10 Terrifying Non-Horror Movies That Are Based On A True Story

Contains discussion of death, torture, and sexual assault.

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By its very nature, horror is designed to disturb, provoke, and scare its audience. As such, it comes as little surprise that horror has traditionally been the genre associated with the scariest movies of all time. However, cinema has played host to a number of offerings from outside the genre that are just as terrifying as the scariest horror film, if not more so. While film fans may primarily look to the best horror movies 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 compounded when the movie draws inspiration from an unbelievable true story. The fact that the horrific events being depicted by the movie in question are based in reality lends an eerie air of authenticity to proceedings, one that emphasizes the worst aspects that the human experience has to offer in unflinching clarity. As such, there’s a unique brand of fear associated with terrifying non-horror movies that are based on a true story, from tales of attacks by wild animals, to alleged accounts of alien abduction.

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10 Monster (2003)

Directed By Patty Jenkins

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Monster

Monster, directed by Patty Jenkins, is a crime drama based on the life of Aileen Wuornos, a highway drifter who becomes America’s first female serial killer. The film explores her transformation after a series of traumatic events, leading to a violent spree that grips the nation.

Director Patty Jenkins Release Date December 24, 2003 Writers Patty Jenkins Cast Charlize Theron , Christina Ricci , Bruce Dern , Lee Tergesen , Annie Corley , Pruitt Taylor Vince , Marco St. John , Marc Macaulay , Scott Wilson , Rus Blackwell , Tim Ware , Stephan Jones , Brett Rice , Kaitlin Riley , Cree Ivey , Catherine Mangan , Magdalena Manville , T. Robert Pigott , Romonda Shaver , Glenn R. Wilder , Elaine Stebbins , Kane Hodder , Christian Stokes , Lyllian Barcaski , Nonalee Davis , Bubba Baker Runtime 109 Minutes Expand

Receiving rave reviews and earning leading lady Charlize Theron the Academy Award for Best Actress, 2003’s Monster chronicles the harrowing life story of serial killer Aileen Wuornos, a sex worker who murders seven male clients after enduring horrific physical and mental abuse in her line of work. An unflinching deep dive into the fraught topics of mental illness and sexual violence, Monster is a terrifying depiction of a woman pushed far past her breaking point.

Legendary film critic Roger Ebert described Charlize Theron’s work in
Monster
as “one of the greatest performances in the history of cinema.”

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Patty Jenkins’ film is a desolating experience in itself without the revelation that the thriller is based on a true story. While Monster paints her as the victim of proceedings, Aileen Wuornos was a real serial killer who carried out the crimes depicted in the movie. Despite claiming that the killings were committed in self-defense, Wuornos was sentenced to death and executed by lethal injection in 2002, a year before Monster debuted.

9 Fire in the Sky (1993)

Directed By Robert Lieberman

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Chronicling an extraterrestrial abduction against the backdrop of the United States in the 1970s, 1993’s Fire in the Sky sees logger Travis Walton captured by aliens after investigating a UFO. While Robert Lieberman’s film received decidedly mixed reviews, the movie was lauded for the harrowing authenticity of the scenes depicting the extraterrestrials and their spacecraft. In particular, the sequence featuring Walton being experimented on is regarded as one of the most terrifying depictions of an alien abduction ever produced.

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Walton claims that he was abducted by aliens and experimented on before being returned safely, recounting his experiences in a tell-all book.

Remarkably for a tale concerning aliens, UFOs, and probes, Fire in the Sky is actually inspired by a “true” story. The film is based on the real-life Travis Walton’s The Walton Experience, a book based on the author’s alleged experiences. Walton claims that he was abducted by aliens and experimented on before being returned safely, recounting his experiences in a tell-all book. Although the American’s controversial version of events has widely been dismissed as a hoax, Fire in the Sky remains one of cinema’s most terrifying alien movies.

