logger Travis Walton captured by aliens after investigating a UFO. Although Robert Lieberman’s film received decidedly mixed reviews, the film was praised for the harrowing authenticity of the scenes depicting the extraterrestrials and their spacecraft. In particular, the sequence with Walton being experimented on is considered one of the most terrifying depictions of an alien abduction ever produced.

Remarkably for a story about aliens, UFOs and probes, Fire in the sky is actually inspired by a “TRUE” history. The film is based on the real life of Travis Walton The Walton Experiment, a book based on the author’s supposed experiences. Walton claims he was abducted by aliens and experimented on before returning safely, recounting his experiences in a tell-all book. Although the American’s controversial version of events was widely dismissed as a hoax, Fire in the sky remains one of cinema’s most terrifying alien films.

8

Open Waters (2003)

Directed by Chris Kentis

A cinematic case study in how to do a lot with a little, the 2003 low-budget offering Open Waters follows an exhausted couple who take a vacation to relax and reconnect, only to soon find themselves in a visceral fight for survival. The pair become stranded in the ocean miles from shore after being accidentally left behind on a diving trip. Trapped in shark-infested waters with no chance of rescue, the pair end up being devoured after succumbing to their injuries and exhaustion.

One of the best shark films in cinema, Open Waters It’s a harrowing watch, but it only becomes more traumatic in light of the revelation that the film is based on a real-life tragedy. Chris Kentis’ image is inspired by Tom and Eileen Lonerganan American couple who were accidentally abandoned in similar circumstances on the Australian coast. The pair were never seen again and are presumed dead after search teams discovered their personal belongings during subsequent rescue attempts.

7

Sertão (2014)

Directed by Adam MacDonald

With an impressive 92% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, 2014 Sertão is a thrilling offering from Canadian filmmaker Adam MacDonald. Featuring a pair of electric performances from lead duo Missy Peregryn and Jeff Roop MacDonald’s photo follows a young couple who are attacked by a man-eating black bear during a camping expedition in the Canadian wilderness.

Surprisingly, this terrifying turn of events is actually based on a true story. The film is inspired by a 2005 incident where married couple Jacqueline Perry and Mark Jordan were attacked by a black bear while camping and kayaking in Ontario. In reality, Jacqueline tragically succumbed to her injuries, but the film reverses the victim’s identity so that Jeff Roop’s Alex is the one portrayed as being mauled to death by the bear.

6

Alive (1993)

Directed by Frank Marshall

With a cast led by Ethan Hawke, 1993 Alive highlights the unspeakable terror associated with a plane crash. The film follows a charter flight that descends into the Andes after crashing into a mountain ridge during a period of turbulence, with the disaster and its aftermath duly exposing the survivors to horrors in the form of exposure, starvation, and eventual cannibalism.

Alive It’s even scarier considering the film’s harrowing premise is based in reality. While 2023 Snow Society is a more accurate description of the disaster, Frank Marshall’s film is based on the same true story of a Uruguayan rugby team that crashed in the Andes in 1972.changing the character names of those who died in the disaster out of respect for the deceased. Nando Parrado, one of the survivors who walked 12 days through the mountains to find help, was hired as a technical advisor for the film, in an attempt to give more legitimacy to the process.

5

127 Hours (2010)

Directed by Danny Boyle

Giving new meaning to the phrase “between a rock and a hard place“, Danny Boyle 127 hours follows James Franco’s Aron Ralston. A passionate climber, Ralston becomes trapped in a Utah canyon after a dislodged boulder pins his arm against the rock face. Documenting his terrifying ordeal with a video camera and surviving by drinking his own urine, Ralston eventually cut off his own arm with a pocket knife after realizing no one was coming to help him.

It is well documented at this point in the process that 127 hours is based on a true story. Ralston actually found himself trapped by a huge boulder after a canyoneering accident, leaving him with no alternative but to break and amputate his trapped appendage with a multi-tool before walking nearly 10 miles to safety. A tense case study of isolation and claustrophobia that earned Franco an Oscar nomination for Best Actor, 127 hours is one of the most terrifying non-horror films out there.

4

Blackwater (2007)

Directed by Andrew Traucki and David Nerlich

A hair-raising survival thriller offering, 2007 Blackwater follows a trio of young tourists on vacation in Australia. The group soon finds themselves in a nightmarish situation, after their boat ride through a nearby mangrove forest is invaded by a gigantic man-eating crocodile. The aggressive beast kills their guide and capsizes their boat, trapping the group in a visceral fight for survival.

An exciting offering that received positive reviews from critics, Blackwater The terrifying premise is inspired by an incident that took place in Australia’s Northern Territory in 2003. The incident in question saw a young man killed by a huge crocodile, leaving two of his friends sheltering in a nearby tree, in the same manner depicted in the film. A sequence in Blackwater Depicting the crocodile emerging with a victim in its jaws exactly mirrors one of the survivor’s accounts of his friend’s harrowing death.

3

The Girl Next Door (2007)

Directed by Gregory M. Wilson

Based on the 2007 novel of the same name by Jack Ketchum The girl next door is one of the most harrowing cinematic offerings in recent memory. Featuring full horror trappings, Gregory M. Wilson’s psychological thriller follows a young girl who is adopted by her aunt after the death of her parents, where she is subjected to horrific physical and mental abuse by her sadistic relative and her children. .

The girl next door The premise is so terrifying and disturbing that the revelation that the film is inspired by a true story is legitimately heartbreaking. Ketchum’s novel is based on the real-life case of Sylvia Likens, a 16-year-old girl who was tormented and murdered by her adoptive mother and her children in 1965. Gertrude Baniszewski, Likens’ caregiver, even invited neighborhood children to participate. the abuse. The Horrible True Story Behind The girl next door makes it even harder to watch than Wilson’s offering already is.

2

Girl in the Basement (2021)

Directed by Elisabeth Röhm

A heartbreaking thriller from director Elisabeth Röhm for American cable service Lifetime, 2021 Girl in the basement follows the dire situation of Stephanie Scott’s Sara. Sara is trapped in the soundproof basement of her family’s home by her abominable father, Don. Judd Nelson’s despicable accusation rapes and tortures the young woman relentlessly over the course of 20 years, fathering several children with his own daughter, until she finally manages to alert the authorities.

The 2021 film’s premise probably rings a few bells for anyone familiar with one of the most horrific international cases of kidnapping, rape, and incest in modern history. Girl in the basement The true story is based on Josef Fritzl, an Austrian who held his daughter Elisabeth prisoner under identical circumstances for a period of 24 years. This isn’t the only film Fritzl’s vile antics have influenced, with a nomination for Best Picture of 2015 Room also partially based on Elisabeth’s traumatic experiences.

1

The Good Nurse (2022)

Directed by Tobias Lindholm

A star-studded offering featuring Oscar winners Eddie Redmayne and Netflix’s Jessica Chastain The good nurse is a psychological thriller A war director Tobias Lindholm. The 2022 film chronicles the crimes of Redmayne’s Charles Cullen, a nurse at a New Jersey hospital who ends up being unmasked as a prolific serial killer after Chastain’s nurse, Amy Loughren, begins to suspect medical malpractice.

A legitimately scary thriller that leaves hearts pounding for 121 minutes, there’s nothing made up about the true story behind The good nurse. Relentlessly exploiting his position in the medical profession, Cullen was a true serial killer who murdered 29 confirmed victims over a 16-year period. While this may already seem like an impressive number, investigators speculate that the total number of victims attributed to Redmayne’s character could actually be in the hundreds.