Horror movies give a creative and dramatic story to portray well known serial killers of the past or very horrific crimes in history. The most current horror movies appeal to their viewing audience through a mixture of suspense, gore, and sometimes comedy.  People pay money to watch these movies and to them it is mere fantasy.  Not all horror movies are fantasy and are more real than most people care to think about.  This small semblance of possible reality sometimes accompanied by the words “based on a true story” can even be a selling point to a movie.  The general public has a true interest in real life violence. When I was researching, a guy named Joe Simon blogged about the true lives of serial killers portrayed in movies.  He said, 

“[T]hese movies can be used to educate people about the human atrocities committed and what motivates someone to commit these crimes. There's a fascination about their mental state because the thought of actually taking someone's life never crosses the mind of most people.”

In the movie Citizen X (Directed by Chris Gerolmo), it was based on the life of a Russian pedophile and serial killer Andrei Chikatilo. He claimed to kill over 50 women and children (under the age of 17), started in between 1978 and 1990. “I am a mistake of nature, a mad beast.” Andrei said while taking into trial. On October 15, 1990, Chikatilo was found guilty on 52 of the 53 murder charges and sentenced to death for each of the murders. On February 14, 1994 He was executed by being shot at the back of the head. In 1995, they made the movie which won 8 awards and 11 nominations including an Emmy and a Golden Globe.

Ever seen the movies Psycho Silence of the Lambs and the Texas Chainsaw Massacre… it all involved one gruesome criminal Ed Gein.  After the death of his mother, he became deranged and looking for every recently buried female corpse and to cut off body parts and skin to keep them as trophies. In 1954 he murdered two women but not until 1957 the police found out. All the police new is that he practiced necrophilia and experimented with human taxidermy. When Gein was taken to court he was not guilty by reason of insanity. On July 26, 1984 Gein died out of heart failure and cancer, because of his criminal acts, he gave the idea of many famous directors and movies in Hollywood. 

In other versions of the criminal act, the criminal often had very violent childhoods that traumatizes them and haunts them as an adult until they finally snap. The Amityville Horror, a movie and novel based on a family murder in Amityville, New York on November 14th, 1974. Robert Defeo killed both his parents and his brothers and sister in the house. 

The greatness of the creative mind in process of horror movies can give us a fright and also gives us tips just in case a psychotic murderer is in your neighborhood. Even though you should remember that the movie is fiction it still makes you scream whenever the music is quiet then something pops up. The point in every scary movie when the killer is the main character is when you question yourself by asking “What is the motive in the killers mind?” The greatness to every horror movie is with every crime or killer but most known for how and how many killings happened.