Top 10 Sci-Fi Movies Inspired by True Events
#10: “The Blob” (1958; 1988)
Another Top 10 Horror Movies Inspired By True Events
Could it really be that a film about an all-devouring gelatinous alien lifeform is based on true accounts? Believe it! On September 26th, 1950, it was reported that a pair of Philadelphia police officers witnessed a sparkly parachute-like object descending from the sky. Investigating further, they recounted finding a pulsating purple substance resembling glowing jelly. And when one of the officers dared put his hand in it, he quickly discovered a sticky residue that later dissolved, leaving behind an odorless scum. Fortunately for us, movie producer Jack H. Harris and Co. would use the odd incident as inspiration for what would become one of cinema's most legendary movie monsters!
#9: “Safety Not Guaranteed” (2012)
Perhaps just as bizarre as the events in this Aubrey Plaza-starring sci-fi/comedy, is the movie’s inspiration. The film sees Plaza’s character called upon to help investigate a strange classified ad – one seeking a partner in a trip through time. As it turns out, an exact posting, noting that “safety was not guaranteed,” actually ran in a 1997 issue of Backwoods Home Magazine. Receiving thousands of legitimate responses, it was later revealed to have been a joke, as magazine contributor John Silveira included the advert to fill unsold ad space. This, of course, left disappointed transtemporal travelers no choice but to live vicariously through the proceedings in the film, where that ad’s promises of time hopping were all too real!
#8: “Communion” (1989)
As far as alien-survivor stories turned movies go, 1989’s “Communion” stands as a particularly memorable retelling. Based on alleged alien-abductee Whitley Strieber’s book of the same name, the movie follows the author’s fervent claims of otherworldly kidnappings. As the story goes, Strieber’s life took an unsettling turn when he awoke one night to find a small alien watching him. It's not long before Strieber, through the help of hypnosis, learns that he has actually been visited prior to this… many times. And while the movie plays fast and loose with his professed accounts, it did manage to pull off some inspired casting. Yep, we dare you to find a better unhinged alien abductee than Christopher Walken!
#7: “Phoenix Forgotten” (2017)
Best Joker: Heath Ledger vs. Joaquin Phoenix
There’s nothing quite like a real-life mystery to get a film studio’s tail wagging. And so, when a set of mysterious lights in strange formations were spotted over the darkened skies of Phoenix, Arizona on a fateful night in 1997, Hollywood couldn’t resist. It may have taken 20 years, but “Phoenix Forgotten” attempted to capitalize on the “Phoenix Lights” phenomenon by way of a found-footage sci-fi/thriller. And while the character’s actions in the film are fictional, the lights themselves, and subsequent frenzy surrounding them, were all too real. Heck, even the governor of Arizona at the time, Fife Symington, stated that the whole thing was a true mystery beyond his explanation.
#6: “Fire in the Sky” (1993)
Top 10 Kids' Movies with the Most Fire Soundtracks
When it comes to alien abductions in cinema, not many can hold a candle to the one featured in Robert Lieberman’s “Fire in the Sky.” The fact that it’s drawn from a true-life account only adds to the chilling astonishment. Occurring in 1975, Travis Walton purportedly witnessed a strange sight in the sky while with a work crew near Snowflake, Arizona. When he and his co-workers pursued the unidentified object, Walton states he was hit by an immense energy beam. Assuming their workmate had met his end, the other men took off. But, five days later, Travis reappeared in town, asserting that he’d been abducted by extraterrestrials! It’s probably best we spare you the queasy details surrounding the alleged experiments he underwent, though.
#5: “Contact” (1997)
Top 10 First Contact Movies
Are we alone in the universe? That’s the question Jodie Foster’s Dr. Ellie Arroway obsessively tries to answer in Robert Zemeckis’ celebrated sci-fi/drama. It’s also the question Jill Tarter, the inspiration for Foster’s character, spent her entire adult life focused on. During filming, the former director of the SETI Institute would often meet with Foster to discuss the ins and outs of researching extraterrestrial life within the realm of astronomy – not to mention what such a person’s life was truly like. And, while unlike the events in the film, Tarter never actually made otherworldly contact, her work has become vitally important in the search for alien life. And for that, we thank her!
#4: “War of the Worlds” (2005)
Top 10 Horror Movies Inspired By True Events
You are probably aware that the many “War of the Worlds” films are based on H.G. Wells’ 1898 science fiction novel of the same name. What you might not know, however, is that Steven Spielberg’s 2005 adaptation of the story takes some direct inspiration from a certain true-life tragic event. Framed around a colossal alien invasion where planet-wide mass destruction ensues, the famed director uses the unrelenting devastation in Wells’ seminal work to serve up some stark parallels to an infamous attack that took place on American soil. With plenty of imagery echoing the unforeseen events in New York City, Spielberg and his team gave the classic tale a powerful dose of realism – one that upped the intensity tenfold!
#3: “District 9” (2009)
One of the most critically lauded sci-fi films of modern cinema also serves as an examination of South Africa’s apartheid system. Neill Blomkamp’s “District 9” sees a group of starving aliens arrive in South Africa in the early 80’s, only to be confined to internment camp slums for their troubles. Things would begin to change for the intergalactic creatures, however, when happenstance causes a human bureaucrat to transform into one of them. The movie’s events openly mirror Cape Town's District Six neighborhood in the 1970’s, where some 60,000 residents were removed from their homes and placed in a poorly constructed township. Blomkamp not only gave us a fascinating sci-fi adventure, but a powerful exploration of xenophobia and human injustice in the process!
#2: “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” (1977)
Steven Spielberg’s quintessential alien encounter film isn’t inspired by one particular true-life account, but many! The movie, which features a man compulsively drawn to the Wyoming wilderness after encountering a UFO, is actually based upon years and years of government research on unidentified sightings. In fact, in preparation for his sci-fi feature, Spielberg brought on a revered astronomer to help give the film a relative sense of realism. It may have been a tad too authentic, however, as the director would later recount receiving a lengthy warning letter from NASA about the alleged dangers in making such a film. Luckily for us, it only made Spielberg even more of a believer!
#1: “Godzilla” (1954)
Top 10 Smart Decisions in Godzilla Movies
Ok, so clearly there are no existing prehistoric sea monsters roaming the real world – thankfully. But, the inspiration for such a creature is very much rooted in reality. The 1954 kaiju film that started the “Godzilla” franchise, is the direct result of the “Nuclear Age.” On two separate days in 1945, the United States released a pair of nuclear attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki Japan. Naturally, this use of atomic weaponry led to an abundance of anxiety surrounding a nuclear arms race. And in such, these concerns were manifested in Godzilla - the walking embodiment of nuclear radiation. All these years later, and The King of Monsters still stands as a powerful symbol of nuclear destruction!
