A Note: Most of the movies in the list are movies that have been ADVERTISED as movies based on true stories or movies inspired by actual events. There are also movies included that were not advertised as movies based on true stories, but are DEFINITELY inspired by or LOOSELY based on real life events that occurred before the movie premiered. Most of the events in these movies will be completely made up, but there will be key elements in the film that you movie and true crime buffs will recognize very quickly.
A Vision of Murder the Story of Donielle
A Kidnapping in the Family
A Child Lost Forever: The Jerry Sherwood Story
Abandoned and Deceived
A River's Edge
A Mother's Justice
A Child Lost Forever: The Jerry Sherwood Story
Abandoned and Deceived
A River's Edge
A Mother's Justice
A Father for Brittney aka Change of Heart
A Woman Scorned: The Betty Broderick Story
A Friend to Die for; aka Death of a Cheerleader
A Woman Scorned: The Betty Broderick Story
A Friend to Die for; aka Death of a Cheerleader
Armed and Innocent
Amish Grace
Akeelah and the Bee
Amber's Story
Blue Eyed Butcher
Baby for Sale
Bling Ring
Black Widower
Amish Grace
Akeelah and the Bee
Amber's Story
Blue Eyed Butcher
Baby for Sale
Bling Ring
Black Widower
Beyond Obsession
Betrayal of Trust
Caught in the Crossfire: A Moment of Truth
Death in Small Doses
Deadly Matrimony
Disappearing Act aka "When He didn't Come Home"
Dead by Sunset
For One Night starring Raven Simone
Fried Green Tomatoes
Fatal Desire
Fatal Vows: The Alexandra O'hara Story
For My Daughter's Honor
Frida
Prison of Secrets
Pregnancy Pact (new)
Promised a Miracle
Prayers for Bobby
Perfect Crime
Queen Sized
Betrayal of Trust
Be Careful of What Info You Put Out on Facebook
Bringing Ashley Home aka Bringing Home Ashley
Battleship Potemkin aka The Battleship Potyomkin
Bringing Ashley Home aka Bringing Home Ashley
Battleship Potemkin aka The Battleship Potyomkin
Caught in the Crossfire: A Moment of Truth
Crime in Connecticut: The Story of Alex Kelly
Coed Call Girl
Confined starring Emma Caulfield
Changeling starring Angelina Jolie
Chicago (1926 and 2002)
Cleopatra
Confined starring Emma Caulfield
Changeling starring Angelina Jolie
Chicago (1926 and 2002)
Cleopatra
Death in Small Doses
Deadly Matrimony
Disappearing Act aka "When He didn't Come Home"
Dead by Sunset
Dangerous Evidence: The Lori Jackson Story
Deadly Relations
Deadly Intentions and Deadly Intentions...Again
Disappearance of Vonnie
Deadly Honeymoon
Deadly Relations
Deadly Intentions and Deadly Intentions...Again
Disappearance of Vonnie
Deadly Honeymoon
David (1988) starring Bernadette Peters
Drew Peterson: Untouchable
Dying to Belong
Element of Truth starring Donna Mills
Drew Peterson: Untouchable
Dying to Belong
Element of Truth starring Donna Mills
For One Night starring Raven Simone
Fried Green Tomatoes
Fatal Desire
Fatal Vows: The Alexandra O'hara Story
For My Daughter's Honor
Frida
Her Deadly Rival
Her Desperate Choice
Held Hostage
Home Alone, Home Alone 2, Home Alone 3
Hit and Run Starring Laura Breckenridge
Her Desperate Choice
Held Hostage
Home Alone, Home Alone 2, Home Alone 3
Hit and Run Starring Laura Breckenridge
In the Blink of an Eye
If Someone Had Known starring Kelli Martin
If Looks Could Kill The John Hawkins Story
In God's Country starring Kelly Rowan
I Me Wed
If Someone Had Known starring Kelli Martin
If Looks Could Kill The John Hawkins Story
In God's Country starring Kelly Rowan
I Me Wed
Murder of Innocence
Moment of Truth: Stalking Back The Laurisa Anello Story
M (1931)
My Husband's Double Life
Moment of Truth: Stalking Back The Laurisa Anello Story
M (1931)
My Husband's Double Life
Obsessed starring Jenna Elfman(2002)
Obsessed starring Beyonce Knowles (2009)
Our Guys: Outrage at Glen Ridge
