Stephen King is known as the master of horror for good reason. His stories dive deep into our fears, often leaving us wondering, “Could this really happen?” Shockingly, many of his most terrifying stories are actually inspired by real events. Whether it’s a historical tragedy or just an ordinary day turned strange, King can twist these moments into nightmare-worthy tales. Here are 5 popular Stephen King movies, along with the true events behind them that are sure to send a chill down your spine.
1. A Good Marriage (2014)
Inspired by the BTK Killer
Imagine living with someone for 30 years, thinking you know everything about them, only to find out they’re hiding a horrifying secret. This is the premise of A Good Marriage, where a woman discovers her husband is a serial killer. King got this idea after reading about the BTK killer, Dennis Rader, who terrorized the U.S. for decades. Rader lived a seemingly normal life—he was a family man, church leader, and respected member of the community. His wife had no idea that her husband was committing gruesome murders in secret. Just like in the movie, the idea that someone so close to you could be a monster is deeply unsettling. Can you really ever know someone fully?
- Director: Peter Askin
- Cast: Joan Allen, Anthony LaPaglia, Stephen Lang
2. It (2017)
Inspired by a Creepy Bridge and Sewer
It might have ruined clowns for many of us, but did you know that Pennywise’s story began with something as simple as a broken car? One day, King’s car broke down, and he had to walk across a creepy wooden bridge to get it fixed. This bridge reminded him of a fairytale about a troll living under a bridge, and just like that, the seed for It was planted. But there’s more – King also lived in a town with an eerie sewer system, and locals said people could get lost down there. The dark, confusing sewers and that haunting bridge blended into the terrifying town of Derry in It. Add in the real-life story of John Wayne Gacy, the serial killer who performed as a clown at children’s parties, and you can see how King took everyday fears and cranked them up to terrifying levels.
- Director: Andy Muschietti
- Cast: Bill Skarsgård, Jaeden Martell, Finn Wolfhard, Sophia Lillis
3. The Shining (1980)
Inspired by a Real Haunted Hotel
What would it feel like to stay in an old, eerie hotel, with only your family and endless snow outside? This is what happened to Stephen King when he stayed at the Stanley Hotel in Colorado. The hotel, already rumored to be haunted, gave King nightmares during his stay. He dreamt of his young son being chased through the hotel by a fire-hose – a dream so vivid and creepy that he woke up, lit a cigarette, and by the time it was finished, he had the entire plot for The Shining in his head. The idea of being trapped in an isolated, haunted hotel is terrifying enough, but when you know that the Stanley Hotel really exists and embraces its spooky reputation, it makes the story even more chilling.
- Director: Stanley Kubrick
- Cast: Jack Nicholson, Shelley Duvall, Danny Lloyd
4. Misery (1990)
Based on King’s Addiction Struggles and a Real-Life Murderous Nurse
An obsessed fan holding her favorite author hostage – sounds scary, right? But the real fear in Misery comes from something even closer to King’s heart: his own battle with addiction. King once described Annie Wilkes, the deranged fan, as a symbol of his drug problem. Addiction, like Annie, wouldn’t leave him alone, always demanding more. But the character also has roots in a real person – nurse Genene Jones, who was suspected of killing as many as 60 children in her care. Like Annie, who “helped” her patients in the worst way possible, Genene would poison children to later try and revive them for praise. The combination of personal demons and a real-life monster makes Misery a terrifyingly relatable nightmare.
- Director: Rob Reiner
- Cast: Kathy Bates, James Caan, Richard Farnsworth
5. Pet Sematary (1989)
Inspired by a Real Pet Cemetery
What if the dead could come back to life, but not in the way you’d expect? Pet Sematary explores this question in the darkest way possible. The story began when King found a real pet cemetery near his home in Maine. His daughter’s cat was killed by a car, and as they buried it in that cemetery, King’s mind wandered: “What if it wasn’t just pets? What if a child came back from the dead?” That horrifying thought, combined with a personal moment where he had to pull his own son away from traffic, led to one of King’s most disturbing novels. The fact that the pet cemetery really existed adds a layer of creepy realism to the story. Even King himself said that Pet Sematary was too scary for him, and he almost didn’t publish it!
- Director: Mary Lambert
- Cast: Dale Midkiff, Denise Crosby, Fred Gwynne
These are just a few examples of how Stephen King draws from real life to craft stories that terrify us. From haunted hotels to serial killers, King finds horror lurking in everyday moments, turning them into something unforgettable. Whether it’s a simple walk across a bridge or an eerie old hotel stay, the line between fiction and reality becomes terrifyingly thin in King’s world.
