The term ‘based on a true story’ is something that audiences have grown used to seeing. Usually, it’s a good idea to take this banner with a grain of salt, considering how eager some filmmakers are to take creative liberties with the source material.
However, as is often the case, the truth is stranger than fiction. Some of the wildest, most outlandish crime dramas in history were based, or partially inspired, by real events. Here are ten examples.
10 A Good Marriage (2014)
Based on the novella of the same name by Stephen King, A Good Marriage tells the story of a wife who discovers that her husband is a serial killer. While such a double life might be difficult to hide from one’s family, it isn’t completely impossible.
The plot was inspired by the crimes of Dennis Radar, otherwise known as the BTK Killer, an American serial killer who killed ten people between 1974 and 1991. Like his fictional counterpart, Radar kept his bloody passion a secret from his family, and his wife was just as surprised as everyone else to learn of his crimes.
9 The Godfather (1972)
A masterpiece of mobster cinema, The Godfather won critical acclaim upon release and helped cement the status of its director, Francis Ford Coppola. While the film, and the book that inspired it, revolve around a fictional New York Mafia family, its real-life inspiration is easy to spot.
Mario Puzo, the writer of the novel of the same name, took inspiration from New York’s Five Families, a collection of five organized crime syndicates who joined forces in the years prior to World War II. The crimes and exploits of the Five Families during the height of their power laid the groundwork for Puzo’s classic, and many other pieces of mob-inspired media.
8 The Strangers (2008)
The Strangers is about a group of masked fiends who break into a suburban home and torment the family that lives there. Audiences were horrified when coming attractions claimed it was based on true events, and some armature sleuths even attempted to dig up the real-life inspiration. Director Bryan Bertino later clarified that the movie was partially inspired by the Manson family murders, but it wasn’t the only crime that Bertino thought of when writing the screenplay.
Bertino stated that the movie was also inspired by a string of break-ins in his home town during his childhood. Thankfully, nothing on the same level of what was depicted in the movie occurred, but it nonetheless shook him up enough to create one of the scariest films of the ‘00s.
7 Joker (2019)
Since his creation nearly eighty years ago, the Joker has become a metaphor for any and all of society’s ills. 2019’s Joker introduced viewers to a more grounded and realistic incarnation of the popular villain, and one trait, in particular, was inspired by one of the evilest men in American history.
Author Fleck’s makeup was inspired by the design worn by Pogo, the clown alter-ego of serial killer John Wayne Gacy. Between 1972 and 1978, Gacy murdered 33 young men and boys. Like Fleck, Gacy’s makeup for Pogo used an unconventional diamond shape around the eyes, which is rarely used today as it’s believed to scare children.
6 Natural Born Killers (1994)
Easily one of the most controversial movies ever made, Oliver Stone’s Natural Born Killers has been accused of inspiring acts of mass violence, including a number of school shootings. Critics complained that the movie, which follows the murderous rampage of husband and wife Mickey and Mallory, glorified senseless violence in a brazen and irresponsible manner. But according to Stone, it’s the news media who ought to own up.
NBK came out at the dawn of the 24-hour news cycle and the advent of cable news. Major stories of the era, like the LA riots and the OJ Simson murder trial, were broadcasted to a wider audience than they would have in years past. Stone and others at the time were concerned that the prioritization of ratings over factual reporting was making the public hungry for sensationalized content, at the expense of others. Stone worked these themes into NBK, resulting in a movie that continues to be heavily debated today.
5 The Departed (2006)
This Martin Scorsese drama about an undercover cop in the Irish Mob may have been a remake of a Hong Kong movie named Internal Affairs. However, in transitioning the movie’s plot to an American setting, Scorsese used a real-life crime boss as the basis for the movie’s main antagonist.
Jack Nicholson’s character in the movie is heavily inspired by the late James ‘Whitey’ Bulger, a prominent figure in the Irish Mob, who worked as an informant for the FBI during the ‘70s and ‘80s. Bulger used his relation to the feds to eliminate his rivals, allowing his outfit to become the dominant organized crime family in Boston. Bulger was still on the run when The Departed came out, but even then, his status was legendary among true-crime aficionados.
4 The Silence of the Lambs (1992)
Murderer and grave robber Ed Gein was one of the 20th century’s most notorious criminals. While he was only found guilty of killing two people, his penchant for digging up graves and using human remains as decorations helped inspire some of the greatest works of cinematic horror. Psycho and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre are perhaps the most obvious examples, but the Butcher of Plainfield also helped shape one of the greatest movie villains of the 90s.
Like Gein, Buffalo Bill, the primary antagonist of The Silence of the Lambs, is a psychotic killer who uses his victim’s skin to create a woman suit. Gein also made clothing from human flesh, and even used the remains to make furniture and other household items.
3 I Love You to Death (1990)
A rom com about a wife trying, and failing, to kill her cheating husband seems unbelievable. After all, most people wouldn’t survive a weekend of getting poisoned and shot. Yet, not only were the events of the movie inspired by true events, but just like in the film, the real-life couple actually stayed together after it was said and done.
Tracy Ullman’s character is inspired by Francis Toto, a Pennsylvania wife who exacted revenge on her unfaithful husband, Tony, by poisoning him and shooting him in the head. Ultimately, Tony survived, and Toto spent four years in prison, but upon her release the couple stayed together. Tony even offered to pay for her bail.
2 The Fugitive (1993)
Inspired by the popular TV show of the same name, The Fugitive sees Harrison Ford as a widowed man trying to clear his name after his wife’s murder. While the creators of the original show would say otherwise, it was very likely based on one of the biggest unsolved murder mysteries in recent history.
The plot shares an uncanny resemblance to the story of Sam Sheppard, who was tried, convicted, and eventually exonerated for the death of his wife, Marilyn. The case drew national headlines, however, the culprit behind Marilyn’s murder was never found, and the case has since gone cold.
1 M (1931)
Considered by some to be one of the greatest movies ever made, Fritz Lang’s M stars Peter Lorrie as a child killer who stalks the streets of pre-WWII Berlin. While M is now required viewing for many film classes, due to Lang’s innovative directorial style, the movie was extremely controversial during its release, largely because of parallels drawn between it and a real-life killer.
During pre-production, Lang interviewed Peter Kurten, aka The Vampire of Dusseldorf, who killed nine children in Germany between 1913 and 1929. Kurten was still alive when and awaiting execution when M first came out (he was eliminated less than two months later), and emotions were still raw among audiences.
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