2 Horror Movies Based on Real Life on Peacock and Paramount+ (January 2026)

It is a fact that horror movies that are based on true stories offer a dramatized version of what actually happened. However, it is how the makers manage to balance between truth and drama that makes such a film effective. They have the license to take some things for granted, and so do we, as it gives horror movies that are of a scary/appealing quality whose effect remains with us for at least a day or two, keeping us awake at night. In this article, we bring you such horror movies based on real life that you can stream on Peacock and Paramount+.

2. Orphan: First Kill (2022)

A prequel to ‘Orphan’ (2009), William Brent Bell’s ‘Orphan: First Kill’ sets the record straight about how Leena Klammer’s background. In the first film, she infiltrated a household pretending to be a young girl and soon wreaked havoc. In this film, she escapes a psychiatric facility in Estonia and lands in America, pretending to be the missing daughter of a wealthy family. As their “Esther” starts heaving strangely, we realize that what we have been expecting is slowly revealing itself. However, Leena is in for a surprise, and her new family has some disturbing secrets of its own.

Both films are based on the horrifying case of Barbora Skrlová that came to light in 2008. In the case, the search for a 13-year-old missing Czech boy named Adam exposed 33-year-old Barbora, who was posing as the kid to hide from the police and avoid testifying in a 2007 child abuse case. With a gripping narrative and Isabelle Fuhrman’s brilliant performance, ‘Orphan: First Kill’ works both as a worthy sequel and a powerful standalone horror film. You can watch it on Paramount+.

1. The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)

It is rare for an independent movie to receive as much attention as Tobe Hooper’s ‘The Texas Chain Saw Massacre’ did. The cult classic horror movie, which is inspired by the true story of serial killer Ed Gein, turned a murderous man into a horror icon. A pioneer of the slasher genre, the movie shows a group of friends being hunted by a chainsaw-wielding killer wearing a mask made of human skin. It is gory, it is horrific, and it is beautiful. It stars Marilyn Burns, Allen Danziger, Paul A. Partain, and Gunnar Hansen. You can stream the iconic movie on Peacock.

Read More: Best Stephen King Movies on Hulu, Max and Prime

SPONSORED LINKS