10 Horrific Wilderness Horror Movies Based On True Events

Ever since Jaws hit our screens in 1975, Hollywood has continued to give us reasons to be afraid of the ocean and the toothy terrors that lurk beneath its surface. None of these films, however, have been as bleak as Open Water, which is made more unnerving thanks to the true events it's based on.

That story is that of American couple Tom and Eileen Lonergan who were accidentally left behind on a scuba diving trip in January 1998. It took two days for anyone to realise they were missing. But after a three-day search, only some of their equipment was found washed ashore. Nobody knows exactly what happened to them, though the theory is they succumbed to exhaustion and drowned or were attacked by sharks.

When protagonists Daniel (Daniel Kitner) and Susan (Blanchard Ryan) find themselves in the same terrible situation, Open Water throws viewers into the hopeless scenario alongside them.

With nothing but empty ocean surrounding them and sharks menacingly circling their increasingly weary bodies, this film emphasises that there’s nothing the couple can do to save themselves. All they can do is wait for help to arrive – if it ever does.