Art imitates life, and life can be horrifying. Every axe-murdering psychopath the ever stalked the pages of a thriller novel owes their existence to a real world killer. Fiction has its basis in fact, and the fact is, planet Earth is not a very nice place. Man eating beasts, cannibal murderers, this world has seen it all. While good horror fiction can haunt our dreams, real-life horror stories disturb our waking ours. The cosmic writers’ room that governs our reality has come up with some seriously chilling plot twists over the years, and these novels are inspired by the real life monsters that make our world a worse place. These are 10 books based on horrifying true stories, for the true crime lover in you.
The Hunger
Human history is littered with examples of us going places we shouldn’t. The Mariana Trench. Outer space. The peak of some desolate mountain top, places that weren’t meant to be seen by human eyes. The Hunger by Alma Katsu is the story of one of the most famous doomed expeditions in American history: that of the Donner Party. This party was anything but festive – in 1846, a group of 87 men, women and children all journeyed up into the Sierra Nevada on a trek to California. After becoming snowbound, they had to rely on each other to survive – not in a cooperative sense, but cannibalistic one. According to Katsu’s retelling of the tale, these deplorable events may have had supernatural causes. Maybe the Donner’s didn’t eat each other, maybe there was something else in the mountains, something hungry for them?
The Amityville Horror
The Amityville Horror by Jay Anson is the ultimate haunted house story, a recounting of one of the infamous paranormal experiences in American history. In 1975, 23 year old Ronald DeFeo Jr. murdered six members of his family in their suburban home. One year later, the Lutz family moved in to the DeFeo’s old place. Over a period of 28 days, the family claims to have been plagued by supernatural horrors – hauntings by the restless spirits of the dead. After listening to hours worth of tape recordings made by the Lutzes about their experiences, Anson wrote the manuscript that would later become the novel. While framed as a truthful account of Lutz’ experiences, the book is not without controversy, and critics have claimed that details have been embellished or made up. Whether fact or fiction, the truth is clear: this one of the most unsettling horror novels ever written.
The Exorcist
The Exorcist by William Blatty is the stuff of horror legend, its film adaption is often hailed as one of the finest works in the genre. The famous plot revolves around a little girl possessed by an ancient demon, and the efforts taken to exorcise it by her mother and a pair of Catholic priests. The novel was inspired by a genuine exorcism that took place in 1949 – that of Ronald Edwin Hunkeler, previously known under the pseudonym Roland Doe. Hunkeler, a former Nasa employee, claimed he began experiencing malevolent supernatural events at 14. A Jesuit priest conducted over 20 exorcism rituals on Ronald while he was a teenager, during which he allegedly screamed phrases in Latin. The story was later covered in The Washington Post in 1949, and Blatty was inspired to write The Exorcist after hearing about it.
The Girl Next Door
The Girl Next Door by Jack Ketchum is the story of teenage Meg and her disabled sister Sarah, who are kept imprisoned in a basement by their aunt and her three children. As the days turn to weeks, Sarah and Meg are subject to increasingly brutal tortures by their cousins – tortures spurred on by their psychopathic guardian. A boy named David, who serves as the novel’s narrator, attempts to rescue the two sisters – things don’t go as planned. Horrifying and brutal, the novel was inspired by the real life murder of Sylvia Likens – who was tortured by her caretaker Gertrude Baniszewski, some of Baniszewski’s children, and even some of her neighbors. It’s a deeply painful read, an echo of one of the most infamous killings in American history.
Room
Room by Emma Donoghue is the story of a five year old boy raised in captivity. Jack has lived his entire life within the confines of a single room alongside his mother, who herself has been there for seven years. Told from Jack’s point of view, the novel details’ his mother’s escape attempt – one that will free them from the grip of their terrifying captor Old Nick. The novel was inspired by the real life case of Elisabeth Fritzl, who was held captive by her father Josef for 24 years. He used her as a sex slave, and she was forced to bear him multiple children – children that served as her only company. In spite of the horrific real life story that inspired it, Room is an unexpectedly uplifting novel – a story of mother’s love told from her son’s point of view, detailing her determination to provide her child with a better life than the one they live.
Burial Rites
Burial Rites by Hannah Kent is inspired by the true story of Agnes Magnúsdóttir – the last woman who was executed in Iceland. A servant, Agnes was charged with murder of her former master and was exiled to a remote farm to await her death. The farmer and his family were horrified, shunning the woman accused of such a brutal crime. As the days passes however, the family learned that there are two sides to this story, and Agnes tells a very different tale than the one that they heard. While the real details behind the murder are unclear to this day, Kent paints Agnes in a sympathetic light – a woman who was a victim of both prejudice and circumstance.
Alias Grace
Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood is a historical fiction inspired by the story of Grace Marks, a servant who was convicted of killing her employer and his housekeeper/mistress. While languishing in prison, Grace is visited by a character of Atwood’s invention – a doctor named Simon Jordan, who is researching the case. Acting on behalf of those who believe Grace is innocent, Simon attempts to separate fact from fiction surrounding the day of the murder – a day that Grace herself can’t remember. What begins as a clinical study of criminality soon blossoms into a genuine connection as Simon attempts to absolve Grace of a crime she appears not to have committed – a crime that may stem from a supernatural cause.
The Devil In The White City
The Devil In The White City by Erik Larson is a historical fiction about a real life event so unbelievable it sounds completely made up. It’s the story of the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair – a worldwide gathering of artists and inventors unveiling their incredible creations. The novel branches into two intertwining narratives, one following the event’s architect Daniel H. Burnham, the other following H.H. Holmes – a now infamous serial killer. Holmes oversaw the creation of the World’s Fair Hotel – a labyrinthian piece of architecture that doubled as a series of torture chambers. The novel details how Holmes lured his victims to the hotel, trapping them within the structure and carrying out his gruesome murders using a built in crematorium and gas chamber. While the novel (and the press at the time of Holmes was caught) embellished some of the facts, much of what transpired at “The Murder Hotel” actually happened. Real life can sometimes be stranger (and far more horrible) than fiction.
The Terror
The Terror by Dan Simmons tells the tale of the HMS Terror, an unfortunately named vessel that was lost during Captain Sir John Franklin’s doomed expedition to find the Northwest Passage in 1845. Seeking to establish a route through the Arctic Circle, Franklin and his men became icebound during the voyage. As if a combination of dwindling temperatures and food supplies wasn’t bad enough, the men discover that they are being hunted by something malevolent that stalks the snow. Inspired by Inuit myth, The Terror is a chilly historical horror that elicits the exact reaction the title suggests.
The Hidden People
The Hidden People by Alison Littlewood is inspired by the real life murder of Bridget Cleary – who was set on fire by her husband on suspicion that she was a changeling. Changelings are spirits of European folklore, fae beings that were said to be able to take human form. The novel takes place after the death of Lizzie Higgs – a woman immolated by a husband, who believed her to be something other than what she seemed. Her cousin Albie Mirralls leaves his life in London behind the piece together the details of Lizzie’s death, journeying to the remote town of Halfoak – where the “hidden people” are said to roam. It’s a stunning work of folk horror like The Witch and Midsommar, and deserves its own A24 adaptation
Have a tip we should know? [email protected]
