To mark Halloween, here are 10 horror films based on spooky true-life tales…

Among all the genres, horror arguably has the most extreme ‘inspired by a true story’ flexibility. This is partly because many spooky tales come from one person’s recollection or anecdote – without concrete proof or independent confirmation. These stories may also become distorted or amplified over time.

They might even be drawn from ancient mythology or ritual, like classic British horror The Wicker Man (1973), which is fictional but entrenched in authentic Celtic and pagan folklore.

Let’s dive into 10 more films which turned real-life reported possessions, hauntings and other spooky goings-on into scary screen drama.

1. The Exorcist (1973)

We start with William Friedkin’s classic about a mother who turns to the church when a mysterious entity possesses her young daughter. It was inspired by a 1949 case of demonic possession in Maryland, which was documented by priests.

2. The Conjuring (2013)

Not just a single film but a whole franchise based on the experiences of paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren. The first in the series is based on the Perron family haunting in Rhode Island. The latest is The Conjuring: Last Rites (2025)

3. The Changeling (1980)

Following a personal tragedy, a music professor rents a Seattle mansion haunted by the spirit of a child. Loosely based on writer Russell Hunter’s claims about his 1960s Denver home, this is considered by some to be one of the best ever horror films.

4. The Mothman Prophecies (2002)

Are sightings of a strange, winged creature in Point Pleasant, West Virginia an omen of tragedy or just mass hysteria? A reporter becomes determined to find out in this film based on John Keel’s 1975 non-fiction book.

5. The Rite (2011)

More creepy than scary, this concerns a young American who joins the Seminary and trains in Italy under a Jesuit exorcist. It was inspired by journalist Matt Baglio’s non-fiction book about real-life priest Father Gary Thomas, who trained in exorcism in Rome.

6. Winchester (2018)

Following the death of her husband, firearm heiress Sarah Winchester builds ‘the most haunted house in the world’ – a sprawling labyrinthine mansion designed to appease the spirits of those killed by her family’s weapons.

7. The Entity (1982)

In 1970s California, a woman turns to a parapsychologist for help when she’s viciously attacked by unexplained, invisible forces. It’s a fictionalised account of the real-life claims of Doris Bither.

8. Verónica (2017)

This Spanish film explores the mysterious events around the death of a teenage girl months after a séance and Ouija session. It’s loosely based on a real case, which took place in Vallecas in the early-1990s.

9. The Serpent and the Rainbow (1988)

Wes Craven directed his tale of an anthropologist who travels to Haiti to look into cases of zombification but gets drawn into a world of rituals and psychedelia. It’s based on ethnobotanist Wade Davis’ non-fiction account of his own experiences

10. Shadow of the Vampire (2000)

What if an actor playing a vampire was an actual vampire? That’s the premise of this atmospheric, darkly comic drama. It’s partly based on the filming of F.W. Murnau’s classic, Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror (1922) – and partly on an urban legend surrounding real-life actor Max Schreck.

Writer takeaway

With horror, truth isn’t about the factual accuracy; it’s about generating credible fear.

This offers an opportunity to get creative and to craft an original story which ups the ante even more by letting the audience know that ‘this kind of happened’.  

But, fact-based or not, the most important part to get right when writing horror is to evoke that fear – whether the outcome is to unsettle, frighten or shock whoever dares to read your script. 🕷️