8 Open Water (2003)

Directed By Chris Kentis

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Open Water R

Open Water is a survival horror film directed by Chris Kentis, based on the true story of an American couple abandoned at sea by a scuba diving crew. Starring Blanchard Ryan and Daniel Travis, the film depicts their harrowing ordeal as they struggle against nature and hunger in the open ocean. The minimalist filming style enhances the film’s tension and realism.

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*Availability in US Director Chris Kentis Release Date October 26, 2003 Cast Blanchard Ryan , Daniel Travis , Saul Stein Runtime 79 Minutes
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A cinematic case study in how to do a lot with a little, 2003’s low-budget offering Open Water follows a burned-out couple who take a holiday to relax and reconnect, only to soon find themselves in a visceral fight for survival. The pair are duly stranded in the ocean miles from shore after accidentally being left behind on a scuba-diving trip. Trapped in shark-infested waters with no chance of rescue, the duo are eventually devoured after succumbing to injury and exhaustion.

Related Open Water True Story: The Real Shark Encounter That Inspired The Movie

Open Water tells the story of a couple in shark-infested waters – and it’s loosely based on the real-life case of Tom and Eileen Lonergan.

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One of cinema’s best shark movies, Open Water is a harrowing watch, but it only gets more traumatic in light of the revelation that the movie is based on a real life tragedy. Chris Kentis’ picture is inspired by Tom and Eileen Lonergan, an American couple who were accidentally abandoned in similar circumstances off the Australian coast. The pair were never seen again and are presumed dead, after search parties discovered their personal effects during subsequent rescue attempts.

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7 Backcountry (2014)

Directed By Adam MacDonald

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Backcountry R

Backcountry is a 2015 survival thriller directed by Adam MacDonald. The film follows a young couple who embark on a camping trip in the Canadian wilderness. Their adventure turns perilous when they realize they are unprepared for the dangers posed by the wild, leading to a harrowing struggle against nature. Starring Jeff Roop and Missy Peregrym, the movie explores themes of survival and human vulnerability.

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*Availability in US Director Adam MacDonald Release Date March 20, 2015 Cast Jeff Roop , Missy Peregrym , Nicholas Campbell , Eric Balfour , Melanie Mullen Runtime 92 Minutes

Boasting an impressive 92% Rotten Tomatoes approval rating, 2014’s Backcountry is a thrilling offering from Canadian filmmaker Adam MacDonald. Featuring a pair of electric performances from leading duo Missy Peregryn and Jeff Roop, MacDonald’s picture follows a young couple who find themselves set upon by a man-eating black bear while on a camping expedition in the Canadian wilderness.

The film draws inspiration from an incident in 2005, where married couple Jacqueline Perry and Mark Jordan were attacked by a black bear during a camping and kayaking trip in Ontario.

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Remarkably, this horrifying turn of events is actually based on a true story. The film draws inspiration from an incident in 2005, where married couple Jacqueline Perry and Mark Jordan were attacked by a black bear during a camping and kayaking trip in Ontario. In reality, Jacqueline tragically succumbed to her wounds, but the movie flips the victim’s identity so that Jeff Roop’s Alex is the one depicted as being mauled to death by the bear.

6 Alive (1993)

Directed By Frank Marshall

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Boasting an ensemble cast led by Ethan Hawke, 1993’s Alive throws the indescribable terror associated with a plane crash into sharp relief. The film follows a chartered flight that goes down in the Andes after colliding with a mountain ridge during a bout of turbulence, with the disaster and its aftermath duly exposing the survivors to horrors in the vein of exposure, starvation, and eventual cannibalism.

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Alive is all the more terrifying given that the film’s harrowing premise is based in reality. While 2023’s Society of the Snow is a more accurate depiction of the disaster, Frank Marshall’s movie draws from the same true story of a Uruguayan rugby team who 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 trekked through the mountains for 12 days to eventually find help, was brought on as the film’s technical advisor in an effort to lend a further air of legitimacy to proceedings.

