Movies Based on True Stories
These movies based on true stories are either fascinating stories or just so well done they are worth including. Some are rather campy; some searingly disturbing.
It was pretty overwhelming trying to compile a list because so many come to mind, so I have tried to focus on the lesser-known movies or stories.
They are roughly sorted by murder, deceit, imprisonment, survival, addictions, mental illness, scandal, abduction, family dysfunction, and biography.
It was pretty overwhelming trying to compile a list because so many come to mind, so I have tried to focus on the lesser-known movies or stories.
They are roughly sorted by murder, deceit, imprisonment, survival, addictions, mental illness, scandal, abduction, family dysfunction, and biography.
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- DirectorCourteney CoxStarsGarret DillahuntBrando EatonLaura San GiacomoThomas Montgomery, a married father of two young daughters, gets seduced by the world of online gambling and chat rooms where a virtual romance and sexual obsession ultimately leads to the murder of an innocent man.
- DirectorRalph HemeckerStarsAnne HecheEric RobertsKathleen YorkA forty-something ex-policeman named Joe initiates an online relationship with twenty-something Tonya Sullivan. Conflicts arise after Tonya flies to Atlantic City to seduce Joe, and she reveals to him that she is married.
- DirectorDick LowryStarsMeredith BaxterStephen CollinsMichelle JohnsonBetty torments her husband with childish vandalism and verbal threats after he leaves her for another woman, but nobody anticipates what ends up happening as the games escalate.
- DirectorDick LowryStarsMeredith BaxterJudith IveyRay BakerBetty Broderick stands trial for shooting her ex husband and his new bride.
- DirectorRobert DornhelmStarsSela WardElizabeth PeñaRheagan WallaceBased on the real story of Clara Harris, the Houston, Texas dentist who made headlines in July 2002 when she killed her adulterous husband by repeatedly running over him with her car.
- DirectorJace AlexanderStarsTania RaymondeJesse Lee SofferLeah PipesBased on the disturbing murder trial that gripped the nation, this Lifetime Original Movie tells the story of a seductive, aspiring photographer found guilty of killing her former lover.
- DirectorRod HardyStarsSusan LucciPatrick Van HornRaymond J. BarryAn older woman seduces a younger man and then breaks up with him. He becomes obsessive and refuses to accept the break up and subsequently turns violent.
- DirectorMikael SalomonStarsRob LoweKaley CuocoCatherine DentFollowing the mysterious disappearance of his fourth wife, a man is accused of the murder of his third.
- DirectorRoger YoungStarsDean CainSarah Joy BrownG.W. BaileyAs the police search for a missing pregnant woman, new evidence emerges that throws suspicion on her seemingly devoted husband.
- DirectorNadia TassStarsBilly MillerAmber ClaytonGary SweetA man is accused of drowning his wife during their scuba diving trip at Australia's Great Barrier Reef.
- DirectorPeter SvatekStarsNatasha HenstridgeJames BrolinJewel StaiteStarring Natasha Henstridge and James Brolin. A wealthy man marries a sexy young hospice nurse. When he dies suspiciously and the new missus inherits a fortune, his daughter grows convinced that her gold-digging stepmother is to blame.
- DirectorEd BianchiStarsJohn StamosRobin TunneyAnson MountDrama based on a true story. Rich, high-flying brothers Robert and Andrew Kissel seemingly have everything: beautiful wives who love them, great jobs and huge houses. But beneath the surface lie resentments and secrets that will eventually be their horrible undoing.
- DirectorStephen KayStarsJake McDormanAgnes BrucknerJoshua CloseOn the surface, Philip Markoff appears to be the ideal med student, fiancé and future son-in-law - but there's something seriously wrong with him.
- DirectorSandor SternStarsTiffani ThiessenEric CloseLorrie MorganThere's a rapist plaguing a neighborhood. Now a young newlywed suspects that her new husband may be the one doing this.
- DirectorNorma BaileyStarsMatt BarrEric McCormackLolita DavidovichA charming but devious college student is accused of killing his wealthy father and attempting to murder his mother in their home while they slept.
- DirectorJohn ErmanStarsFrederic ForrestChristopher ColletKarmin MurceloBased on true story of teens Richard and Deborah Jahnke charged in Wyoming for the killing of their abusive father.
- DirectorJeff BlecknerStarsKelly McGillisHarry HamlinKeith CarradineAfter a very messy divorce, a man starts suspecting his ex-wife and her new boyfriend of various crimes.
- DirectorsBill NortonKate RyersonStarsKristy SwansonJeremy LondonDavid ChokachiA mass seductress kills her mother for inheritance then two years later manipulates her brother to kill her lover in a bloodlust for the next scam.
- DirectorJerry CiccorittiStarsPoppy MontgomeryDavid SutcliffePeter OuterbridgeBased on the true events leading up to the murder of Ted Ammon, a multi-millionaire found bludgeoned to death while in the midst a combative divorce from his mentally unstable wife.
- DirectorPeter MedakStarsMena SuvariMarcia Gay HardenJohnathon SchaechTed Binion is Vegas royalty, the prince of the world famous Horseshoe Casino - rich, rowdy and randy. When he falls for Sandy Murphy at a local strip club, he becomes trapped in a web of drugs, deception and ultimately his death.
- DirectorSeth JarrettStarsKatrina BowdenOlivia CrocicchiaMadeline MillarA friendship between two young mothers results in murder when one develops an attraction to the other's boyfriend.
- DirectorRobert DornhelmStarsHayden PanettiereMarcia Gay HardenVincent RiottaBased on the events surrounding the murder of British student Meredith Kercher.
- DirectorMikael SalomonStarsTracy PollanGrant ShowCatherine DentAn 18 year old girl, Natalee Holloway, goes on a senior class trip to Aruba, only to mysteriously disappear after meeting a man at bar.
- DirectorStuart GordonStarsMena SuvariStephen ReaRussell HornsbyA young woman commits a hit-and-run, then finds her fate tied to her victim.
- DirectorPeter WernerStarsKim RaverGreg GrunbergCharlie McDermottStarring Kim Raver and Greg Grunberg. A widow must pierce the veil of secrecy uniting a group of teens and their parents in order to find out how her husband died. Based on a true story.
