Random Best Horror Movies Based On True Stories (56 items)

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  (#1) The Exorcist

  • Ellen Burstyn, Linda Blair, Max von Sydow, Lee J. Cobb, Kitty Winn, Jack MacGowran, Jason Miller, William O'Malley, Barton Heyman, Peter Masterson, Rudolf Schündler, Gina Petrushka, Robert Symonds, Arthur Storch, Thomas Bermingham, Vasiliki Maliaros, Titos Vandis, Wallace Rooney, Ron Faber, Donna Mitchell, Roy Cooper, Robert Gerringer, Mercedes McCambridge

  Inspired by the alleged demonic possession of Robbie Mannheim.
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  (#2) The Silence of the Lambs

  • Jodie Foster, Anthony Hopkins, Scott Glenn, Ted Levine, Anthony Heald, Brooke Smith, Diane Baker, Kasi Lemmons, Charles Napier, Roger Corman, George A. Romero

  Based loosely on the relationship between serial killer Ted Bundy and criminal profiler Robert Keppel.
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  (#3) The Conjuring

  • Vera Farmiga, Patrick Wilson, Lili Taylor, Ron Livingston, Shanley Caswell, Hayley McFarland, Joey King, Mackenzie Foy, Kyla Deaver, Shannon Kook, John Brotherton, Sterling Jerins, Marion Guyot, Morganna Bridgers, Amy Tipton, Steve Coulter

  Based on the experiences of the Perron family as investigated by paranormal detectives Ed and Lorraine Warren.
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  (#4) The Texas Chain Saw Massacre

  • Marilyn Burns, Gunnar Hansen, Allen Danziger, Paul A. Partain, William Vail, Teri McMinn, Edwin Neal, Jim Siedow, John Dugan, Perry Lorenz

  Loosely based on serial killer Ed Gein.
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  (#5) A Nightmare on Elm Street

  • John Saxon, Ronee Blakley, Heather Langenkamp, Amanda Wyss, Johnny Depp, Charles Fleischer, Robert Englund, Joseph Whipp

  Loosely based on a group of Cambodian refugees in the 1970's who were suffering disturbing night terrors after fleeing to the United States. Their nightmares were so terrifying, they began refusing to sleep.
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  (#6) The Amityville Horror

  • James Brolin, Margot Kidder, Rod Steiger, Don Stroud, Natasha Ryan, K.C. Martel, Meeno Peluce, Michael Sacks, Helen Shaver, Val Avery, Amy Wright, Murray Hamilton, John Larch

  Inspired by the experiences of the Lutz family as investigated by Paranormal Detectives, Ed and Lorraine Warren.
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  (#7) Psycho

  • Anthony Perkins, Janet Leigh, Vera Miles, John Gavin, Martin Balsam, John McIntire, Simon Oakland, John Anderson, Frank Albertson, Patricia Hitchcock

  Loosely based on Wisconsin serial killer Ed Gein.
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  (#8) The Exorcism of Emily Rose

  • Laura Linney, Tom Wilkinson, Campbell Scott, Jennifer Carpenter, Colm Feore, Joshua Close, Kenneth Welsh, Duncan Fraser, JR Bourne, Mary Beth Hurt, Henry Czerny, Shohreh Aghdashloo

  Based on the story of a 16-year-old German girl named Anneliese Michel who was believed to be possessed in 1968.
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  (#9) Jaws

  • Roy Scheider, Robert Shaw, Richard Dreyfuss, Lorraine Gary, Murray Hamilton, Carl Gottlieb, Jeffrey Kramer, Susan Backlinie, Jonathan Filley, Ted Grossman, Chris Rebello

  Inspired by a series of shark attacks off the New Jersey shore in 1916.
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  (#10) The Hills Have Eyes

  • Suze Lanier-Bramlett, Robert Houston, James Whitworth, Virginia Vincent, Russ Grieve, Dee Wallace, Martin Speer, Michael Berryman

  Based on the sixteenth century cave-dwelling-clan leader Alexander Bean. He and his disciples ate an estimated 1,000 people.
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  (#11) The Haunting in Connecticut

  • Virginia Madsen, Kyle Gallner, Martin Donovan, Elias Koteas, Amanda Crew, Sophi Knight, Ty Wood, Erik Berg

  Inspired by the experiences of the Snedeker family as investigated by paranormal detectives Ed and Lorraine Warren.
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  (#12) Child's Play

  • Catherine Hicks, Chris Sarandon, Alex Vincent, Brad Dourif, Dinah Manoff, Tommy Swerdlow, Jack Colvin, Neil Giuntoli

