 Today, we'll discuss the most horrifying films based on true events. These films are based on actual incidents that will make you rethink what is genuine and what's not. From the infamous Ed Gaine to the unsolved Texarkana murders to the case files of Ed and Lorraine Warren, we'll examine some of the most eerie stories to have been adapted for the big screen. So sit back, loosen yourself, and prepare to be terrified beyond belief. Click the subscribe button to ensure you don't miss any upcoming videos. As always, let me know in the comment section which film on this list you're most interested to watch. Let's get started. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is a 1974 American horror film written and co-produced by Toby Hooper and Kim Hankel. The film concerns a group of friends who become victims of a family of cannibals, including Leatherface, a chainsaw-wielding killer. The film is based on the crimes of Ed Gaine, a Wisconsin farmer who dug bodies from local cemeteries and made trophies and souvenirs out of their bones and skin. Gaine also murdered at least two women, one of whom he skinned and fashioned into a suit he wore. While the film is not a faithful recreation of Gaine's life, it is inspired by some of the gory details of his murders, such as the use of a chainsaw and Leatherface's manufacture of a human skin mask. The Library of Congress acknowledged the film's impact on the horror genre in 1999, recognizing it as one of the most significant and influential films in the genre's history. It garnered mixed reviews, but it has since become a cult classic and one of the most beloved horror films of all time. In addition, there are two sequels, a prequel and a reboot. James Brolin and Margot Kidder star in the 1979 supernatural horror film The Amityville Horror. The film is based on Gaine's since 1977 book of the same title, which purports to be a genuine account of the Lutz family's experience living in a haunted house at 112 Ocean Avenue in Amityville, New York. According to the book and the film, Ronald DeFeo Jr. murdered his entire family at their home in November 1974. The Lutz family moved into the house a year later, but soon began to experience weird and horrifying occurrences, including ghostly apparitions, cold spots, unusual odors, and levitating things. The family ultimately fled the house, believing that it was haunted by the DeFeo family's ghosts. However, the Amityville Horror story has been extensively debunked as a fake. Subsequent investigators prove that the Lutz family made up a number of facts in their story, and that J. Anson's book was a work of fiction. Despite this, the book and film have become one of the most well-known and enduring modern paranormal urban legends. The box office financial success of the Amityville Horror spawned a series of sequels and remakes. The original film was well received by critics, but its popularity and reputation have deteriorated as the truth about its plot has become more publicly known. The Exorcist is a 1973 American supernatural horror film directed by William Friedkin and adapted from William Peter Blatty's 1971 novel of the same name. The film stars Ellen Burstyn, Linda Blair, Max Vonsito, and Jason Miller and depicts the narrative of Reagan, a young girl who is possessed by a demon and the efforts of two priests to expel the demon from her body. The film is based on a genuine story that was recounted in William Peter Blatty's 1949 novel. Based on an exorcism performed in 1949 on a youngster named Roland Doe or Robbie Manheim in St. Louis, Missouri, he published the book. William Peter Blatty was inspired to write both the novel and the film by the story of Roland Doe's exorcism. It grossed over $441 million worldwide, making it the highest grossing horror picture of all time, and it was nominated for 10 Academy Awards, winning two Best Adapted Screenplay for Blatty and Best Sound. Some audience members fainted or became unwell during screenings as a result of the film's vivid depiction of the exorcism and its severe terror. It's regarded as a cinematic masterpiece and one of the greatest horror pictures ever produced. Even after several decades, the exorcist holds up well and continues to impact horror films in popular culture. Additionally, the film features two sequels and a prequel. The 1984 supernatural horror film A Nightmare on Elm Street was directed and co-written by Wes Craven and produced by Robert Shea. Heather Langenkamp, John Saxon, Rony Blakely, and Robert England as Freddy Krueger star in the first installment of the Nightmare on Elm Street franchise. A group of kids are hunted and murdered in their dreams by a disfigured man named Freddy Krueger, who wears a glove with knives connected to the fingers and hunts them in the dream world. The film was inspired by various actual occurrences and urban legends. Wes Craven has indicated that a series of newspaper articles he read about a group of Cambodian immigrants who had perished in their sleep due to nightmares served as inspiration for the picture. A young man who died in his sleep after experiencing nightmares about a faceless, blade-fingered creature was also an influence for the film. Craven was also influenced by the urban legend of the Dream Demon, which refers to the idea that people are visited by a monster in their nightmares. A Nightmare on Elm Street was a commercial and critical triumph, grossing over $25 million on a budget of $1.8 million, and it has since become one of the most successful and endearing horror film franchises ever. Freddy Krueger has become one of the most well-known film villains of all time and a cultural icon. The Hills Have Eyes is a 1977 American horror film directed by Wes Craven and starring D. Wallace, Susan Lanier, and Michael Berryman. A family becomes stranded in the Nevada desert, only to be hunted by a family of inbred cannibals dwelling in the surrounding hills. The film was inspired by the legend of Alexander Sonny Bean, an infamous Scottish outlaw who has claimed to have lived in a cave and committed robbery and murder in the 16th century with this family. It was reported that they preyed on travelers and local inhabitants and even engaged in cannibalism. However, this tale of Sonny Bean has been disproved as pure fiction and the legends were manufactured in the 18th century and put in pamphlets and broadsides to scare people with tales of horror and depravity. The Hills Have Eyes is a low-budget production that grossed over $25 million of the box office and was hailed by critics for its tremendous violence and suspense. Since then, it's become a cult classic and is regarded as one of the defining films of the backwards horror