Obsessed starring Beyonce Knowles (2009)
Our Guys: Outrage at Glen Ridge
Prison of Secrets
Pregnancy Pact (new)
Promised a Miracle
Prayers for Bobby
Perfect Crime
Queen Sized
Snap Decision
Separated by Murder
Someone She Knows
Separated by Murder
Someone She Knows
Seduction in a Small Town
Suburban Madness
Soul Surfer
Small Sacrifices
Seventeen and Missing
Someone Else's Child
The Pastor's Wife
The Stalking to Laurie Show aka Rivals
The Hunt for the I-5 Killer
Taken in Broad Daylight
The Legend of Lucy Keyes
Taken from Me The Tiffany Rubin Story starring Taraji Henson
The Client List starring Jennifer Love Hewitt
The Killing Secret aka The Secret starring Soleil Moon Frye
Telling Secrets aka Contract for Murder
Soul Surfer
Small Sacrifices
Seventeen and Missing
Someone Else's Child
The Pastor's Wife
The Stalking to Laurie Show aka Rivals
The Hunt for the I-5 Killer
Taken in Broad Daylight
The Legend of Lucy Keyes
Taken from Me The Tiffany Rubin Story starring Taraji Henson
The Client List starring Jennifer Love Hewitt
The Killing Secret aka The Secret starring Soleil Moon Frye
Telling Secrets aka Contract for Murder
The Kerry Ellison Story
The People Next Door
The Babysitter's Seduction
The Wronged Man
Texas Justice
The Stranger Beside Me (1995)
The Two Mr. Kissels
The Exorcism of Emily Rose
The Johnstown Flood
The General
Three Can Play That Game
The Special Relationship
Too Young to Die
The Pregnancy Project
The Corpse Had a Familiar Face
The Familiar Stranger
To Be Fat Like Me
The Murder of Mary Phagan
The Babysitter's Seduction
The Wronged Man
Texas Justice
The Stranger Beside Me (1995)
The Two Mr. Kissels
The Exorcism of Emily Rose
The Johnstown Flood
The General
Three Can Play That Game
The Special Relationship
Too Young to Die
The Pregnancy Project
The Corpse Had a Familiar Face
The Familiar Stranger
To Be Fat Like Me
The Murder of Mary Phagan
When Innocence is Lost starring Keri Russell
Wisegal starring Alyssa Milano
We Have Your Husband
83 Hours til Dawn aka The Longest Night
Wisegal starring Alyssa Milano
We Have Your Husband
83 Hours til Dawn aka The Longest Night
40 comments:
Will you be doing research on Guilt by Association that was on Lifetime last night? I would love to know how the family is doing....
I am working on so many stories right now. I had planned on doing it. I did do an initial scan, but I did not get any hits right away which means it will take me hours to locate it. But yes I will do it.
Hey i love your site, what about Alpha dog.
I agree, I'd love to see Alpha Dog, She Fought Alone, The Two Mr. Kissels..
Maybe updates on old stories?
Love your site, it's one of a kind!
are you still looking for a cover of a kiss so deadly?
i bought the dvd a few years ago at wal-mart
Great website -- i love true crime stories
About your page on Betrayed By Love, Susan Daniels Smith son died a few years ago.
Will you be posting anything about The Fab Five: The Texas Cheerleader Scandal?
Yes I should be posting something pretty soon.
The Stalking of Laurie Show aka The Rivals?
Dead Silence (1991)
A Killer Among Friends?
Thanks for all your info!!
Dear Tracy Reyes,
I am watching a movie that is based on a true story, that I rented from Blockbuster. It is called Fatal Rescue, with Steve Guttenberg as the lead role. I can't find any links to this story. Will you find the story, it is really interesting.
HI
GREAT SITE.
DO YOU HAVE ANY INFO ON THE BURNING BED STORY? PHOTO OF REAL PEOPLE?
THANKS LAVON
Manhunt for Claude Dallas
starring Rip Torn
The daughter in the movie OUR MOTHERS MURDER recently committed suicide. Has been reported in the news this week. She jumped off a bridge but they have yet to find her body. Poor thing must have had so much pain over losing her Mom. Same bridge that the murderer husband jumpted off of.
