12 Terrifying Horror Movies That Are “Based On A True Story”

We’ve all seen the trailers–horror movies with bombastic monsters and terrifying ghost encounters that bill themselves as being “based on a true story.” And while most of them are obviously stretching the definition of “true” to its absolute limits, it’s still fun to pretend if only for the hour-or-so we spend in the dark watching them, that maybe these scary stories did actually happen somewhere to someone.

Truth is a funny thing, though–especially when you’re dealing with movies that are specifically made to entertain rather than inform. It’s important to remember that horror movies are, first an foremost, trying to scare you, whether its with ghosts or monsters or hulking murderers with axes or knives. So as you can imagine, it’s always best to be pretty skeptical whenever you see a horror movie boasting about its true story or true events–chances are they’re playing pretty fast and loose with their definition of what’s “true” and what isn’t.

Still, that doesn’t mean any of these movies are bad–in fact, sometimes its that little kick of inspiration from real life events that really solidify a horror movie as an unforgettable cultural artifact…or, generate a lot of confusing controversy that ultimately tanks the rest of the franchise. It really is kind of a 50/50 chance at this point. But we’re not here to pass judgment, we’re here to let you decide for yourself. We’ve gathered a list of 11 movies that are, believe it or not, based on true stories in one way or another. Which ones are you going to believe?