  Seriously. Based on Robert the doll, who is a doll, owned by author Robert Eugene Otto, who is a man. Robert (the doll) was said to be possessed by evil spirits. 
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  (#13) Scream

  • Neve Campbell, David Arquette, Courteney Cox, Matthew Lillard, Skeet Ulrich, Rose McGowan, Drew Barrymore, Jamie Kennedy, Henry Winkler, Lawrence Hecht, Liev Schreiber, W. Earl Brown

  Based partly on the real-life case of the Gainesville Ripper.
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  (#14) Bram Stoker's Dracula

  • Gary Oldman, Winona Ryder, Anthony Hopkins, Keanu Reeves, Richard E. Grant, Cary Elwes, Bill Campbell, Sadie Frost, Tom Waits, Monica Bellucci, Michaela Bercu, Florina Kendrick, Jay Robinson

  Vlad the Impaler. Period.
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  (#15) The Zodiac Killer

  • Hal Reed, Bob Jones, Ray Lynch, Tom Pittman

  Based on the notorious San Francisco serial killer, the Zodiac.
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  (#16) The Strangers

  • Liv Tyler, Scott Speedman, Gemma Ward, Kip Weeks, Laura Margolis, Glenn Howerton, Alex Fisher, Peter Clayton-Luce

  Writer/Director Bryan Bertino claims that the movie is based on a series of break-ins that occurred in his neighborhood as a child. The legitimacy of this claim is up for debate.
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  (#17) Monster

  • Charlize Theron, Christina Ricci, Bruce Dern, Scott Wilson, Pruitt Taylor Vince, Lee Tergesen, Annie Corley, Marco St. John

  Based on the story of serial killer Aileen Wuornos who killed seven men in Florida while maintaining that they were all acts of self-defense. 
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  (#18) An American Haunting

  • Donald Sutherland, Sissy Spacek, Rachel Hurd-Wood, James D'Arcy, Matthew Marsh, Thom Fell, Sam Alexander, Gaye Brown, Zoe Thorne, Miquel Brown, Shauna Shim, Howard Rosenstein, Lila Bata-Walsh

  Based on the legend of the Bell Witch.
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  (#19) From Hell

  • Johnny Depp, Heather Graham, Ian Holm, Robbie Coltrane, Ian Richardson, Jason Flemyng, Katrin Cartlidge, Terence Harvey, Susan Lynch, Lesley Sharp, Annabelle Apsion

  Inspired by the murders committed by Jack The Ripper.
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  (#20) Zodiac

  • Jake Gyllenhaal, Mark Ruffalo, Robert Downey, Anthony Edwards, Dermot Mulroney, Brian Cox, Elias Koteas, Donal Logue, John Carroll Lynch, Clea Duvall, Chloë Sevigny, Ione Skye, Tom Verica, Charles Schneider, Jim McNichols, Pell James, Adam Goldberg, John Getz, Zach Grenier, John Hemphill

  Based on the story of the zodiac killer.
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  (#21) The Entity

  • Barbara Hershey, Ron Silver, George Coe, David Labiosa, Margaret Blye, Jacqueline Brookes, Richard Brestoff, Michael Alldredge, Raymond Singer, Allan Rich, Natasha Ryan, Melanie Gaffin, Alex Rocco, Sully Boyar, Tom Stern, Curt Lowens, Paula Victor

  Inspired by the experiences of Doris Blither, who claimed to be assaulted by invisible entities. This was documented by paranormal investigators Barry Taff and Kerry Gaynor.
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  (#22) The Mothman Prophecies

  • Richard Gere, Laura Linney, Will Patton, Debra Messing, Lucinda Jenney, Alan Bates, David Eigenberg, Ann McDonough, Nesbitt Blaisdell, Bill Laing

  Based on author John Keel's own investigations into the mysterious Mothman in the town of Point Pleasant.
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  (#23) Dracula

  • Bela Lugosi, Edward Van Sloan, Dwight Frye, David Manners, Herbert Bunston, Frances Dade, Helen Chandler, Charles K. Gerrard

  Inspired by the exploits of the Wallachian prince and serial killer Vlad III aka Vlad the Impaler
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  (#24) Gacy

  • Mark Holton, Charlie Weber, Adam Baldwin, Joleen Lutz, Allison Lange, Jer Adrianne Lelliott, Glenn Morshower, Tom Waldman, Joseph Sikora, Joe Roncetti, Matt Farnsworth, Eddie Adams, Larry Hankin, Rick Dean