Hi, I really like the updated site. I just watched "A Matter of Justice" again today. I read your update about Dusty & that she's on the run. I watch Nancy Grace faithfully, why don't you try sending her the info about Dusty and see what happens. She really gets the word out & it may help find her. Just a thought :)
Hi, I really like the new & updated site! I watched "A Matter of Justice" again this morning and read your update on Dusty. Just a thought but I watch Nancy Grace faithfully, any thoughts of sending the info to her show? She is great about getting the word out. It may help to find her.
Scripps Heiress’s Daughter Believed to Have Jumped from Tappan Zee Bridge
9/26/09 at 11:25 AM Comment 2Comment 2Comments Anne Morell Petrillo, the daughter of newspaper heiress Anne Scripps Douglas, who was murdered in 1993 by her husband (who then jumped to his death from the Tappan Zee Bridge), has apparently jumped from the same bridge, leaving a note, according to police who are searching the Hudson River for her body. She was 38. [NYT]
From Tracy (thatstracy@yahoo.com),
just found this by accident. Our Mother's Murder was just on Lifetime last week.
Scripps Heiress’s Daughter Believed to Have Jumped from Tappan Zee Bridge
9/26/09 at 11:25 AM Comment 2Comment 2Comments Anne Morell Petrillo, the daughter of newspaper heiress Anne Scripps Douglas, who was murdered in 1993 by her husband (who then jumped to his death from the Tappan Zee Bridge), has apparently jumped from the same bridge, leaving a note, according to police who are searching the Hudson River for her body. She was 38. [NYT]
Just found this by accident, Our Mother's Murder had just been on in the last 7-10 days.
I love love your blog! everything is just so interesting and it just catches my attention but I would also like to suggest a couple more stories for you.
The case of Cheryl Araujo who was "publicly" raped by a few men and the bystanders didn't do anything to help. This case was the story behind the movie "The Accused" starring Jodie Foster.
One more movie to look at is "The Girl Next Door" based on a book my Jack Kechum. This movie has never made me any angrier in comparison to other cases I have read. The movie is based on the case of Sylvia Likens who was tortured to death by her caretakers and neighborhood kicks who tortured her for entertainment. This also inspired a second movie called "An American Crime".
I hope you will continue on this great work! I love it!
She really gets the word out & it may help find her. Just a thought.
San Diego MLS
True story movie reviews, trailers , real clips, information on the stories, prize contests and ratings.
http://www.truestorymovie.com
- For a LIVE movie experience!
What about movies based on controversial occurrences that are in dispute? Such as the Travis Walton abduction-by-UFO? ("Fire in the Sky") Or horror/paranormal movies based on reported hauntings? Should these types of movies be included or receive their own category?
You can add movies you have missed by simply Googling "movies based on true stories or events"
You'ved done a great job. Keep up the good work!
NOT OUR SON
UPDATE on Paul Keller's parents and all they lost due to this:
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January 30, 2004
The visitor
The sun had gone down, and George and Margaret Keller were settling in for a quiet New Year's Eve inside their little brick apartment. The couple, in their 60s, were not expecting company, but about 5 p.m. George heard a soft knock at the front door.
George cracked open the door and was greeted warmly by a teenage girl he did not recognize. She asked, "Is this the Keller household? I have a blessing to deliver to you." George asked her name, but she would not answer. George then asked if she was an angel. Still no response. The visitor handed him a white envelope and said, "We prayed that this would be a blessing to you." George thanked the girl and said, "I hope to see you again so I can know your name." The girl blessed him, turned and disappeared around the corner, and has not been seen since. The gift was a $50 cashier's check. "She smiled the whole time," George says now. "When she walked away we heard nothing. There was no car. We saw nothing."
The surprise visit touched the Kellers, who have struggled emotionally and financially as a result of their son Paul's arrest for arson. Paul is serving a 99-year prison sentence for a five-month arson spree that terrorized Washington state in 1992. The 78 fires claimed three lives and $35 million in property damage, making him the most prolific arsonist in U.S. history. The siege ended when George, suspecting his son of the crimes after reading a suspect profile in the newspaper, alerted police and fire officials. He turned over evidence from his retail advertising business – phone records and gas receipts – to help convict Paul, who worked for his father. The Kellers raised three children in a Christian home and taught them from an early age, "You will never go wrong doing right." Paul's crimes put their father's words to the test, and George never wavered.
