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True Story

Horror films based on true events — the real cases behind the movies and how much they got right.

375 stories
Horror Fuel

Blu-ray Review: The Other Side of Madness (1971)

After a moody, dialog-free opening (a trend that will continue for much of the film’s runtime) that shows the Manson family planning the Tate-LaBianca Murders as ol’ Charlie observes, we shift our focus to some wild-ass hippie hootenanny taking place on the outskirts of the Spahn Ranch interspersed with scenes of the Family in court on trial for their murder biz! As the story unfolds we are introduced to the doomed starlet Sharon Tate (Debbie Duff), and before long we are balls-deep into the events of the night of August 9th and10th in all of their disturbing detail… all of which is presented in a fashion akin to a documentary, which makes the horror all the more impactful. Does this all sound a bit disjointed? Well it certainly is… but The Other Side of Madness has a shit-ton of energy and some truly arty-farty touches that makes the entire affair as hallucinogenic and fever-dream addled as the times would dictate!

Continue reading →
DanXIII
Nov 29, 2020
Horror Fuel

Paul Bateson: The Serial Killer Who Starred In ‘The Exorcist’

Did you know that a real-life serial killer starred in The Exorcist? In 1972, director William Friedkin saw Paul Bateson perform a cerebral angiography in the New York University radiology lab. Wanting to keep things as real as possible, when Friedkin was making The Exorcist the next year, he arranged for the same procedure to be filmed in a hospital by real doctors and technicians. Friedkin was impressed by the way Bateson performed the real procedure the year before and invited him to be included in the scene as a radiographer not knowing of his crimes. Born in Lansdale, Pennsylvania, he was the son of a metallurgist. In the early 60s, he joined the Army and became an alcoholic while serving in Germany. When his service came to an end, he returned to Lansdale before moving to New York in 1964 where he began living a double life, working as a radiologist during the day, and exploring his sexuality and

Continue reading →
Kelli Marchman McNeely
Nov 6, 2020
Horror Fuel

A ‘Very, Very, Rare Crime’: The Guy Murders (True Crime)

A “very, very rare crime.” That’s how the wickedness of Joel Guy Jr. was described only a few short days ago during his trial for slaughtering and dismembering his parents in their Harden Valley home. Joel Guy Jr. was convicted of two counts of first degree murder and sentenced to life in prison (despite asking for a death sentence). Back on November 24, 2016, the Guy family met at their parents home for Thanksgiving dinner. Joel Jr. was the only child of both Joel Sr. and Lisa (Joel Sr. had daughters from another marriage) but according to daughters Chandise Fink, Michelle Tyler, and Angela Crane, there was nothing but love from both parents for each child equally. During this dinner, Joel was said to be “outgoing, friendly, and happy” which was odd for the reclusive Joel. He normally remained aloof while isolating himself in his apartment that his parents paid for. This happiness was starkly different to the rage and

Continue reading →
Capt McNeely
Oct 11, 2020
Horror Fuel

Ryan Murphy Delves Into The Crimes of Jeffrey Dahmer In New Series

There will always be fans of true-crime and those curious about serial killers. When it comes to serial killers we seem to see more about Ted Bundy and Charles Manson than any other murderers, but now Emmy Award Winner Ryan Murphy is set to shed light on the infamous serial killer, Jeffrey Dahmer. Ryan Murphy, the creator of “American Horror Story” and most recently creator of Netflix’s “Racheted”, along his producing partner Ian Brennan have received the green light from Netflix for the limited series “Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story” which centers on Dahmer, one of America’s most well-known killers. Told from mostly the point of view of his victims, the series will also delve into the investigation, including the fact that he was let go as many as ten times after being apprehended, Variety reports. “Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story” will star Richard Jenkins (The Shape of Water) and will be directed by Janet Mock and Carl Franklin. Murphy,

