Top 10 Real Life Horror Documentaries
#10: “Hostage to the Devil” (2016)
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Regardless of your belief in the paranormal and the possibility of demonic possession, “Hostage to the Devil” still has the power to creep you out. Back in 1976, Catholic priest Malachi Martin published “Hostage to the Devil,” a non-fiction book about his alleged role in various exorcisms. A documentary about Martin and his work followed exactly forty years later, featuring some creepy stories and archival footage of Martin himself. It might just make you a believer, but even if it doesn’t, it still makes for an apt companion piece to your favorite possession movies.
#9: “The Cheshire Murders” (2013)
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Released on HBO, this documentary explores a tragic home invasion that occurred in Connecticut in July 2007. Two men, Steven Hayes and Joshua Komisarjevsky, broke into a house, burned it to the ground, and killed three of its occupants. The criminals were ordered to be executed, but these sentences were later commuted to life in prison. The crime itself was sensational, but it also resulted in a fierce debate regarding the death penalty in the state of Connecticut. This harrowing and informative documentary covers the subject well, and it’s sure to captivate anyone with an interest in this specific case, or true crime in general.
#8: “Hell House” (2002)
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Directed by George Ratliff, “Hell House” follows the members of a Texas church organization which puts on a haunted house attraction called Hell House. This attraction serves as an elaborate sermon, as the church hopes to convert individuals by scaring them with horrifying and realistic visuals. This isn’t a typical haunted house attraction with ghosts and monsters, but one with shootings, abortions, and drunk driving accidents, among other things. This documentary is a fascinating glimpse into not only the disturbing and controversial attraction itself, but also the religious organization that puts it on.
#7: “Beware the Slenderman” (2016)
Slender Man was arguably one of the most famous urban legends and creepypastas of the 2010s. The subject of YouTube videos and video games, Slender Man captured a nation, and his popularity eventually resulted in an attempted homicide. HBO’s “Beware the Slenderman” informs viewers about the Slender Man-inspired stabbing of 2014. In May of that year, two girls stabbed their friend nearly twenty times, reportedly to satisfy the fictional creature. The documentary thoroughly examines not only the incident itself, but the roles that folklore and myth have in our society, and the ways in which they can manipulate the manipulative. It’s an interesting true crime documentary that expounds on the scary stories that we create and share with each other.
#6: “A Haunting in Connecticut” (2002)
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This is presented less as a traditional documentary and more as a docudrama. Dramatic reenactments are shown over the narration and interviews, although the subjects have been blacked out to keep their identities secret. The story concerns a family who move into an old house and begin to experience malicious paranormal activity. Sensing the danger, they eventually call Ed and Lorraine Warren of “The Conjuring” fame to help cleanse the house. Lorraine appears as an interview subject, which is fascinating for those interested in her history and the general history of paranormal research. It’s a great story, and the documentary was such a rousing success that it helped create an entire television series - not to mention the 2009 movie of a similar name.
#5: “The Nightmare” (2015)
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Rodney Ascher’s “The Nightmare” is all about the terrifying sensation of sleep paralysis. Not necessarily a bad dream, sleep paralysis is a lucid state between sleeping and waking in which the sufferer is conscious and alert but hallucinating horrifying visuals. The experience is generally harmless, but it is known to be quite unnerving. Ascher’s documentary explores the sensation while interviewing those who suffer from it. Along the way, Ascher stages various dramatic reenactments with the hope of visualizing the interviewee’s surreal experiences with sleep paralysis. Blending creepy stories with haunting visuals makes for a winning documentary, and it garners enormous sympathy for those regularly suffering from the affliction.
#4: “The Donner Party” (1992)
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A legendary historical tale mixes with high-quality PBS programming, resulting in a thoroughly engaging documentary. Released in 1992, “The Donner Party” recounts the story of the titular pioneer group, who became stranded in the Sierra Nevadas and resorted to cannibalism. Not only is the story utterly absorbing, but the documentary is meticulously assembled. It displays old artifacts rescued from the Party, including personal letters that are read by professional actors. Maps and modern footage of the trail also help orient viewers in the geography. Finally, the film is narrated by two-time Pulitzer Prize winner David McCullough, who does a wonderful job conveying both the horror and the almost-mythical quality of the tale. For those who can stomach it, this documentary comes highly recommended.
#3: “Titicut Follies” (1967)
Arguably one of the most disturbing documentaries ever released, “Titicut Follies” certainly has its place in the histories of both film and journalism. Shot by John Marshall and directed by Frederick Wiseman, the documentary depicts the horrific mistreatment that occurred inside Massachusetts’s Bridgewater State Hospital. The patients are neglected and filthy, many are forced to go without clothes, and some are violently force-fed with a tube. The film was shot without any cinematic bells and whistles, as Marshall and Wiseman simply walked through the hospital and shot what they saw. As if the subject matter wasn’t distressing enough, the unconventional filming style lends the documentary a very eerie and unsettling atmosphere. It’s a historic film that’s still well worth watching today.
#2: “Cropsey” (2009)
This is a genre-bending documentary that finely balances elements of true crime, mysterious urban legend, and courtroom drama. The directors set out to uncover the truth about Cropsey, a supposed criminal who abducts young victims. He’s said to live underneath Staten Island’s Willowbrook State School, an old institution for kids that closed in 1988. The urban legend blends into reality as the filmmakers tell the story of Andre Rand, a kidnapper who’s believed to have abducted numerous victims throughout the ‘70s and ‘80s. The documentary expertly untangles the mystery of Cropsey while also theorizing on the blurred lines between urban legend, oral tradition, and reality.
#1: “The Act of Killing” (2012)
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Produced by legendary filmmaker Werner Herzog, “The Act of Killing” is a very provocative documentary, both in its subject matter and its style. And through its provocation, it is utterly devastating. The subjects are some of those responsible for the Indonesian mass killings of the mid ‘60s, in which the Indonesian Army and armed death squads executed between 500,000 and one million people. Front and center is perpetrator Anwar Congo. The stories these people share are obviously gut-wrenching and intense, but the documentary also provides accompanying visuals. Director Joshua Oppenheimer invites Congo to re-enact the mass killings through film, and these sequences are stylized through different genres. An experimental approach blends with terrifying subject matter to create an unforgettable documentary for the ages.