sub-genre. There are also two sequels, one remake and the one prequel. The Girl Next Door is an American horror drama film directed by Gregory Wilson in 2007 and based on a true crime story in the same titled novel by Jack Ketchum. The film is based on the true tale of Gertrude Benazuzki and her children torturing and murdering Sylvia Likens. In 1965, Sylvia Likens, an Indiana teenager, was tortured and murdered by Gertrude Benazuzki and her children. Likens was held captive in Benazuzki's basement for months prior to her murder when she was subjected to physical, emotional, and sexual torture. The case became one of the most notorious in Indiana's history due to the stunning nature of the facts. The Girl Next Door is a dramatization of the circumstances leading up to Sylvia's murder and it depicts the real-life events and the persons involved in a horrific manner. Some commentators praised the film's uncompromising depiction of the crime while others faulted it for being too disturbingly violent. Due to the brutality and reality of the plot and the performances of the performers, this film is deemed tough to see and is not suggested for anyone with a weak stomach. However, it can have a profound effect on the spectator due to its impact. Based on a series of unsolved murders that occurred in and around Texarkana, Texas in 1946, the town that dreaded sundown is a 1976 American slasher film directed by Charles B. Pierce. The film depicts the tales of the Phantom Killer, a mystery individual who murdered five people and seriously injured three others. The murders were horrible and the perpetrator was never apprehended. The attacks were distinguished by the fact that they occurred in Lovers Lane and the victims were young couples. The real-life murders were widely publicized in the media, producing a sensation and panic in the small town of Texarkana and prompting the Texas Rangers to organize a special task force to track the perpetrator. The case remains unsolved and unresolved to this day. The town that dreaded sundown was a commercial hit. Some criticized the film for being exploitative and excessively violent while others complimented it for being a well-made and frightening horror picture. In 2014, it was followed by a sequel and a reboot. The Haunting in Connecticut is an American supernatural horror film from 2009 that was directed by Peter Cornwell and stars Virginia Mattson, Kyle Garner, and Elias Codius. The film is based on the true account of the Snedeker family who, in the 1980s, claimed to have seen paranormal activity in their Southington, Connecticut home. According to the family, they rented a home in Southington, Connecticut in 1986 and soon began to encounter weird and horrifying phenomena, such as ghostly apparitions, cold spots, and objects that levitated. The family claimed that the mansion was haunted by the ghosts of past patients who had died in the 1920s mortuary that once stood on the property. The narrative of the Connecticut Haunting, however, has been regarded with suspicion and disagreement. Horror opponents and skeptics have asserted that the Snedeker's account was grossly exaggerated and that crucial parts were falsified. Some reviews complimented the film's atmosphere and performances while others questioned its lack of creativity and departure from actual events. A sequel, A Haunting in Connecticut 2, Ghosts of Georgia was produced in 2013 with a different plot and cast of characters. The Conjuring is a supernatural horror film released in 2013 that was directed by James Wan and stars Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga as Ed and Lorraine Warren respectively. The film is based on the case files of the Warrens who were real-life paranormal investigators known for their work on high-profile cases of claimed otherworldly activity. The film relates the story of the Perrin family who moved into a Rhode Island farmhouse in 1971 and began to encounter terrible happenings, including ghostly apparitions, cold spots, and levitating things. The family soon reaches out to the Warrens for assistance and the couple launches an investigation of the property to determine the truth behind the paranormal activity. The Warrens were an actual husband and wife team of paranormal investigators with decades of experience. They investigated some of the most infamous and contentious cases of claimed paranormal activity in history. Skeptics and other specialists in the field have attacked their methodology and findings and their claims of supernatural activity have been regarded with skepticism. The Conjuring was a commercial and critical success, generating over 319 million dollars worldwide and receiving accolades for its atmosphere, performances, and suspense. It's the first installment in the Conjuring Universe franchise which consists of numerous sequels and spinoffs. The Silence of the Lambs is a psychological horror thriller film from 1991 that was directed by Jonathan Demme and stars Jodie Foster, Anthony Hopkins, and Scott Glenn. The film is based on Thomas Harris' 1988 novel of the same name. The film follows FBI trainee Clarice Starling as she attempts to track down Buffalo Bill, a serial murderer who abducts and murders young women. Starling consults Dr. Hannibal Lecter, a smart and cannibalistic serial killer who is presently imprisoned for murder, to seek insight into the killer's motivations. Albert Fish, a serial killer and cannibal, is supposed to have inspired the character of Dr. Hannibal Lecter. Fish was an American serial killer, child molester and cannibal who murdered at least nine individuals during the late 1800s and early 1900s, although he confessed to doing more. Fish was notorious for his necrophilia and cannibalism, both of which are addressed by Dr. Lecter's character. It was the first horror film to win the Academy Award for Best Picture, and it also won four other Academy Awards, including Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, and Best Adapted Screenplay. Since then, the picture has been hailed as one of the greatest films ever created and a horror genre masterpiece. Dr. Lecter is widely regarded as one of the most iconic and recognized figures in pop culture. Wow, that was quite a tour through some of the most horrifying true-life horror films. From the twisted psyche of Ed Gain to the unsolved Texarkana murders to the Warren's case files, these films are guaranteed to keep you awake at night. If you loved this video, please give it a thumbs up and don't forget to subscribe for more similar material. And don't forget to tell me in the comment section which of these films you found most frightening. Thank you for watching, and I'll see you in a future video.