  Based on the life and times of serial killer John Wayne Gacy.
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  (#25) The Rite

  • Anthony Hopkins, Colin O'Donoghue, Alice Braga, Ciarán Hinds, Toby Jones, Rutger Hauer, Marta Gastini, Maria Grazia Cucinotta, Arianna Veronesi, Andrea Calligari, Chris Marquette, Torrey DeVitto, Ben Cheetham, Marija Karan

  Based on the real-life experiences of Father Gary Thomas.
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  (#26) An American Crime

  • Catherine Keener, Elliot Page, James Franco, Bradley Whitford, Ari Graynor, Nick Searcy, Michael O'Keefe, Romy Rosemont, Hayley McFarland, Jeremy Sumpter, Evan Peters

  Inspired by the story of Sylvia Likens, the real-life 16-year-old girl who was brutally tortured and murdered by her caregiver Gertrude Baniszewski in 1965 Indianapolis.
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  (#27) The Haunting of Sharon Tate

  • Hilary Duff, Jonathan Bennett, Lydia Hearst, Pawel Szajda, Ryan Cargill, Tyler Johnson, Bella Popa, Fivel Stewart, Ben Mellish

  Based on the horrific Tate-LaBianca murders. 
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  (#28) Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile

  • Zac Efron, Lily Collins, Haley Joel Osment, Kaya Scodelario, John Malkovich, Jim Parsons, Angela Sarafyan, James Hetfield, Jeffrey Donovan, Dylan Baker

  A true story following the life of Ted Bundy.
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  (#29) The Witch

  • Anya Taylor-Joy, Ralph Ineson, Kate Dickie, Harvey Scrimshaw, Ellie Grainger, Lucas Dawson, Bathsheba Garnett, Sarah Stephens, Julian Richings, Wahab Chaudhry

  Based on the 17th century when witch paranoia dominated New England culture.
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  (#30) Wolf Creek

  • Teresa Palmer, John Jarratt, Kestie Morassi, Nathan Phillips, Cassandra Magrath, Jenny Starwall, Guy Petersen

  Loosely inspired by Ivan Milat, who captured and tortured many hitchhikers and travelers during the 1990s.
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  (#31) The Girl Next Door

  • Catherine Mary Stewart, William Atherton, Mark Margolis, Jack Ketchum, Michael Zegen, Grant Show, Kevin Chamberlin, Graham Patrick Martin, Daniel Farrands, Blanche Baker, Peter Stickles, Austin Williams, Andrew van den Houten, Madeline Taylor, Daniel Manche, Blythe Auffarth, Krista Gall, Benjamin Ross Kaplan, Jennifer Alexander, Spenser Leigh, Gabrielle Howarth, Jocelyn Kuritsky, Dean Faulkenberry, Gary Patent, Eric Toth, Robert Tonino, Carlin Rizzo, Wynn Van Dusen, Lluis Fe Perez, Jason Rigsby, Alana Rader, Vivian Hernandez, Michael Nardella, Gerard Houarner, Dan Abram, J.M. Parkhurst, Christine Choo, Rory Douglas, Santo Silvestro, Leon Blot, Greg Northrop, Linda Addison, Monica O'Rourke, Kevin Carroll, Ashley Musteric, Andy Bennett, Nick Kelios, Lily Cohen, George Kloak, Dagmara Jankowska, Jeffrey Wolpert, David Auffarth, Janet Hefferan, Chris Steinacker, Nick Purritano, Anthony Stone, David Hefferan, Malgorzata Staniszewska, Beth Gittleman, Rhodi Hawk, Irene Katehis, Benjamin Laddin

  Partially based on the torture and murder of 16-year-old Sylvia Likens in 1965.
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  (#32) Veronica

  • Sandra Escacena, Bruna Gonzalez, Claudia Placer, Iván Chavero, Ana Torrent, Sonia Almarcha, Maru Valdivieso, Leticia Dolera, Consuelo Trujillo

  Based on a real police report from a Madrid neighborhood.
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  (#33) Dahmer

  • Jeremy Renner, Bruce Davison, Artel Great, Matt Newton, Dionysio Basco, Kate Williamson

  Biopic based on the life and murders of American serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer.
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  (#35) Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer

  • Michael Rooker, Tracy Arnold, Tom Towles, Anne Bartoletti, Mary Demas, Elizabeth Kaden, Ted Kaden

  Based on the accounts of serial killer Henry Lee Lucas.
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  (#36) Fire in the Sky