5 127 Hours (2010)

Directed By Danny Boyle

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127 Hours R

Based on the real-life experiences of mountaineer Aron Ralston, 127 Hours follows Ralston’s harrowing escape from Canyonlands National Park after getting his arm trapped by a boulder while scaling Bluejohn Canyon. Trapped with little food and water, and no way to call for help, Ralston must fight for his survival against all odds. Danny Boyle directed the film, with James Franco starring as Ralston. 

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*Availability in US Director Danny Boyle Release Date November 12, 2010 Cast James Franco , Kate Mara , Amber Tamblyn , Lizzy Caplan , Elizabeth Hales , Patrick Gibbs Runtime 94 minutes
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Lending new meaning to the phrase “between a rock and a hard place,” Danny Boyle’s 127 Hours follows James Franco’s Aron Ralston. A passionate mountaineer, Ralston finds himself trapped in a Utah canyon after a dislodged boulder pins his arm against the rock wall. Documenting his terrifying ordeal with a video camera and surviving by drinking his own urine, Ralston eventually saws off his own arm with a pocket knife after realizing that nobody is coming to help him.

It’s well documented at this point in proceedings that 127 Hours is based on a true story. Ralston really did find himself pinned down by a huge boulder after a canyoneering accident, leaving him with no alternative but to break and amputate his trapped appendage with a dull multi-tool before trudging nearly 10 miles to safety. A taut case study in isolation and claustrophobia that earned Franco a Best Actor Oscar nomination, 127 Hours is one of the more terrifying non-horror movies out there.

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4 Black Water (2007)

Directed By Andrew Traucki And David Nerlich

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Black Water R

Stranded in a mangrove swamp, three tourists and their guide must navigate the treacherous waters and dense brush after their fishing expedition goes awry, all while being hunted by a relentless, unseen crocodile.

Director David Nerlich , Andrew Traucki Release Date August 23, 2007 Cast Maeve Dermody , Diana Glenn , Andy Rodoreda , Ben Oxenbould , Fiona Press Runtime 90 minutes

A hair-raising survival thriller offering, 2007’s Black Water follows a trio of young tourists on holiday in Australia. The group soon find themselves thrust into a nightmarish situation, after their boat tour of a nearby mangrove swamp is gatecrashed by a gargantuan, man-eating crocodile. The aggressive beast murders their guide and upturns their boat, trapping the group in a visceral fight for survival.

Black Water film series
Movie	IMDb rating	Rotten Tomatoes Score
Black Water (2007)	5.8	79%
Black Water: Abyss (2020)	4.6	41%

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A white-knuckle offering that received positive reviews from critics, Black Water’s 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 an enormous crocodile, leaving two of his friends to shelter in a nearby tree in the same manner depicted in the movie. A sequence in Black Water depicting the croc surfacing with a victim in its jaws even exactly mirrors one of the survivor’s accounts of their friend’s harrowing demise.

3 The Girl Next Door (2007)

Directed By Gregory M. Wilson

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The Girl Next Door R

The Girl Next Door is a 2007 horror film based on Jack Ketchum’s novel, depicting the harrowing torture of two sisters by their caretaker, leading to brutal consequences. Directed by Gregory Wilson and starring Blanche Baker and Daniel Manche, the film examines themes of sadism and trauma, portraying the dark capacity for cruelty in a suburban setting.

Director Gregory Wilson Release Date October 3, 2007 Cast Blythe Auffarth , Daniel Manche , Blanche Baker , Grant Show , Graham Patrick Martin , Benjamin Ross Kaplan Runtime 91 minutes

Based on Jack Ketchum’s novel of the same name, 2007’s The Girl Next Door is one of the most gut-wrenching cinematic offerings in recent memory. Featuring trappings of fully fledged horror, Gregory M. Wilson’s psychological thriller follows a young girl who is adopted by her aunt in the aftermath of her parents’ deaths, where she is subjected to horrific physical and mental abuse by her sadistic relative and her sons.

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Horror icon Stephen King has described
The Girl Next Door
as
“…the dark-side-of-the-moon version of Stand by Me.”

