Dark stories behind horror films…HUMAN skin collector who spawned 3 movies to Scots cannibal clan who killed 1,000

THEY leave us hiding behind boxes of popcorn, jumping in fright and twitching on the edge of our seats with adrenaline pumping through our veins. 

Scary films are loved by many but few know some of our favourites are actually based on real-life horror stories featuring serial killers, unexplained deaths, massacres and haunted objects. 

A Nightmare On Elm Street

Take supernatural slasher series A Nightmare On Elm Street, which famously stars Robert Englund as knife-fingered killer Freddy Kreuger (below). 

Horror creation Leatherface struck fear into the film’s characters… and us[/caption]

And while the majority of the 1974 film was a work of fiction, the protagonist was loosely based on reality, as was one of his famous features.

Leatherface’s… erm… leather face, which was made out of the skin of his chopped-up victims, was inspired by real-life suspected serial killer Ed Gein.

The American monster, known as the ‘Butcher of Plainfield’, murdered at least two and was suspected of at least seven more.

Among the chilling creations Gein made from skin were a wastebasket, leggings and even a belt comprised of female nipples. 

Psycho 

Alfred Hitchcock’s much-loved thriller Psycho used real life as the inspiration for mum-obsessed motel manager Norman Bates.

The story is loosely based on a Scottish clan that operated between the 1400s and 1700s.

The grisly group, who were led by Alexander ‘Sawney’ Bean (below), are believed to have killed and consumed up to 1,000 people over 20 years.

The real Annabelle Doll (above) has been locked away[/caption]

It’s claimed the possessed porcelain figure attacked a group of housemates and tried to strangle one of them while he slept in his bed. 

The creepy doll Chucky from the 1988 film Child’s Play[/caption]

He allegedly heard it giggling, believed it had knocked over items around his house and thought it could move between rooms.

The doll was discovered by a new family who moved into Otto’s home after his death and they reported mysterious activities too. It’s now in a museum.

The Amityville Horror

Moving house is never fun – but especially when it’s plagued with ghostly figures, like in the film franchise The Amityville Horror. Check it out below:

But few may be aware that the series, which began in 1979, was based on a book written by a family who allegedly had terrifying experiences at a property in Long Island, New York. 

Other20th Century Fox

The eerie looking house used for Amityville Horror[/caption]

The Lutz family temporarily moved into the ‘haunted home’ 13 months after the bodies of a couple and their four children were discovered there. 

Their eldest son Ronald DeFeo Jr confessed to the murders and claimed “voices from the house” told him to do it. 

Getty - Contributor

Ronald DeFeo Jr being led away by cops after killing his family[/caption]

While living in the home, the Lutz family claimed to have heard footsteps, saw ghostly figures and were threatened by a spirit who allegedly told them: “You’ll live here forever.”