The horrifying true story that inspired Steven Spielberg’s Poltergeist

A truly terrifying real-life ghost story inspired the 1982 supernatural horror movie Poltergeist. Today’s paranormal horror films would not exist without it PoltergeistAn undeniably influential franchise that spawned two sequels and a 2015 remake. The creation of Tobe Hooper and Steven Spielberg continues to be one of the spookiest additions to the genre, which tells the story of ​​a suburban family whose daughter, Carol Anne Freeling (Heather O’Rourke), is abducted by demons. that attack their household. The chilling tale is made even more terrifying by the real-life inspiration behind the film.

In general, the “based on a true story” claims are just a ploy to draw in an audience, however Poltergeist is an exception. “Poltergeist” refers to a spirit or ghost entity responsible for physical disturbancessuch as moving objects or destroying property. Many claims indicate that poltergeists are capable of harming people. Poltergeist is widely believed to be cursed due to disturbing events and deaths among the cast and crew. While the existence of the Poltergeist Curse is debatable, the events that influenced the film are real.

Poltergeist is partially inspired by a true story

The Herman House

Although Poltergeist Not an exact adaptation of real events, the film was partially inspired by the story of the Herman House. In the 1950s, supposed poltergeists terrorized a Long Island family in their home. The film is similar to the real-life tale of a suburban family that is disturbed by paranormal entities, the movement of objects, and to call a parapsychologist to investigate. However, much of the paranormal activity in the film is amplified and exaggerated. Native American burial grounds, household portals, and skeletal corpses are all fictionalized.

What happened to the Herrmann family and Popper the poltergeist in real life

The paranormal activity stopped after a month

According to Long Island PulseOn February 3, 1958, in Seaford, New York, Jacob Herman returned home after work to his wife Lucille, telling him an incredible story. Lucille said she and their two teenage children heard popping noises throughout the house earlier in the afternoon. During the investigation, they discovered various common household substances uncovered and placed upside down.

In addition, all the bottles were suddenly warm to the touch, and a bottle of water was spilled over a bedroom dresser. Five days later, the popping phenomenon repeated when James Herman was home to witness it. Police were called to investigate Poltergeist Activity But could not determine the reason. Shortly after that, the incidents began Poltergeist The story went public, and the events were televised, becoming a nationwide sensation.

After going public, more incidents occurred, and Jacob decided to temporarily move his family out of the home. On returning home, it increased, with larger, heavier objects being moved and manipulated. Dr. JB Rhine of Duke University joined the investigation and determined that the presence of the hormonal teenagers may have caused the Poltergeist Activity. All activity stopped on March 10, 1958, after nearly 70 unexplained events were seen. By the Hermans and others from February-March.

The Poltergeist Activity at the Hermann home inspired one of the most iconic and influential paranormal films in history. Although much of the script is embellished, viewers can recognize the parallels between the Spielberg film and the Herman story. Poltergeist remains a classic in the horror genre, still inspiring new films and even remakes of the old, with news of a new Poltergeist Reboot reportedly in development. The inspiration behind The movie adds an extra layer of terror to an already chilling story.

Other iconic horror movies inspired by scary true stories

The Conjuring, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and The Amityville Horror

The most famous Horror movies based on true stories are the in the Conjuring Universe. While clearly embellished as poltergeist, The franchise is based on the paranormal investigations of Ed and Lorraine Warren. Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga play the real-life investigators in the main franchise timeline, while the spinoffs are based on the story of other investigations they have done. Lorraine Warren even consulted on the production.

The Texas Chainsaw MassacreDirected by Poltergeist Director Tobe Hooper, claims in the opening to be based on a true story. While the character of Leatherface and his deranged family are all inventions for the movie, the inspiration is based on a real-life scary true story. The serial killer is based on Ed Gein, a real-life killer who also ate his victims and often wore their skin. Gein was also the inspiration for Silence of the lambs And Psycho.

A very similar movie to Poltergeist comes in the form of The Amityville HorrorWhich is another story about a haunted house tormenting the family inside. In this tale, the family is possessed by the evil spirits, and they begin to change the father, George, similar to how the Overlook Hotel in The Shining Influenced Jack Torrance. The film is based on the book by Jay Anson, which included his interviews with the real-life family that suffered from the poltergeist.

Source: Long Island Pulse