'The Exorcism of Emily Rose' to 'Annabelle': Horror movies to binge watch on OTT before 'The Conjuring: Last Rites' releases

Hollywood has always drawn inspiration from real life, but some of its scariest horror films are even more terrifying because they are based on true stories. These tales, which cover everything from demonic possession to haunted dolls and haunted houses, are based on eyewitness reports, mysterious events, and actual events. These movies don't just play with people's imaginations; they evoke the erratic horrors that people have actually encountered in their real lives. Don't think horror is just fiction. These terrifying films are based on actual events.

Based on the Perron Family Haunting, the horrific events that the Perron family went through in Rhode Island in the 1970s served as the inspiration for this James Wan movie. The family sought help from actual demonologists Ed and Lorraine Warren to conduct an investigation because they thought a witch named Bathsheba was haunting their home. Because it expertly combines possessions, ghostly apparitions, and eerie silences, The Conjuring is among the scariest horror films. As a consultant on the movie, Lorraine Warren herself assisted in the foundation of the supernatural narrative in the case files and real-life experiences of the Warrens.

This legal-horror hybrid is based on the terrifying real-life story of Anneliese Michel, a German girl who experienced multiple exorcisms in the 1970s. When she was diagnosed with epilepsy and psychosis, which worsened over time, her pious parents turned to priests. Tragically, she died at the age of 23. The film shows the accused priest's possession as well as his trial in court. By blurring the lines between faith, science, and the supernatural, it forces viewers to question whether evil has a demonic or psychological origin.

Based on the haunting of the Lutz family, 'The Amityville Horror' centered on the house on Long Island where Ronald DeFeo Jr. murdered his entire family during the Lutz family's brief and horrific stay. Following their relocation, the Lutzes encountered green slime, forces acting upon them, and unearthly cold temperatures and smells. After experiencing these phenomena for twenty-eight days, they left the house. The aforementioned events are depicted in the film adaptation, raising concerns about how much of them were genuinely paranormal and how much were psychological in nature. Despite disputes regarding its authenticity, it remains one of Hollywood's most well-known haunted house tales.

'Annabelle,' a creepy doll from The Conjuring universe, is based on a real Raggedy Ann doll that paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren kept in a glass case in their museum. The Warrens claimed that the doll was possessed by a malicious spirit and had a history of frightening behavior. The film dramatizes a fictional origin story for the doll while fusing real-life stories with a lot of suspense and supernatural horror. The idea that something as seemingly innocent as a doll could be the cause of such horror heightens the fear.

Based on the 1949 exorcism of a 14-year-old boy who went by the pseudonym Roland Doe, 'The Exorcist' is often regarded as the scariest movie ever made. Strange markings on the boy's body, guttural voices, and objects moving on their own are all mentioned by witnesses. The child was subjected to multiple exorcisms by the Catholic Church, which kept the case confidential. Blatty's novel, which was adapted from the actual possession case, served as the basis for the film. Blatty's work is renowned for its intensely unsettling imagery and deep theological allusions, which heighten its realism and horror.