Continue reading →
Kelli Marchman McNeely
Oct 3, 2020
Horror Fuel

Too Scary To Be Fiction! ‘The Organ Thieves’ : Book Review/Interview

Here on horrorfuel.com we focus a lot on entertainment and horror as a fun world of terror that we escape into. I absolutely love doing book and movie reviews, press releases, and anything else possible to expand this world of horror that I love. However, the time comes now and then when real life is far more terrifying and crushing than any movie or novel. The book by Chip Jones The Organ Thieves: The Shocking Story of the First Heart Transplant in the Segregated South outlines the horrifying story of Bruce Tucker. On May 24, 1968 Bruce Tucker went into the hospital after suffering a serious head injury. The hospital claims to have tried urgently to contact his family, but nobody seemed to notice his brother’s business card stuck in the front pocket of his jeans. Meanwhile, Bruce had not come home from work and his family was searching frantically for him. When he entered the hospital, Bruce was said

Continue reading →
Capt McNeely
Sep 4, 2020
Horror Fuel

Blu-ray Review: Fulci For Fake (2019)

Lucio Fulci is horror biz royalty ’round these parts. City of the Living Dead (1980), The Beyond (1981), The House by the Cemetery (1981), A Lizard in a Woman’s Skin (1971), Don’t Torture a Duckling (1972), fuckin’ Zombi (2) (1979)… these are Grade-A fright flick classics right there let me tell ya cats n’ creeps! Now along comes writer/director Simone Scafidi’s with his docu-drama Fulci For Fake, a film which explores Fulci’s life and the impact he had on those that knew him best; his family and the people he created his unforgettable masterpieces alongside. Now, ol’ triple “F” begins with an off-beat conceit; actor Nicola Nocella has been cast as Frenzied Fulci in a fictitious movie about the maestro’s life (and he ends up playing him in this film as well as the meta snake eats it’s tail). To prepare for the role, he chats it up with the likes of composer Fabio Frizzi, cinematographer Sergio Salvati, screenwriter Enrico

Continue reading →
DanXIII
Aug 23, 2020
Horror Fuel

Rodney Alcala: The Dating Game Killer

Before the days of YouTube, Netflix and other at-your-fingertips entertainment, staying home sick from school consisted of watching daytime TV. My personal favorite when I was resting on the couch was watching game shows (I loved The Price is Right). I often wondered how people were chosen for participate on the shows, what they did after their 15-minutes of fame, and who they were off the show. For the audience watching The Dating Game in 1978, they didn’t know that they were watching a serial rapist/murderer/child molester with over 100 possible victims. Rodney James Alcala was born Rodrigo Jacques Alcala Buquor on August 23, 1943. This man had some of the best luck I have ever read about and the disgusting failures of law enforcement and the judicial system led to so many more victims suffering at the hands of this monster. Alcala’s family life, like many killers, was not ideal. His father, Raoul, left when Alcala was about 11

Continue reading →
Capt McNeely
Jul 9, 2020
Horror Fuel

“All Hail The Popcorn King” Documentary Explores The Life Of Joe R. Lansdale (Trailer)

Joe R. Lansdale has created an incredible legacy, writing films such as Bubba Ho-Tep, Masters of Horror, and Cold Jury, as well as series episodes for “Creepshow (2019)”, “Hap and Leonard”, and “Batman: The Animated Series”. That legacy will be explored in the new documentary All Hail the Popcorn King. Filmmaker Hansi Oppenheimer paints a vivid picture of award-winning author and screenwriter and martial artist Joe R.Lansdale in what’s been described as a “five-star” film (GrimdarkMagazine). Chronicling the life and career of the Lone Star State’s “writer of the purple rage” (The Austin Chronicle), the acclaimed documentary also features new interviews with the likes of Bruce Campbell, James Purefoy, Joe Hill, Don Coscarelli, Mick Garris, Del Howison, Amber Benson, novelist David J. Schow, and former Fangoria editor Tony Timpone. All Hail The Popcorn King has been touring the country and will be released wider over the coming months. Oppenheimer produced the fan-centric creative event SqueeCon 12/18, produces a podcast, The

Continue reading →
Kelli Marchman McNeely
Jul 1, 2020
Horror Fuel

True Crime Doc ‘Yancey McCord: The Killer That Arizona Forgot About’ Now On Prime