The Girl Next Door’s premise is so terrifying and unsettling that the revelation the film is inspired by a true story is legitimately soul-cleaving. Ketchum’s novel draws from the real-life case of Sylvia Likens, a 16-year-old girl who was tormented and murdered by her foster mother and her children in 1965. Gertrude Baniszewski, Likens’ caregiver, even invited the neighborhood children to partake in the abuse. The ghastly 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

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Girl In The Basement

Girl In The Basement is a 2021 crime drama directed by Elisabeth Röhm. The film stars Stefanie Scott, Judd Nelson, and Joely Fisher. It tells the harrowing story of a young woman imprisoned by her father in their family home’s basement, shedding light on severe familial abuse and psychological trauma.

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*Availability in US Director Elisabeth Rohm Release Date February 27, 2021 Studio(s) Big Dreams Entertainment , Lifetime , Swirl Films Cast Judd Nelson , Stefanie Scott , Joely Fisher , Emma Myers , Braxton Bjerken , Jake Nuttall , Emily Topper Runtime 88 Minutes
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A desolating thriller from director Elisabeth Röhm for American cable service Lifetime, 2021’s Girl in the Basement follows the appalling plight of Stephanie Scott’s Sara. Sara is imprisoned in the soundproofed basement of her family home by her abhorrent father, Don. Judd Nelson’s despicable charge rapes and tortures the young girl relentlessly across a span of 20 years, fathering several children with his own daughter until she finally manages to alert the authorities.

Related 15 Best Movies Like Girl In The Basement You Need To See

Girl in the Basement is a dark captive thriller examining the sinister underbelly of domestic life. Here are 10 movies in the same vein.

The 2021 film’s premise likely rings a few bells for anybody familiar with one of the most horrendous international cases of kidnap, rape, and incest in modern history. Girl in the Basement’s true story is based on Josef Fritzl, an Austrian man who held his daughter Elisabeth captive in identical circumstances for a period of 24 years. This isn’t the only film that Fritzl’s vile antics have influenced, with 2015’s Best Picture nominee Room also partially based on Elisabeth’s traumatic experiences.

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1 The Good Nurse (2022)

Directed By Tobias Lindholm

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The Good Nurse

In The Good Nurse, Jessica Chastain stars as Amy Loughren, a caring nurse and single mother with a critical heart condition that threatens her life. Working in the intensive care unit during the night shifts, Amy is pushed to the breaking point until a new nurse named Charles Cullen (Eddie Redmayne) starts working there. The equally compassionate Charlie builds rapport with her, and her burden is lifted- along with making a dear friend. As time passes, however, several patient deaths set off a police investigation that implicates Charlie as the culprit, with Amy now thrust in the middle of it all. Amy will have to dig deeper and determine the truth – and decide what to do if the truth is uglier than she had hoped. Based on the book by Charles Graeber and based on a true story, The Good Nurse is a true-crime story with thriller elements that will release stateside on October 26 2022.

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*Availability in US Director Tobias Lindholm Release Date October 26, 2022 Studio(s) Netflix Cast Jessica Chastain , Eddie Redmayne , Nnamdi Asomugha , Kim Dickens , Noah Emmerich Runtime 121 minutes

A star-studded offering featuring Academy Award winners Eddie Redmayne and Jessica Chastain, Netflix’s The Good Nurse is a psychological thriller from A War director Tobias Lindholm. The 2022 film chronicles the crimes of Redmayne’s Charles Cullen, a nurse at a New Jersey hospital who is eventually unmasked as a prolific serial killer after Chastain’s nurse Amy Loughren begins to suspect him of malpractice.

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A legitimately scary thriller that leaves hearts pounding across 121 minutes, there’s nothing fabricated about the true story behind The Good Nurse. Ruthlessly exploiting his position in the medical profession, Cullen was a real serial killer who murdered 29 confirmed victims across a 16-year period. While this may already seem like a staggering number, investigators speculate that the total number of victims attributed to Redmayne’s character could actually number in the hundreds.

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Category: Entertainment