  • D.B. Sweeney, Robert Patrick, Craig Sheffer, Peter Berg, James Garner, Henry Thomas, Bradley Gregg, Noble Willingham, Kathleen Wilhoite, Georgia Emelin, Scott MacDonald, Wayne Grace

  Based on the accounts of Timothy Walton, who claims to have been abducted by aliens.
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  (#37) Winchester

  • Helen Mirren, Jason Clarke, Sarah Snook, Angus Sampson, Laura Brent, Tyler Coppin, Eamon Farren, Thor Carlsson, Emm Wiseman, Finn Scicluna-O'Prey

  Based on a real place, known as the Winchester Mystery House, which the real-life woman who Mirren plays spent 38 years constructing and renovating as she lived there.
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  (#38) Hard Candy

  • Patrick Wilson, Elliot Page, Sandra Oh, Odessa Rae, Gilbert John, Cori Bright, Erin Kraft

  Inspired by incidents of young Japanese girls luring older businessmen online to meet at a specific location for "meaningful conversation" only to assault and mug them.
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  (#39) Open Water

  • Blanchard Ryan, Daniel Travis, Saul Stein, Estelle Lau, Michael E. Williamson, Cristina Zenaro, John Charles, Steve Lemme

  Based on the story of Tom and Eileen Lonergan who were accidentally left behind on a scuba diving trip in 1998.
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  (#40) The Afflicted

  • Kane Hodder, Leslie Easterbrook, Tammy Trull, Daniel Jones, Ron Stafford, Anthony Garner, John David Hart, Anthony Osment, Michele Grey, Katie Holland, Matthew M. Anderson, Cody Allen

  Based on the crimes of Theresa Knorr, a woman convicted of murdering two of her children and abusing and manipulating her other four children into covering up her crimes.
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  (#41) The Quiet Ones

  • Jared Harris, Sam Claflin, Olivia Cooke, Erin Richards, Rory Fleck Byrne, Laurie Calvert, Aldo Maland, Max Pirkis, Tracy Ray, Richard Cunningham

  Based on the Philip experiment that took place in Toronto in 1972. 
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  (#42) The Serpent and the Rainbow

  • Bill Pullman, Cathy Tyson, Zakes Mokae, Paul Winfield, Brent Jennings, Conrad Roberts, Badja Djola, Theresa Merritt, Michael Gough, Paul Guilfoyle, Dey Young, Aleta Mitchell

  Inspired by the experiences of Canadian scientist Wade Davis and his knowledge in the field of "zombification."
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  (#43) Silent House

  • Elizabeth Olsen, Adam Trese, Eric Sheffer Stevens, Julia Chan, Adam Barnett, Haley Murphy

  Based on a true story that occurred in a small town in Uruguay in the 1940s.
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  (#44) Audrey Rose

  • Marsha Mason, Anthony Hopkins, John Beck, Susan Swift, Norman Lloyd, John Hillerman, Robert Walden, Philip Sterling, Ivy Jones, Steve Pearlman, Aly Wassil, Mary Jackson, David Fresco, Pat Corley

  Based on actual events from the life of its writer, Frank De Felitta. 
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  (#45) The Sacrament

  • Joe Swanberg, Amy Seimetz, AJ Bowen, Kate Lyn Sheil, Kentucker Audley, Gene Jones, Donna Biscoe, Shawn Parsons, Shaun Clay

  Based on the real-life events of the Jonestown Massacre of 1978.
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  (#46) When the Lights Went Out

  • Martin Compston, Gary Lewis, Kate Ashfield, Steven Waddington, Craig Parkinson, Andrea Lowe, Claire Catterson, Tasha Connor, Morgan Connell, Matt Connor, Alan Brent, Hannah Clifford, Jacob Clarke, Nicky Bell

  Based on a claimed poltergeist haunting known as "The Black Monk of Pontefract."
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  (#47) Dear Mr. Gacy

  • William Forsythe, Emma Lahana, Richard Harmon, Michael Kopsa, Andrew Airlie, Patrick Gilmore, Eric Keenleyside, Jesse Moss, Brett Dier, Belinda Metz, Cole Heppell, Dee Jay Jackson, Andrea Brooks, Michaela Mann, Daryl Shuttleworth, James Ralph, Jeffrey Bowyer-Chapman, Karissa Tynes, Lynn Colliar, Jaren Brandt Bartlett, Josh Goring, Michael Ryan, Anthony Shim, Hunter Elliott, John Andrew Vaas, Libby Osler, Kai Kennedy

  Based on the memoir of Jason Moss.
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  (#48) Compliance