True crime buffs, we’ve got news for you, the documentary Yancey McCord: The Killer that Arizona Forgot About has just landed on Amazon Prime Video. Who is Yancey McCord? He is believed to have committed the familicide of the Jenkins clan in Kindred Township, Arizona in 1961. The victims included both parents, three children, and two visiting cousins resulting in seven gruesome deaths in one home. McCord was taken in and held in custody. But sixteen hours later, he went missing after either an escape or release by the community’s only police officer. McCord was never pursued by authorities for this crime, essentially slipping through the cracks for nearly 60 years after disappearing from Kindred… until now. Stunned by the event, the unincorporated township of Kindred went from a population of 171 to an estimated 30 within 5 years, becoming a real ghost town. Is Yancey McCord still in Arizona? Free or imprisoned? Dead or alive? The answers are unbelievable

Continue reading →
Kelli Marchman McNeely
Jun 25, 2020
Horror Fuel

Watch The Opening Sequence Of True Story Inspired Survival Thriller ‘Centigrade’

Director Brendan Walsh invites you to witness Centigrade, a survival thriller set in a 30 degrees below zero landscape. Based on a true story, the film, set in 2002, centers on a young American couple, Matthew and Naomi, travel to the arctic mountains of Norway. After pulling over during a snowstorm, they wake up trapped in their SUV, buried underneath layers of snow and Ice. As if the stakes aren’t high enough, Naomi is eight months pregnant in their frozen prison. With few resources, a dwindling food supply, and nothing but time, tension, blame, and personal secrets bubble to the surface. Matthew and Naomi realize they must work together to survive in a crippling battle against the elements, hypothermia, disturbing hallucinations, and plunging temperatures reaching as low as -30C. Genesis Rodriguez and Vincent Piazza star in Centigrade, opening in drive-in theaters, and arrives on VOD and Digital on August 28th, from IFC Midnight. Watch the first three minutes of the

Continue reading →
Kelli Marchman McNeely
Jun 24, 2020

More from True Story

Horror Fuel

Blu-ray Review: The Other Side of Madness (1971)

After a moody, dialog-free opening (a trend that will continue for much of the film’s runtime) that shows the Manson family planning the Tate-LaBianca Murders as ol’ Charlie observes, we shift our focus to some wild-ass hippie hootenanny taking place on the outskirts of the Spahn Ranch interspersed with scenes of the Family in court on trial for their murder biz! As the story unfolds we are introduced to the doomed starlet Sharon Tate (Debbie Duff), and before long we are balls-deep into the events of the night of August 9th and10th in all of their disturbing detail… all of which is presented in a fashion akin to a documentary, which makes the horror all the more impactful. Does this all sound a bit disjointed? Well it certainly is… but The Other Side of Madness has a shit-ton of energy and some truly arty-farty touches that makes the entire affair as hallucinogenic and fever-dream addled as the times would dictate!

Continue reading →
DanXIII
Nov 29, 2020
Horror Fuel

Paul Bateson: The Serial Killer Who Starred In ‘The Exorcist’

Did you know that a real-life serial killer starred in The Exorcist? In 1972, director William Friedkin saw Paul Bateson perform a cerebral angiography in the New York University radiology lab. Wanting to keep things as real as possible, when Friedkin was making The Exorcist the next year, he arranged for the same procedure to be filmed in a hospital by real doctors and technicians. Friedkin was impressed by the way Bateson performed the real procedure the year before and invited him to be included in the scene as a radiographer not knowing of his crimes. Born in Lansdale, Pennsylvania, he was the son of a metallurgist. In the early 60s, he joined the Army and became an alcoholic while serving in Germany. When his service came to an end, he returned to Lansdale before moving to New York in 1964 where he began living a double life, working as a radiologist during the day, and exploring his sexuality and

Continue reading →
Kelli Marchman McNeely
Nov 6, 2020
Horror Fuel

A ‘Very, Very, Rare Crime’: The Guy Murders (True Crime)

