It's that time of year, friends. It's the season of spooky decorations, scary movies, and excuses to wear costumes and party. As someone who is TERRIFIED of scary movies (but watches them anyway), there's nothing scarier than a horror movie based on real-life events. So if you want to make your Halloween even scarier, watch the movie AND read the story.

1. "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre"

Though the true story takes place in Wisconsin, it is said that this serial killer inspired the character Leatherface in "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre "as Gein often used his victims' skin to create pieces of clothing. In November of 1957, Bernice Worden disappeared from a local hardware store. Witnesses placed Gein in the store at the same time, claiming that Gein was the last customer Worden interacted with. Police searched Gein's property and found Worden's body, decapitated and hanging from the ceiling.

If that wasn't disturbing enough, investigators also found nine masks of human skin, bowls made from human skulls, human skin on chair seats, a pair of lips on a string to draw up a window shade, and a belt made from human nipples. Gein was arrested and convicted on one count of first-degree murder, but found mentally unfit for trial and spent the rest of his life in a mental hospital. For more chilling information on Ed Gein: http://murderpedia.org/male.G/g/gein-edward.htm

2. "The Conjuring"

In 1970, Roger and Carolyn Perron purchased a home in Harrisville, Rhode Island where they raised their five daughters until 1980. When the family first moved in, they reported that a neighbor warned them about the strange goings on in the house. Initially, the Perrons claim the spirits were benevolent -- moving toys, tucking the children into bed, kissing them on the head. Soon these spirits took a turn and began prodding, poking, and pushing the children as well as parents, taking a special interested in Carolyn. It is thought that the spirit tormenting Carolyn was the spirit of Bathsheba Thayer who lived in the house in the 1800s and was thought to have been a witch. In the end, Carolyn was supposedly possessed by the spirit and eventually, the family moved out of the home for fear of their safety. For more information: http://www.theoccultmuseum.com/the-conjuring-the-true-story-of-the-perron-family-haunting/

3. "The Exorcism of Emily Rose"

The star of this story is not Emily Rose, but Anneliese Michel. When she was 17, she began to experience convulsions which doctors labeled as epilepsy. Soon after she claimed she was hearing voices and seeing "devilish" faces. Her family was extremely religious and insisted that this must be work of the devil so they reached out to the Catholic church for assistance. Unfortunately, they were informed that in order to receive an exorcism, Anneliese had to meet certain criteria. This denial caused her to become even more aggressive as she began to harm herself, eat bugs, and drink her own urine. Finally, a priest was granted permission to perform an exorcism. He had to do this twice a week, meaning, in the end, he had performed 67 exorcisms on Anneliese. It was reported that Anneliese would often show her reverence and submission to Satan by throwing herself down on her knees.

When she was found dead in her home in 1976, she weighed 68-pounds and had two broken kneecaps. In truth, the most disturbing part of this story comes after her death. Her parents and the priest were tried under the assumption that they caused mental and physical harm to Anneliese; however, during the trial, witnesses claimed they had heard several demons identify themselves while Anneliese was possessed. Some of these included Lucifer, Cain, Judas, Nero, and Hitler. After the controversy in court, the Catholic church changed its official opinion on Anneliese's case to "mental illness" not "possession." All information can be found at: http://www.the13thfloor.tv/2017/05/10/the-real-story-the-inspired-the-haunting-of-emily-rose/

4. "An American Haunting"

This movie is based on a story that has been circulating Tennessee for centuries. In the early 1800s, it is said that John Bell and his wife moved to the property on which this movie takes place with their three children. One day when Bell was out in the fields, he saw a strange animal with the body of a dog and the head of a rabbit. He tried to shoot at it, but it vanished. A few weeks later, the family began hearing pounding on the walls of their home. The pounding became louder and more frequent. The children also reported having their covers and pillows thrown off their beds in the middle of the night. Soon after this poltergeist activity, the Bells began to hear a distinct voice singing hymns, quoting scripture, and carrying on conversations. Betsy Bell, John's daughter, fell in love with a boy from town; however, the entity inhabiting the house is said to have told Betsy not to marry him. Everywhere the couple went, they felt as if they were being followed by this spirit. It became so overbearing that Betsy eventually broke off the engagement. The spirit also expresses hatred for John Bell and vowed to kill him. Over the next year, Bell got increasingly ill until he passed away in 1820.

After his death, his son discovered a mysterious vial in the cupboard. To test its effects, he gave it to the cat and the cat died instantly. The family then heard a voice say "I gave Ol' Jack a big dose of that last night, which fixed him!" Residents of the area claim to see apparitions of small children and old women as well as hear disembodied voices on the property surrounding the Bell farm. All information can be found at: http://www.bellwitch.org/story.htm

5. "Child's Play"

If you think Chucky is terrifying, imagine the real-life version of him. Robert the doll is considered the most haunted toy in the world. If you have guts enough to look up a picture, DON'T. He is truly the MOST TERRIFYING thing I have ever seen. So what's the story? When Eugene Otto was a child, he was given Robert the doll as a gift. Originally, Eugene took Robert everywhere with him. They were the best of friends. Like children do, Eugene would often have conversations with Robert in hushed tones; however, things began to escalate when his parents noticed furniture and toys being moved around his room at night, screaming and arguing coming from his room, and strange mood swings from Eugene. Toys were found ripped apart and when asked what happened Eugene always responded, "Robert did it."

An increase in bad behavior led Eugene's parents to confiscate the doll and box it up in the attic. Eugene did not have any contact with the doll and things went back to normal for the rest of his childhood. Later in life, he married and lived in the same house. One evening he found Robert in the attic and immediately connected with him again. Just like as a child, he took Robert everywhere with him. Arnetta, his wife, detested the doll. The doll was said to disappear and reappear in other parts of the house as well as give Eugene commands that he followed. Though Eugene passed away some years ago, the doll remains possessed to this day. He is held in a museum in Key West, Florida where staff members warm guests that they must greet Robert and politely ask for a photo before taking one or Robert will kill them. Staff members also claim that though Robert sits inside a glass box, some evenings they will walk by the display and see Robert in an entirely new position only to blink and have him sitting down again. All information can be found at: https://www.hauntedrooms.co.uk/robert-doll-story-eugene-otto-enchanted-doll

So at your next horror movie party, impress your guest with a little backstory that will make the movie even freakier.