Based on a True Story: The Real Crimes Behind the Films
The real cases behind six true-crime films — and where the movies bend the record
The Real Stories Behind “Based on a True Story”
Every crime film that opens with “based on a true story” makes a quiet promise — and almost every one of them breaks it somewhere. In our At the Movies series, Tales From the Underworld put six of those films up against the documented record: the case files, the trial records, and the reporting behind the scripts.
Below is the full collection — the real investigations behind Citizen X, The Honeymoon Killers, All Good Things, Monster, The Riverman, and Burke & Hare. Each piece separates what the filmmakers got right from what they invented, with the facts drawn from the record and sourced the way we always work.
Horror British Style: A Look at the True Events That Inspired the 1972 Film Burke & Hare
Based on the infamous West Port murders of the late 1820s, the 1972 film Burke & Hare is a stylized, uniquely British spin on 1970s horror cinema — and the real case is darker than the film.
Chasing The Riverman: Ted Bundy and the Hunt for The Green River Killer
The 2004 television movie The Riverman depicts the true story of task force members interviewing Ted Bundy as they attempt to profile the Green River Killer.
Making a Monster: Aileen Wuornos and the True Events that Inspired the 2003 Film
The 2003 film Monster is based on the crimes of serial killer Aileen Wuornos — a massive critical success that some argue blurred the record of her case.
All Good Things: How This 2010 Crime Drama Helped to Catch a Killer
The 2010 film All Good Things was loosely based on the life and crimes of NYC real estate heir Robert Durst — and the interview it prompted helped bring him down.
Deadly Deception: The True Events Behind "The Honeymoon Killers"
Based on the crimes of "The Lonely Hearts Killers" Raymond Fernandez and Martha Beck, these are the real events and backstory behind the 1970 cult classic.
The Rostov Ripper: The True Story of Citizen X and the Hunt for one of Russia's Worst Serial Killers Andrei Chikatilo
The critically acclaimed 1995 HBO drama Citizen X follows Soviet investigators hunting one of Russia's worst serial killers — here's what the film shows, and what it couldn't.
More From Tales From the Underworld
The story doesn’t stop when the credits roll. In July 2026, we focused on Vigilante “Justice” — cases where people took the law into their own hands.