In real life, Annabelle is a supposedly haunted Raggedy Anne doll owned by paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren. She was originally gifted to a student nurse in 1970 but according to a psychic medium, the doll was inhabited by the spirit of a dead girl named Annabelle.
“They’re here,” the little blonde girl says as the TV flickers with static. It’s an iconic moment in scary cinema to be sure and the events in Poltergeist are based on the terrifying things that happen at the Herrmann House in 1958.
An intelligent court drama with scary supernatural elements starring Laura Linney, The Exorcism of Emily Rose is the story of a young woman who dies during an attempted exorcism.
This Australian film is based on the true story of the horrific Snowtown murders committed by Robert Joe Wagner, James Spyridon Vlassakis, and John Justin. While at the cinemas, some audiences actually walked out due to the gruesome torture and violence depicted in the film which told the story of John Bunting’s life.
In 1974, single mother-of-three Doris Bither claimed to have experienced poltergeist activity: strange odours, objects falling from shelves by themselves, and weird lights. After seeing a hazy apparition, Bither claims to have been sexually assaulted by the evil spirits inhabiting her home.
Actor Jeremy Renner’s breakout role came in the form of portraying sadistic killer Jeffrey Dahmer in this independent film. He murdered, mutilated, and partially consumed 17 boys and young men during the late 70s to early 90s.
Still regarded as one of the most terrifying films of all time, The Exorcist is based on the book of the same name by William Peter Blatty. The film told the story of a young girl possessed by a demon and the priest tasked with exorcising the evil presence from her body.