8 Horror Movies Supposedly Based On "True" Events
2. Last House On The Left (1972)
Wes Craven's Last House on the Left tells the story of two young girls falling victim to a vicious gang of sadistic criminals, and heralded a new age for horror cinema. Gothic tales could no longer cut it when Last House made audiences aware there are real terrors much closer to home. The film begins with a crawl assuring us the events depicted are true and only the names have been changed.
"Last House on the Left was a true story?!" I hear you cry. Don't worry... it wasn't. In the days of Grindhouse cinema every film had to do its best to stand above the sea of competitors. Often a way to do this was to slap the "true story" moniker on a property and hope for the best. Particularly common among horror movies, other offenders include 1977's Drive-In Massacre and 1978's The Toolbox Murders.
Wes Craven and producer Sean S. Cunningham addressed this immediately in their 2002 audio commentary with Craven saying "This is... a complete lie is what it is." Cunningham quips with a laugh "We were told "You can't do that! You can't put it in writing if it's not true!"
It's safe to say this film is horrifying enough without the false belief that it actually happened.