10 Horror Movies Based On True Stories (That Were All Lies)

"Based on a true story." Those words alone can be all it takes to convince moviegoers to check out a feature. After all, a film should be more riveting, not only if it could happen but if it already has happened. And if a slasher, creature feature, or a possession drama is classified as non-fiction, it's sure to amplify the scares exponentially. 

What's interesting about horrors inspired by real events is how they can entice people to check them out, even if they don't normally gravitate towards the subject matter. If you had no belief in alien abductions, demons, or ghosts, you still might be intrigued by a paranormal or sci-fi flick that's been historically documented.

Of course, there are times where "based on a true story" is nothing more than a turn of phrase. After doing a little digging, it's obvious the events surrounding these so-called biographies are greatly exaggerated or 100% fabricated. 

More often than not, there simply isn't enough evidence to substantiate the claims made in the film in question. Other times, the people which the movie is centred around have publicly admitted their wild claims were all lies.

Just to be clear, there's nothing wrong with a true-story feature taking a few liberties for the sake of entertainment. However, the entries on this list made so many embellishments, they're more fantastical than biographical.

Sidney J. Furie's chilling horror centres around a mother called Carla Moran who finds herself being regularly attacked and sexually assaulted by an invisible force. The Entity was adapted from the 1978 book of the same name, which was based on the life of Doris Bither. 

However, Doris' name wasn't the only thing changed for the movie. Though Carla is portrayed as a composed, single mother, Doris struggled with substance abuse, had a traumatic upbringing, and lived in a condemned house with her four children at the time of the reported haunting. 

Though Doris' film counterpart acknowledges she's suffered psychological damage since childhood, this plot-point is quickly swept under the rug. Obviously, these elements were omitted or toned down so claims surrounding abusive ghosts or demons seem more believable.

Although the investigation in The Entity is meticulous and methodical, the study conducted in real life wasn't scientifically structured at all, mostly relying on anecdotal evidence. Though the poltergeist assaults are witnessed on several occasions throughout the movie, nobody associated with Doris saw these attacks being carried out.

Also, it goes without saying the parapsychologists didn't try to capture the non-corporeal creature with a freeze ray, as is depicted in The Entity.