NBC Dateline aired a special on the arson spree that became its top-rated program in 1993, and two years later CBS aired a TV movie on the Kellers, "Not Our Son." While the Kellers grieved for the victims, the fallout of Paul's crimes left their own family in ruins. Friends and business clients stopped calling. Even their pastor abandoned them. Within two years the Kellers were forced to sell their business and home in Everett, Wash., and declare bankruptcy. Doing the right thing cost them everything. After the arrest, Paul admitted he had been molested at gunpoint by a volunteer fireman between ages 12-17. Additionally, medical records revealed that Paul nearly bled to death in the hospital nursery shortly after birth, possibly explaining his behavioral disorders. His parents never were told. "The days were so dark that I didn't want to live another minute," George says. "I'd put my Bible on the floor and lay flat on it. When you're hurting so bad you can't think, you can't pray, that's all I could do. I wanted God to know I was serious about believing in Him."
Today Paul is serving the Lord in prison. George has shared his testimony on Oprah, the 700 Club, Focus on the Family, and in churches across the country. Although healing has been a slow journey, George and Margaret continue to draw strength from a daily walk with Jesus Christ. Alisa and I consider the Kellers our family, and we have witnessed God carry them through horrendous trials and trauma. But the Lord has heard every cry and met every need. Today over lunch they told us about the stranger who blessed them on a cold and dreary New Year's Eve. "What it says is the Lord hasn't forgotten us," George reflects. "He says, 'I have My eye on you.' Our God is alive."
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http://www.narrow-gate.net/jeffking/archives/002657.html
Hi--I was curious about the movie Just Ask Our Children. I see it on the list here but the link is not clickable. Thanks!
You can contact me by email by clicking on the link to the right. But it is brooklolly@aol.com
I WENT OVER THE LIST OF ALL 'LIFETIME TRUE MOVIE' AND THERE'S DOZENS OF MOVIES-
MY QUESTION IS WHY DO THEY PLAY THE SAME MOVIES OVER AND OVER. HOW MANY TIMES CAN YOU SEE 'MURDER IN THE HAMPTON S'
hey i would like to know if there is a list of this true events movies that i can search beteween 2000 to 2011?
thanks
"The Town that Dreaded Sundown" is based on true events that occurred circa 1950's in Texarkana TX. A spree of killings targeting 'parked' couples is still unsolved.
There is a lifetime movie called "Black Widower"about a man who kept murdering his wives, at least three of them. Can you get some info on that one? Thanks
You should add the story of "Taking of Peggy Ann" to the list. She was Peggy Ann Bradnick and her story is here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peggy_Ann_Bradnick
I have the movie and it is wonderful. You can find photos of the FBI man who was murdered and Peggy, but I have yet to see a photo of the man who did the murder. Odd thing was, he was trying to kill and kidnap many before he got the girl. Plus, he never "touched" her while he had her for almost a week.
what about the gay, lesbian and transgendered ones,,,,, why arent' some of these posted. i am just curious cuz u know we are human too we not just weirdo's we are human like urself? i'm just asking cuz i dont see them on here
Do you have any information about the 80's movie and book "Cruel Doubt" I remember Gwyneth Paltrow starred as the sister. Just wondering. Thanks I am a big fan.
To the person wanting to know about "Cruel Doubt", I found this on Amazon. http://www.amazon.com/Cruel-Doubt-Joe-McGinniss/dp/0671775391
Wow! Great list.
Any idea who the character, Tess McCall, from When Husbands Cheat, is based on?
The intro says the movie is inspired by true events yet, I can't find a lick of information about the 'real' Tess McCall or the fictional firm in the movie, I Spy.
another movie you should add is: Love's Deadly Triangle: The Texas Cadet Murder.
Great list thanks for posting it.
We've just added it again. The link must have been broken. Thanks!
I am just curious, is there a movie about Susan Smith who killed her two small boys by driving her car into the lake with them sleeping in the back seat? I read a book about it but I dont remember who wrote it. Thanks :)
I just wanted to say how much I love your site. You do a great job and I am always on here reading it. I am a huge Lifetime fan and always have that channel on. I am reading the book Dead by Sunset right now and haven't seen the movie in a long time. I am having a really hard time finding the DVD and would love to buy it. Do you have any suggestions on where I might be able to find it? I could only find it on VCR. Thanks again for your wonderful site.
Can you help find out any factual information about the life time movie, "Sins and Redemption"? It was stated that this based on a true story, but I could not find any data to back that statement. Thank you for any help :)
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