10 '90s Movies Surprisingly Based On True Events

Those '90s films shockingly based on true events...

Teacher Dangerous Minds
Buena Vista Pictures

The 1990s was a great time for the film industry. We had classics like Good Will Hunting, Rainmaker, The Game, Shawshank Redemption and Pulp Fiction. It was a time when family comedy struck gold, such as with the Home Alone franchise (starring Macaulay Culkin) the Father Of The Bride series (Steve Martin) and the much-loved Four Weddings And A Funeral (Hugh Grant).

There were a host of the greats and the not-so-greats, but one thing the decade was full of was feature films based on true life events. In this feature we will be taking a head-first dive into those productions said to be based on things that actually happened. Whether it's a gangster classic such as Goodfellas, or crime cult favourite The Silence Of The Lambs, you might be quite surprised at some of the movies included here.

Of course, as with most "based on true events" productions, there may have been a degree of poetic license with some of the projects, but nevertheless, here are ten great '90s films that, to some degree, are rooted in the real world.

10. Heavenly Creatures (1994)

Teacher Dangerous Minds
Miramax Films

Heavenly Creatures is a captivating 1994 crime film starring Kate Winslet, Melanie Lynskey and Sarah Peirse. Directed by Peter Jackson (now best known for his work on The Lord Of The Rings franchise), this 99-minute gem of a movie was met with high praise from critics upon its release. The Rotten Tomatoes site gives the picture a 93% score and it has been described as a "masterful" film on Metacritic.

The movie follows the friendship between two teenage characters, Juliet and Pauline, who have become close friends after Juliet has been transferred to a new school. The two girls become close and their relationship becomes extremely intense. After some time, their parents become concerned that the relationship between them is unhealthy and attempt to separate them. Not willing to be parted, the girls make a deadly plan.

This film is a tense and atmospheric journey into the minds of two girls who become increasingly disturbed. Heavenly Creatures is said to be based on the real life case of the 1954 murder case in Christchurch, in which two teenage girls were sentenced to five years for murder and ordered never to see each other again.

Contributor
Contributor

I'm a freelance writer and published author. I'm very passionate about music, film and theatre. I've written features and produced promo for Music-News, Warner Music, Made In Shoreditch Magazine, Medium, Haunted Magazine and many others.