A “very, very rare crime.” That’s how the wickedness of Joel Guy Jr. was described only a few short days ago during his trial for slaughtering and dismembering his parents in their Harden Valley home. Joel Guy Jr. was convicted of two counts of first degree murder and sentenced to life in prison (despite asking for a death sentence). Back on November 24, 2016, the Guy family met at their parents home for Thanksgiving dinner. Joel Jr. was the only child of both Joel Sr. and Lisa (Joel Sr. had daughters from another marriage) but according to daughters Chandise Fink, Michelle Tyler, and Angela Crane, there was nothing but love from both parents for each child equally. During this dinner, Joel was said to be “outgoing, friendly, and happy” which was odd for the reclusive Joel. He normally remained aloof while isolating himself in his apartment that his parents paid for. This happiness was starkly different to the rage and

Continue reading →
Capt McNeely
Oct 11, 2020
Horror Fuel

Ryan Murphy Delves Into The Crimes of Jeffrey Dahmer In New Series

There will always be fans of true-crime and those curious about serial killers. When it comes to serial killers we seem to see more about Ted Bundy and Charles Manson than any other murderers, but now Emmy Award Winner Ryan Murphy is set to shed light on the infamous serial killer, Jeffrey Dahmer. Ryan Murphy, the creator of “American Horror Story” and most recently creator of Netflix’s “Racheted”, along his producing partner Ian Brennan have received the green light from Netflix for the limited series “Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story” which centers on Dahmer, one of America’s most well-known killers. Told from mostly the point of view of his victims, the series will also delve into the investigation, including the fact that he was let go as many as ten times after being apprehended, Variety reports. “Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story” will star Richard Jenkins (The Shape of Water) and will be directed by Janet Mock and Carl Franklin. Murphy,

Continue reading →
Kelli Marchman McNeely
Oct 3, 2020
Horror Fuel

Too Scary To Be Fiction! ‘The Organ Thieves’ : Book Review/Interview

Here on horrorfuel.com we focus a lot on entertainment and horror as a fun world of terror that we escape into. I absolutely love doing book and movie reviews, press releases, and anything else possible to expand this world of horror that I love. However, the time comes now and then when real life is far more terrifying and crushing than any movie or novel. The book by Chip Jones The Organ Thieves: The Shocking Story of the First Heart Transplant in the Segregated South outlines the horrifying story of Bruce Tucker. On May 24, 1968 Bruce Tucker went into the hospital after suffering a serious head injury. The hospital claims to have tried urgently to contact his family, but nobody seemed to notice his brother’s business card stuck in the front pocket of his jeans. Meanwhile, Bruce had not come home from work and his family was searching frantically for him. When he entered the hospital, Bruce was said

Continue reading →
Capt McNeely
Sep 4, 2020
Horror Fuel

Blu-ray Review: Fulci For Fake (2019)

Lucio Fulci is horror biz royalty ’round these parts. City of the Living Dead (1980), The Beyond (1981), The House by the Cemetery (1981), A Lizard in a Woman’s Skin (1971), Don’t Torture a Duckling (1972), fuckin’ Zombi (2) (1979)… these are Grade-A fright flick classics right there let me tell ya cats n’ creeps! Now along comes writer/director Simone Scafidi’s with his docu-drama Fulci For Fake, a film which explores Fulci’s life and the impact he had on those that knew him best; his family and the people he created his unforgettable masterpieces alongside. Now, ol’ triple “F” begins with an off-beat conceit; actor Nicola Nocella has been cast as Frenzied Fulci in a fictitious movie about the maestro’s life (and he ends up playing him in this film as well as the meta snake eats it’s tail). To prepare for the role, he chats it up with the likes of composer Fabio Frizzi, cinematographer Sergio Salvati, screenwriter Enrico

