PHOTO : PARAMOUNT/COURTESY EVERETT COLLECTION David Fincher’s chilling 2007 film starring Jake Gyllenhaal was based on the Zodiac Killer, who was behind brutal murders in San Francisco throughout the 1960s and ’70s. The killer would also taunt police by sharing puzzles and coded messages through the press. The film centered on political cartoonist Robert Graysmith (portrayed by […]

PHOTO : UNIVERSAL PICTURES/COURTESY EVERETT COLLECTION Bryan Bertino’s 2008 film, which starred Scott Speedman and Liv Tyler, chronicled a terrifying home invasion. The story was inspired by real-life violent crimes, including the murders committed by the Manson Family and the 1981 Keddie Cabin Murders, in which four people were killed by three masked assailants in a California […]

PHOTO : NEWMARKET RELEASING / COURTESY EVERETT COLLECTION Charlize Theron won 17 awards, including the Best Actress Oscar, for her portrayal of former prostitute-turned-serial killer Aileen Wuornos. Wuornos was convicted on six counts of first-degree murder– though there was a seventh victim–and was executed in Florida in 2002. There are several documentaries about Wournos, some very good. […]

The 1974 film centered on chainsaw murderer Leatherface is loosely inspired by the life and crimes of killer Ed Gein, also known as “the Butcher of Plainfield” or “Plainfield Ghoul,” in the 1950s.

PHOTO : MGM/COURTESY EVERETT COLLECTION The 1982 classic co-written by Spielberg tells the story of a family whose home was built on a burial ground and plagued by its violent spirits. The premise of the story was based on the Hermann family, who claimed that their Long Island, New York, home was haunted by a poltergeist due […]