8 Horror Movies Supposedly Based On "True" Events
5. The Sixth Sense (1999)
Did you know The Sixth Sense was based on a true story? Don't feel bad if you didn't... because it's not.
Denice Jones is an author and "paranormal survivor," her claim to fame is that her son Michael is regularly attacked by entities... Doesn't that sound familiar? When one reads Denice's book the blurb makes the bold claim: "read the story of the boy whose story inspired the hit film The Sixth Sense!"
However, if one just takes a look, things don't seem to add up. Denice's rather outrageous book didn't see release until October 2000, over a year after the film her son supposedly inspired. Further instances of her claim came with appearances on Unsolved Mysteries and a segment on Extraordinary People. It all seems rather suspicious that her claims come after the runaway success of The Sixth Sense. Add to this the involvement of notoriously unreliable paranormal investigator John Zaffis and one is left with little doubt that someone just wanted some quick cash off of the back of a horror cinema phenomenon.
It seems rather galling that Denice Jones made this claim multiple times and was never questioned. One can't help but wonder if M. Night Shyamalan is even aware of these claims? If so, he should probably call a lawyer.