10 Movies You Didn't Know Were Based On Real-Life People

Notting Hill, A Nightmare on Elm Street, 50 First Dates and those other movies based on real life!

by Andrew Pollard
Uma Thurman Notting Hill
Universal Pictures

Across the decades of cinema, many a movie has been loud 'n' proudly based on a true story.

Seeing the fascinating, entertaining, heart-warming or even tragic tale of a real-life person or situation adapted for the silver screen can make for genuine movie magic at times. So much so, there have been numerous Academy Awards handed out to those 'based on real events' sort of pictures over the years.

While many films of this ilk will usually start or end with a disclaimer of being based on real people or real events - or some may even be heavily marketed as such during their pre-release promotional push - there are those other reality-driven efforts that are a little less forthcoming with their roots.

It may actually be a little crazy to realise that certain films have pulled their inspiration from the real world, but that's been the case for way more movies than one would imagine - from horror offerings, to rom-coms, to all-out cheesy action pictures and more!

Here, then, are ten movies that you likely had no idea were based on real people and their extremely real life.

10. The Hills Have Eyes

Uma Thurman Notting Hill
Vanguard

The second feature film of the legendary Wes Craven - well, unless you count the Fireworks Woman adult movie Craven helmed under the Abe Snake alias - The Hills Have Eyes stands as a huge favourite of many a horror hound to this day.

What many of those fans may not realise, is that The Hills Have Eyes took inspiration from some very real horrors carried out by Alexander 'Sawney' Bean.

Legend has it, Bean was a 16th century Scotsman who took his clan out into the hills, where they led a life of incest, murder and cannibalism. The belief is that Sawney and his family were responsible for attacking over 1,000 passers-by.

Pulling direct inspiration from this, Craven's 1977 The Hills Have Eyes showcased a murderous tribe of cannibals looking to prey on those passing through the desert. And like the story of Alexander Bean, the iconic Horror Master's movie concluded with the purported victims of the tale being just as vicious and violent as their attackers once the tables were turned.

In real life, the Bean clan were tortured, quartered, burned and hanged by the officials of the day.

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Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main day job, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks, Jamie Hayer, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is co-host of the Fearless in Devotion podcast, which won the Club Podcast of the Year gong at the 2024 FSA Awards.