Horror Movies Based on True Stories! Believe? Disbelieve? or It Depends!

[Jack1000]

Hey Everyone,
I was always interested in the Suprnatural. I believe that a person's soul. (that contains all of their feelings, emotions, sensations, seperates itself from a person's body after that person has passed on. (This is something among few things that theologins, scientists, and paranormal investigators agree on.) In most cases, I read that a person's soul (emotional state) usually doesn't "hang around." But in extreamlly rare cases, a person may have had a strong emotional bond to another person, (good or bad), a place of residence, (good or bad) or even a physical object that they enjoyed very much. Using this blend of reasoning I think it is possible, though unlikely that a person's emotional state could very well remain in a residence that they were negativly or positivly influenced by after the physical body has gone, or a soul or spirit could penatrate an object that they loved, or even influence the behavior of people living where they once lived. Emotions are very powerful things and we really don't know what happens to them after we die.

Yet, I take each of the stuff that I have read about this on a case by case basis. You are all familiar with the movie The Amityville Horror. I believed this case to be a complete and total fabrication. The murders in the house were real, the Lutz family was real, but their experiences were strongly questioned by tons of documented research in a book by Dr. Stephen Kaplin called the Amityville Conspiracy. It seemed that the Lutz's (he claims) contacted William Weber, an attorny for Ronald Defeo (the kid that shot his family) and he mentiones that he contacted the Lutzes who were interested in finding out more about the murders. Weber claims that the Lutz's thought instead of writing a book about a haunted house. (That it would "sell better") Weber knew right away that the Lutz's were concocting a hoax and Weber was asked to leave. Dr. Kaplin claimed that he visted the house several times and came up with all kinds of pieces of forensic evidence that showed that what the Lutz's were saying was not true. Furthermore, Jay Anson had already interviewed the Lutz's and had published the Amityville Horror book, which contaned 100's of errors in each edition. Furthermore, Dr. Kaplin's own research showed that the Cathlic Church was never involved, Mr. Lutz waking up at 3:15 AM was a total fabrication, there were no flies, oders or smells in the house. In fact, the real reason (and only reason that the family left the house was because....the heat had broken down!)

A case that I do believe is the case of the "Smurl family" who's supernatural experiences were discussed in the movie "The Haunted" They bought a home in Pennsilvania in 1973 and lived in terror when unexplained phenomenon started happening to them in 1974 and continued through 1988. (I want to get the book but its out of print!) Among things that they claimed were a TV set mysteriously burst into flames, doors would open and close by themselves, radios and appliences would turn on and off even when unplugged. Several members of the family heard voices and saw ghostleyformations. In 1977, their oldest daughter complained of people "floating around in her bedroom"

Neighbors complained that strange noises occured in the home even when the family was away. (screams, scratching, hissing sounds in the walls...doors slamming) By the mid 80's, both Smurls had experienced being levitated from their beds, paralized and thrown against the wall. (Even the family dog was picked up and thrown by the unseen force.) A kitchen chandeler fell down and smashed into their table almost killing their daughter on the night that she was to be "confirmed" into the Catholic religion. It took 3 exorcisms to rid the house of the evil forces and supposedly, when the Smurl family moved away (more because of publicity than anything else) the spirits followed them to their new home. (although this is mentioned in the movie, I question this element of the case) They claim they had to have the church do another excersism before they were finally at peace.

So....one case I don't believe and one case I (for the most part) do believe. What other horror movies claimed to be based on true events do YOU believe or disbelieve in and why?

Jack

[AnaheimPMWitch]

Well I dont nessicarily Believe all that Because i'm a Christian and Put my Faith in God BUT I do believe in the Telepathic Connection shared between Sally Owens and Gillian Owens in the Movie Practical magic because I HAVE that with my Friends and Family its HARD to explain but THAT i believe in

[Brian]

According to an interview with Wes Craven, he says he based "A Nightmare on Elm Street" on a true event. According to him, a person who was sleeping suddenly died apparently while he was dreaming. The autopsy said the person didn't have a heart attack or anything like that. It was as if someone killed him in his dream and he was killed in real life. Wes Craven heard about this from a newspaper article. I believe it's credible because if he read it from a newspaper article and he says in an interview that that was what he based the premise of the movie on then it's pretty much believable.

[Penny Lane]

The Amityville Horror was based on actual events.

[Brian Damage]

Wasn't Poltergeist based on a true story as well? To be honest, I like CaitlinMoore 2002 put my faith in God.

[Central Perk]

I believe The Mothman Prophecies were based on true events too..