  • Dreama Walker, Ann Dowd, James McCaffrey, Matt Servitto, Pat Healy, Ashlie Atkinson, Bill Camp, Michael Abbott Jr., Rebecca Henderson, Stephen Payne, Desmin Borges, Ralph Rodriguez, Philip Ettinger, Raymond McAnally, Jeffrey Grover, Amelia Fowler, John Merolla, Nikiya Mathis, Matt Skibiak, Samuel Caruana, George Asatrian, Liam O'Connor, Maren McKee

  The true story of a man posing as a cop convinces a fast-food restaurant manager to strip-search one of her employees.
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  (#49) My Friend Dahmer

  • Ross Lynch, Alex Wolff, Anne Heche, Dallas Roberts, Miles Robbins, Vincent Kartheiser, Cameron McKendry, Harrison Holzer, Christopher Mele, Tommy Nelson

  Based on the life of Jeffrey Dahmer.
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  (#50) Dead Ringers

  • Jeremy Irons, Geneviève Bujold, Heidi von Palleske, Barbara Gordon, Shirley Douglas, Stephen Lack, Nick Nichols, Lynne Cormack

  Inspired by two real-life identical twin gynecologists, Stewart and Cyril Marcus. 
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  (#51) Ravenous

  • Guy Pearce, Robert Carlyle, Jeremy Davies, Jeffrey Jones, John Spencer, Stephen Spinella, Neal McDonough, David Arquette

  Based loosely on the Donner Party, infamous cannibals, and Alfred Packer, an American prospector and accused cannibal.
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  (#52) Shadow People

  • Anne Dudek, Alison Eastwood, Dallas Roberts, Gary Grubbs, Ritchie Montgomery, Marco St. John, Jaqueline Fleming, Beau Brasso, Kasey Amanda, Billy Slaughter, Bryan Massey, Iman Crosson, Tony Schiena, Christopher Shane Berry, Monica Acosta, Edward J. Clare, Claudia Coffey, Damon Lipari, Mariah Bonner, Angelena Swords, Natacha Itzel, Han Soto, Michael Patrick Rogers, Glen Warner, Jean-François Gérard, Mattie Liptak, Brittani Taylor, Raeden Greer, Zac Cino, Misty Kingma, Mike Vaughn, Jonathan Baron, Debby Gaudet, John T. Wilson Jr., Kenny Byerly, Som Ol, Chak Reya, Chham

  Based on the director's own encounter with a "shadow person" and loosely based on the phenomenon known as Sudden Unexplained Nocturnal Death Syndrome (S.U.N.D.S).
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  (#53) Cold Fish

  • Taro Suwa, Denden, Megumi Kagurazaka, Tetsu Watanabe, Mitsuru Fukikoshi, Makoto Ashikawa, Masaki Miura, Asuka Kurosawa, Suwaru Ryû, Jyonmyon Pe, Hikari Kajiwara, Lorena Kotô, Masahiko Sakata

  Based on the real-life exploits of a serial killer couple. 
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  (#54) Black Water

  • Diana Glenn, Maeve Dermody, Andy Rodoreda, Ben Oxenbould, Fiona Press

  Based on the death of a young Australian man who was eaten alive by a crocodile.
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  (#55) Borderland

  • Brian Presley, Martha Higareda, Jake Muxworthy, Rider Strong, Damián Alcázar, Sean Astin, Marco Bacuzzi, Roberto Sosa, Francesca Guillén, Beto Cuevas, Humberto Busto, Elizabeth Cervantes, Mircea Monroe, Kathryn Tamblyn

  Loosely based on the story of cult leader and serial killer Adolofo de Jesus Costanzo.
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  (#56) Stuck

  • Mena Suvari, Stephen Rea, Russell Hornsby, Rukiya Bernard, Carolyn Purdy-Gordon, Lionel Mark Smith, Wayne Robson, R.D. Reid, Patrick McKenna, Sharlene Royer

  Based on the true story of a Texas woman who struck a homeless man with her car. The man became lodged in her windshield so she drove home and parked the car in the garage and left him to die.
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  (#57) 247°F

  • Scout Taylor-Compton, Tyler Mane, Michael Copon, Travis Van Winkle, Christina Ulloa, Tornike Gogrichiani, Ibrahim Idowu, Rene Etore, Vazha Qoqrashvili, George Dugashvili, Mamuka Mazavrishvili II, Beso Natsvlishvili, Michael Zaalishvili, Igor Lukin, Michael Andrew, Jeremy Inabnit

  Based on the story of a Georgia man who accidentally locked his friends in a sauna and completely forgot about it.

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