When those marketing a movie want to instill a little bit of fear into the audience they market the film as "based on a true story". Usually this is not entirely accurate (see Texas Chainsaw Massacre) but it does add a layer of believability that would not normally be there. In the field of the paranormal there are many dramatic stories from people claiming to have encountered the unexplained that made Hollywood producers see dollar signs.
1. The Exorcist: Arguably the scariest film ever made, it spawned countless imitators none of which could capture the power of the Exorcist. Any film fan worth his salt already knows the plot of a little girl named Reagan possessed by a demonic entity forcing her mother to contact the troubled priest Father Karras to oversee an exorcism. What few people know is that author William Peter Blatty based his unnerving story on a true event. In the Washington DC suburbs a boy known by the alias Roland Doe found himself at the center of many strange events in his home. When his family had exhausted all "normal" options to figure out what was going on, they consulted Father Edward Albert Hughes who determined the boy was suffering from demonic possession. Roland Doe was moved to a hospital and an exorcism was performed to save his soul. When Blatty found this story many years later he adapted it into a bestselling novel, which was turned into the now classic film. For more information on the true story behind the Exorcist be sure to read the article HERE.
2. The Conjuring: Ed and Lorraine Warren have been lightning rods of controversy in the paranormal and the veracity of their investigations is still often called into question. That does not change the fact the fact that many of their cases have become incredibly popular and they have built a reputation in this field. It was only a matter of time before studios sought to turn the couple into the protagonists of their own horror franchise. Under the guidance of acclaimed filmmaker James Wan the Conjuring became a huge hit among critics and audiences alike.The success of this film guaranteed sequels and spin-offs including one loosely based off the possessed doll Annabelle and one concerning the Enfield Poltergeist (which the real Ed and Lorraine Warren had nothing to do with). Based on the supernatural ordeals suffered by the Perron family in Rhode Island, the Warren's flair for the dramatic made this story easy to adapt for the big screen.
3. The Amityville Horror: While on the topic of Ed and Lorraine Warren I would be remiss if I excluded the film adaptation of their most famous case. In a controversial story, the truth of which has been called into question many times, the Lutz family moved into a beautiful Long Island house, the previous owner of which snapped and murdered his family. As the family adapted to life in this new home they were tormented by an unseen supernatural force seemingly connected to the previous murders. The family capitalized on their struggle against the unexplained with a book which was adapted into a now classic horror flick. The Amityville Horror is a solidly crafted haunted house picture, that while not spectacular is incredibly entertaining and adheres to the controversial account of George and Kathy Lutz gave about their time living in this infamous house.
4. Fire in the Sky: In 1975 a logging crew leaving work happen to see a glowing golden saucer in the night sky. One young man on the crew, Travis Walton had the idea to further investigate this strange event thus beginning a five day nightmare which garnered attention from people the world over. According to those who came down from the mountain, Walton was taken into the light and vanished. This is the account they stuck to throughout the investigation even passing lie detector tests. Days later Travis Walton reappeared in a town several miles away leaving people puzzled as to how he got there. As time passed Walton recounted that he had been taken aboard a spacecraft and alien beings performed a series of experiments on him. In 1993 a film adaptation was made dramatizing Walton's abductions and the investigation of his coworkers which followed. Starring fan favorite character actors; Robert Patrick and James Garner, Fire in the Sky has developed a cult following over the years especially among fans of more serious and cerebral science fiction.
5. The Mothman Prophecies: A favorite case among paranormal researchers is the bizarre case of the Mothman. Allegedly the Mothman was a winged creature with red glowing eyes that terrorized Point Pleasant, West Virginia during the late 1960's. This was a case which famed paranormal researcher John Keel really delved into and launched the most thorough investigation into this phenomena which he recounted in his book the Mothman Prophecies. In 2002 the book was adapted to film with Richard Gere playing the renamed John Klein who has a personal connection to the Mothman after the death of his wife. Klein ventures to Point Pleasant and begins looking into the mystery of this creature. The path he follows eventually leads him to barely surviving the collapse of the Silver Bridge, an tragedy which many attribute to the Mothman. Despite a slow paced screenplay, director Mark Pellington delivers a mystery that you feel compelled to watch the entire way through.
