Sometimes while watching true crime series or movies, we think that all these stories are complete fiction, despite having “true” in the title. But sometimes, those writers that have seemingly come up with unbelievably crazy stories are inspired by real-life incidents.
Here are true crime dramas that sound made up but are actually based on real events.
1. Manhunt
Based on real events, the drama series tells the story of the conflict between an FBI profiler Jim Fitzgerald and one of the most dangerous criminals in US history — Theodore Kaczynski, known as the Unabomber. This brutal serial killer became “notorious” for sending improvised explosive devices to his victims via snail mail.
2. The Wolf of Wall Street
It’s so strange that even the Wolf of Wall Street is based on real events. The story is about Jordan Belfort, who, in 1987, became a broker at a successful investment bank, but it went down shortly after the sudden collapse of the Dow Jones index. Following his wife’s advice, Jordan gets a job dealing with small stocks. His peculiar style of communication with clients and innate charisma quickly bear fruit. One thing leads to another, and one day an FBI agent comes knocking at Belfort’s door. That’s where the fun part starts.
3. Zodiac
For over ten years, the Zodiac killer kept all of San Francisco in terror. Communicating with the authorities through reporters, he blamed the police for inaction in his creepy letters. The Zodiac kept disappearing and reappearing, so the police started doubting whether they were hunting the same person or if there was a copycat. However, both the MO of the murders and the letters to reporters indicated that the Zodiac had not yet retired.
4. Candy
Lovely Jessica Biel portrays the infamous Candy Montgomery, who was accused of murdering her neighbor in the 1980s. She was just a regular suburban mom from Texas, and after having an affair with her neighbor’s husband, she decided to “ax” the wife a few vital questions. Yes, we do mean she hacked the poor woman with an axe.
5. American Hustle
The plot of the movie is based on a real special operation carried out in the late 70s and early 80s by the FBI. It was originally aimed at investigating the trade in stolen goods. The FBI was going to introduce its agents into the criminal environment under the guise of intermediaries buying stolen works of art for wealthy collectors in the Middle East. Subsequently, the operation exposed a whole network of corrupt individuals and companies.
6. Inventing Anna
Inventing Anna is a true story of a swindler from russia who made her way into the high society of New York to fool its representatives and get a lot of money from them. The main role in the miniseries was played by Julia Garner, well-known for the Ozark series.
7. American Crime Story
The plot of American Crime Story is based on a very real forensic investigation known as “The Simpson Case,” in which OJ Simpson was charged with the brutal murder of his own wife. Usually, such violent crimes would result in a death sentence, but Simpson was acquitted after a very protracted trial.
8. The Act
An insanely interesting and chilling story based on real events is revealed in eight episodes of the miniseries. In the center of the plot is a mother who has been caring for a sick child all her life and is admired by everyone around her. Her daughter seems to have a whole encyclopedia’s worth of incurable diseases, except that all of them are fake. As a teenager, the daughter realized that she could not live like this any longer and decided to rebel against her insane mother.
9. Monster
The movie Monster centers around Aileen Wuornos, who killed seven men in 1989-1990, becoming the second female maniac in US history. Wuornos came from a highly dysfunctional family, showed a propensity for violence, and led a chaotic lifestyle. She was arrested many times for various reasons, including theft, fraud, and robbery, and by 1989 prostitution became her main source of livelihood. At some point, she started killing and robbing her clients. After the inevitable arrest, Wuornos claimed it was all in self-defense.
