When Reality is Scarier than cinema: 13 life stories based on which horror films were made

Scriptwriters of "horror movies" often write about maniacs, psychopaths, murderers, and the fact that these criminals really existed sometimes scares much more than the horror films of Hollywood themselves.

So, for example, the maniac known to many from the "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" actually existed. His name is Bubba Sawyer, and the real story of this man makes the blood freeze in your veins. Do you want to tickle your nerves even more? To your attention, the stories on the basis of which the most action-packed films were shot.

Real events In 2005, a murder occurred in the Orthodox monastery of Tanaku in Romania. Abbot Daniel Petru Corogeanu, together with several nuns, performed an exorcism ritual over parishioner Marika Irina Kornich.

The girl died. It turned out that Marika was ill with schizophrenia, and the abbot mistook the disease for an obsession. The participants of the ceremony received large prison sentences.

The script of the film: in 1952, one of the nuns disappeared under mysterious circumstances in the walls of a Romanian monastery. The Vatican sends a priest and a novice to sort out the situation. Within the walls of an ancient monastery, they will have to face evil not from this world.

Real events: the prototype of the "masked man" from the movie "Scream 2" was Danny Rolling, nicknamed the Gainesville Ripper. After he confessed to the murder of 5 students in 1991, he was sentenced to death. Danny managed to lead the police by the nose for more than a year. He was distinguished by cruelty and cunning.

The script of the film: the heroine and her friends become victims of a cunning maniac. A distinctive feature of the antagonist is a mask, a hoodie and a knife. The killer easily escapes from the police chase and constantly terrorizes his victims.

Real events: Ted Bundy got his nickname "The Charismatic Killer" for charming his victims. He "picked up the key" to the girl, and she easily made contact. Between 1974 and 1978, Ted killed 30 women, although the exact number of victims of the psychopath is unknown. Women visited him even in prison.

The script of the film: FBI agent Clarissa Starling is investigating a series of murders throughout the Midwest of the United States. When the investigation has reached an impasse, the girl turns to the convicted Hannibal Lecturer for help.

Real events: Ed Ginn is one of the most famous serial killers in the history of the United States. His image has penetrated deeply into the cinema and literature of the XX century. His childhood was not joyful, which left a deep imprint on Ed's psyche. The killer has two confirmed victims and five possible ones. Ed earned his infamous fame because of the precedents of necrophilia. After the trial, he was placed in a psychiatric hospital, where he died of cancer. 

The script of the film: in "pSycho" there is a direct reference to the unhealthy relationship of the son and mother. The antagonist commits murders, obeying a voice in his head. Gene's personality also served as a prototype for the characters of many films, books and computer games.

Real events: Billy Milligan is one of the most famous psychopaths with dissociative disorder. 24 personalities with different characters got along in his head, of which 10 were the main ones: Milligan himself (as the main personality), Arthur Smith, Ragen Vadaskovinich, Allen, Tommy, David, Kristin, Christopher, Adalana and Danny. Milligan was accused of several robberies and three rapes, but his lawyers declared their client insane, claiming that the crimes were committed by two of his alternate personalities and without Milligan's knowledge. 

As a result, he was acquitted, but sent for psychiatric treatment. Thus, Milligan became the first defendant to be acquitted due to a "multiple personality" in history.

Real events: the heroine and her fiance Richard Sharp went on a cruise in the Pacific Ocean on a yacht, but got caught in a 12-ball storm. Richard was overboard, and 23-year-old Tami was able to get to civilization with only a sextant and a watch. Besides, the girl was traumatized. In total, she spent 41 days in the open ocean. After that, she not only did not give up this sport, but even became the captain of a yacht.

The script of the film: the characters meet in Tahiti, after which they go on a yacht cruise. They fall into the epicenter of the storm, after which Tami and Richard will have a hard fight for their own lives.

Real events: American neurologist and neuropsychologist Oliver Wolf Sachs was engaged in the treatment of patients with lethargic encephalitis. The infection deprived patients of the ability to move, turned them into a "vegetable". The doctor, under his own responsibility, administered the drug L‑DOPA to patients, which almost immediately led to improvement.

The script of the film: "Awakening" is, in fact, an autobiographical film about events from the practice of a neuropsychologist.

Real events: the autobiographical book "Bury me behind the baseboard" describes events from the author's life. From the age of 2 to 11, the boy was actually under the control of his grandmother. "Matrona" did not trust the upbringing of her daughter's grandson, while she herself did not show love, but rather tyranny.

The script of the film: The events differ from the book only slightly. Sasha also falls under the influence of his grandmother. Her overprotection suffocates the guy and deprives him of any will to live.

Real events: Bernie Tiede, a native of Carthage, Texas, was a funeral home agent. He has earned a reputation as a good man among the local population. One day, at a funeral, he became close to a widow named Margaret Nugent.

The 81-year-old lady had a bad reputation because of her quarrelsome nature. When she got Bernie with her jealousy, she just killed her and hid her body in the freezer. In 1997, he was convicted. After serving 17 years, Bernie was released under the custody of the director of the film of the same name.

The script of the film: The role of Bernie was played by Jack Black. The affable undertaker strikes up a close relationship with the widow and the client. But when her jealousy crosses all boundaries, Bernie decides to commit a crime.

Real events: in the late 1960s, an elusive maniac nicknamed "Zodiac" committed, presumably, 12 murders. However, the maniac is known not only because of his cunning. The fact is that Zodiac mocked the police. He sent letters to the press in which he described his own crimes.

He even created several cryptographic messages in which he allegedly talked about himself. Many of them have not yet been deciphered. The police assumed that Zodiac had also been a cop or a military man before, the killer knew the methods of investigation too well.

The script of the film: San Francisco is terrorized by an unknown maniac who calls himself "Zodiac". For 25 years, he has been disappearing, then coming back again. The killer leads the police by the nose, leaving clues about his crimes.

Real events: in the late 80s, the topic of Satanic cults was one of the most discussed in the United States. It is not surprising that it was taken as the basis for many works both in literature and in cinema.

The script of the film: Detective Bruce Kinnear investigates the case of a girl Angela Gray, who became a victim of her own father. He conducted satanic rituals over little Angela, and the heroes were drawn into an occult story.

Real events: in January 1971, the Perron family moves into a new home, and soon strange events occur. The devilry begins in the house – creaks, sighs, rustles are heard. The family hires "ghost hunters" Ed and Lorraine Warren, who unsuccessfully try to exorcise the evil spirit. Over the course of their career, the Warrens have been involved in several investigations. All of them are taken as the basis of the "Spell" franchise.

The script of the film: famous paranormal researchers come to a secluded house where a family with 5 children lives, terrorized by a dark spirit. 

Real events: On June 22, 1954, Honora Parker from Christchurch, New Zealand, was murdered. During the investigation, the police managed to find out that Honor was killed by her own teenage daughter Pauline Parker (15 years old) and her close friend Juliet Hume. The girls lived next door, spent a lot of time together, acting out scenes from stories involving characters they invented. Parents were afraid that the girls' relationship could be sexual, and homosexuality was considered a serious mental illness at the time, and tried to forbid them to meet. The murder formed the basis of the book and horror film "Heavenly Creatures". 

The script of the film: Juliet and Pauline get closer and begin to be close friends. Warm feelings between the girls grow into love, but Pauline's mother is against it and tries to separate her daughter from her friend, which leads to a terrible end. 

Fortunately, the cinematic deaths shown on the screen are sometimes very far from life. We have already talked about spectacular fakes in the cinema, they could never happen in reality.