Continue reading →
DanXIII
Aug 23, 2020
Horror Fuel

Rodney Alcala: The Dating Game Killer

Before the days of YouTube, Netflix and other at-your-fingertips entertainment, staying home sick from school consisted of watching daytime TV. My personal favorite when I was resting on the couch was watching game shows (I loved The Price is Right). I often wondered how people were chosen for participate on the shows, what they did after their 15-minutes of fame, and who they were off the show. For the audience watching The Dating Game in 1978, they didn’t know that they were watching a serial rapist/murderer/child molester with over 100 possible victims. Rodney James Alcala was born Rodrigo Jacques Alcala Buquor on August 23, 1943. This man had some of the best luck I have ever read about and the disgusting failures of law enforcement and the judicial system led to so many more victims suffering at the hands of this monster. Alcala’s family life, like many killers, was not ideal. His father, Raoul, left when Alcala was about 11

Continue reading →
Capt McNeely
Jul 9, 2020
Horror Fuel

“All Hail The Popcorn King” Documentary Explores The Life Of Joe R. Lansdale (Trailer)

Joe R. Lansdale has created an incredible legacy, writing films such as Bubba Ho-Tep, Masters of Horror, and Cold Jury, as well as series episodes for “Creepshow (2019)”, “Hap and Leonard”, and “Batman: The Animated Series”. That legacy will be explored in the new documentary All Hail the Popcorn King. Filmmaker Hansi Oppenheimer paints a vivid picture of award-winning author and screenwriter and martial artist Joe R.Lansdale in what’s been described as a “five-star” film (GrimdarkMagazine). Chronicling the life and career of the Lone Star State’s “writer of the purple rage” (The Austin Chronicle), the acclaimed documentary also features new interviews with the likes of Bruce Campbell, James Purefoy, Joe Hill, Don Coscarelli, Mick Garris, Del Howison, Amber Benson, novelist David J. Schow, and former Fangoria editor Tony Timpone. All Hail The Popcorn King has been touring the country and will be released wider over the coming months. Oppenheimer produced the fan-centric creative event SqueeCon 12/18, produces a podcast, The

Continue reading →
Kelli Marchman McNeely
Jul 1, 2020
Horror Fuel

True Crime Doc ‘Yancey McCord: The Killer That Arizona Forgot About’ Now On Prime

True crime buffs, we’ve got news for you, the documentary Yancey McCord: The Killer that Arizona Forgot About has just landed on Amazon Prime Video. Who is Yancey McCord? He is believed to have committed the familicide of the Jenkins clan in Kindred Township, Arizona in 1961. The victims included both parents, three children, and two visiting cousins resulting in seven gruesome deaths in one home. McCord was taken in and held in custody. But sixteen hours later, he went missing after either an escape or release by the community’s only police officer. McCord was never pursued by authorities for this crime, essentially slipping through the cracks for nearly 60 years after disappearing from Kindred… until now. Stunned by the event, the unincorporated township of Kindred went from a population of 171 to an estimated 30 within 5 years, becoming a real ghost town. Is Yancey McCord still in Arizona? Free or imprisoned? Dead or alive? The answers are unbelievable

Continue reading →
Kelli Marchman McNeely
Jun 25, 2020
Horror Fuel

Watch The Opening Sequence Of True Story Inspired Survival Thriller ‘Centigrade’

Director Brendan Walsh invites you to witness Centigrade, a survival thriller set in a 30 degrees below zero landscape. Based on a true story, the film, set in 2002, centers on a young American couple, Matthew and Naomi, travel to the arctic mountains of Norway. After pulling over during a snowstorm, they wake up trapped in their SUV, buried underneath layers of snow and Ice. As if the stakes aren’t high enough, Naomi is eight months pregnant in their frozen prison. With few resources, a dwindling food supply, and nothing but time, tension, blame, and personal secrets bubble to the surface. Matthew and Naomi realize they must work together to survive in a crippling battle against the elements, hypothermia, disturbing hallucinations, and plunging temperatures reaching as low as -30C. Genesis Rodriguez and Vincent Piazza star in Centigrade, opening in drive-in theaters, and arrives on VOD and Digital on August 28th, from IFC Midnight. Watch the first three minutes of the

Continue reading →
Kelli Marchman McNeely
Jun 24, 2020
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