Behind the Horror

True Stories That Inspired Horror Movies

By: Dr. Lee Mellor

Narrated by: Adam Sims

Uncover the twisted tales that inspired the big screen's greatest screams.

Which case of demonic possession inspired The Exorcist? What horrifying front-page story generated the idea for A Nightmare on Elm Street? Which film was inspired by an 18th-century Japanese folktale? Unearth the terrifying and true tales behind some of the scariest horror movies to ever haunt our screens, including the Enfield poltergeist case that was retold in The Conjuring 2 and the serial killer who inspired Hannibal Lector in The Silence of the Lambs.

Behind the Horror dissects these and other bizarre tales to reveal haunting real-life stories of abduction, disappearance, murder, and exorcism.

Lee Mellor, PhD, is a criminologist, lecturer, musician, and the author of seven books on crime. He received his doctorate from Montreal's Concordia University after specializing in abnormal homicide and sex crimes.

As the chair of the American Investigative Society of Cold Cases' academic committee, he has consulted with police on cold cases in Pennsylvania, Missouri, Ohio, and London, Ontario. He resides in Ontario, Canada.

©2020 Dr. Lee Mellor (P)2020 Random House Audio

Amazing book!!

If you are into horror, you will really enjoy all the stories this book has to offer!

Fascinating

I had no idea there were real stories behind movies like Poltergeist and Jaws and listened straight through. Well-researched and wonderfully narrated. Is there a volume 2? 😁

Very interesting

Quite interesting and learned new stuff. I enjoyed learning more about actual criminal cases along with the movies they inspired.

I learned things

The delivery is dry and a bit monotone, but very clear. The book is informative. I would recommend it to anyone. I learned more about such stories as The Moth Man, the basis of Jaws, and the Eddinfield Poltergeist.

Great intro for horror fans!

This book offers a fun and factual look at what inspired certain horror movies throughout the 20th century. Not exactly mind-blowing but it's presented well and is loaded with info. Some movies mentioned are Jaws, Psycho, and the Texas Chainsaw Massacre so if you're a fan of those you'll be in for a good read.

Highly Enjoyable

A healthy mix of true crime and paranormal activity to make it an interesting and intriguing listen. The author walks the fine line of including both perspectives, neither leaning towards the fervor of a true believer of paranormal experiences nor the cold certainty of a die hard skeptic. Instead the author gives the listener the known facts, and in the end, let’s them decide what to believe. Well done, and highly enjoyable.

An overview

While this is an excellent overview of true crime historical references were accessed to create many different horror films, it feels a bit like it should be the capstone book for tomes of material. As if each entry should refer to another book in which you could read more on individual topics.

loved this book

i dont know how correct the reporting and facts are but it seemed very much so. this was a great book with interesting facts and written well.

becomes swarmy political and debunking

it's very sad. it started out quite well and then degenerated into a smarmy debunking as well as political diatribe.

Fun read

If you’re into horror and true crime you will most likely know about all these cases and the films but over all this was still an enjoyable listen. There were a few cases I hadn’t heard of which was interesting to listen to, the book more focuses on the crimes that inspired the movie , giving only a brief synopsis of the movie .