10 '90s Movies Surprisingly Based On True Events
3. The Ghosts And The Darkness (1996)
The Ghosts And The Darkness is a 1996 US historical adventure movie starring Michael Douglas and Val Kilmer. Directed by Stephen Hopkins, the two hour movie was met with mixed reviews upon release. Whilst many films fans liked the flick, actor Kilmer won a Razzie Award for Worst Supporting Actor.
The Ghosts And The Darkness follows the story of two lions which were terrifying locals in Kenya after killing several men in the area. Colonel John Henry Peterson, staying in Tsavo, Kenya, to help complete the building of a railway, ends up hunting down the lions when they begin attacking workers. Think of this movie as a Jaws, but for the lion world.
The film itself is actually based on the book, The Man Eaters of Tsavo, by John Henry Patterson, who in fact actually killed the lions himself in real life. Peterson claims the lions were responsible for 135 deaths, though many have contested this number and say the reality was probably closer to 30.