Movies surprisingly based on true event

[sunshinehighway]

The Argo/British thread got me thinking. Anyone got any surprising examples of movies based on real events?

I saw a special all about how Jaws was inspired by a set of shark attacks in 1916 New Jersey.

 

[luvmy3]

One of my favorite movies is based on true events. The Mothman Prophecies. I'm not really sure how much I believe all that, but it made a great movie, even without Brit bashing

 

[msjprincess]

The Exorcist book was inspired by an actual event.

 

[sunshinehighway]

The Exorcist book was inspired by an actual event.

I was just watching a show Sunday morning that was about the real story of The Exorcist. I can't remember what channel it was on.

 

[sunshinehighway]

One of my favorite movies is based on true events. The Mothman Prophecies. I'm not really sure how much I believe all that, but it made a great movie, even without Brit bashing

The Mothman is a creepy story.

They didn't say he wasn't British. He could have been.

 

[luvmy3]

The Mothman is a creepy story.

They didn't say he wasn't British. He could have been.

 

[Sorsha]

Most Disney fans here already know this, I am sure, but "Newsies" (a particular favorite of mine) was based on the true events of the Newsboys Strike of 1899.

 

[HM]

The Amityville Horror (first one that came to mind)

Here's a wikipedia link that lists all sorts of movies inspired by real events:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_films_based_on_actual_events

 

[Janepod]

The Argo/British thread got me thinking. Anyone got any surprising examples of movies based on real events?

I saw a special all about how Jaws was inspired by a set of shark attacks in 1916 New Jersey.

Yep! The town where we have our beach house! They show something about it every year during Shark Week.

 

[mdsoccermom]

The Amityville Horror (first one that came to mind)

Here's a wikipedia link that lists all sorts of movies inspired by real events:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_films_based_on_actual_events

The events in the Amityville Horor turned out to be a huge hoax.

 

[sunshinehighway]

Yep! The town where we have our beach house! They show something about it every year during Shark Week.

Yes it was on during Shark Week. Jaws is one of my favorite movies and I had no idea it was inspired by real events until I saw that.

 

[sunshinehighway]

The Amityville Horror (first one that came to mind)

Here's a wikipedia link that lists all sorts of movies inspired by real events:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_films_based_on_actual_events

Thanks for the link.

 

[HM]

The events in the Amityville Horor turned out to be a huge hoax.

True, but when it was made, they didn't know that.

 

[LuvOrlando]

ET was fun, JKJK, just being playful- I know you are being serious so how about "The Kings Speech" which was fab and I believe based on trueish events, also I have to say "What's Love got to do with it" floored me. So many great stories out there

 

[gometros]

Dreamgirls is loosely based on the Supremes.

 

[Philagoofy]

Silence of the Lambs, Psycho & Texas Chainsaw Massacre were supposedly inspired by the gruesome crimes of Ed Gein.

 

[tennvalgirl]

'Bernie' I watched almost all of it before I realized it was a true story
It was unexpected.

 

[Disneyland1084]

The 1988 horror movie "The Serpent and the Rainbow" is based on a true story.

 

[WhateverLolaWants]

There's a movie called Bully, not the recent documentary, but an indie movie from 2001. It's a pretty brutal story, and not for the faint of heart. When you're watching it you can't get over that it really happened.

 

[Arsenal1982]

Paranormal activity really surprised me that it was based off true events.