Is Insidious based on a true story? The real inspiration behind the horror hit
Is Insidious based on a true story? Insidious is not based on a true story. The real inspiration behind the horror hit stems from real-life ghost stories and the filmmakers' interest in astral projection and sleep paralysis. The writer and director relied on those two elements to build a fictional, supernatural horror tale.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Key takeaways
- Insidious is not based on a true story.
- James Wan, the film director and Leigh Whannell, the writer, collected ghost stories and creepy occurrences from different people.
- The horror film primarily relies on the concepts of astral projection, sleep paralysis, and ghost stories.
- The Insidious franchise has continued to expand, but none of the sequels or prequels are based on actual stories either.
Is Insidious based on a true story?
The movie is not based on a true story. One of the main reasons people think it's based on a true story is that the film's director also directed The Conjuring, a hit series based on the real events of the Warrens' experience.
Secondly, Insidious is an exorcism-based movie like many horror movies, such as The Exorcist and The Amityville Horror, which are based on true stories. Due to similarities in themes, many people tend to believe it's based on a true story, even though that's not the case.
Lastly, some believe Insidious is based on a true story due to getting the film mixed up with other horror franchises, such as The Conjuring Universe, which features lead actor Patrick Wilson. But are Conjuring and Insidious connected? They are not connected. They only share the same director, James Wan and lead actor, Patrick Wilson.
Is Insidious based on Ed and Lorraine Warren?
The film is not based on the duo. Ed and Lorraine Warren were a married couple from Connecticut. Ed was a popular writer, lecturer, and self-proclaimed demonologist, while his wife was a light trance medium. The couple were known for founding a ghost-hunting group known as the New England Society for Psychic Research (NESPR).
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For many decades, Ed and Lorraine investigated different paranormal activities, with their most popular ones being the Amityville Horror of New York in 1975. They allegedly investigated over 100,000 cases that were used as inspiration in the horror genre.
The Insidious film creator, James Wan, has drawn inspiration from the couple as seen in the productions of The Conjuring, The Nun and the Annabelle movies. As a result, many guessed that James drew his Insidious film inspiration from the same. However, the film franchise is not based on Ed and Lorraine at all.
Inspiration behind the horror hit
What is Insidious based on? The movie is based on fictional stories inspired by the concepts of astral projection, ghost stories, and sleep paralysis. The movie stemmed from a simple conversation between director Wan and writer Whannell, where they discovered no one had made a horror movie about astral projection.
Following this discovery, the two asked people to share with them about their experiences with ghosts and any other creepy occurrences. Consequently, the two filmmakers used some of those stories to help build the movie.
Therefore, the combination of different people's stories and the duo's interest in astral projection formed the basis of Insidious. Despite the unlikely inspiration, the majority of critics enjoyed the movie, and it made a hefty profit. It made over $100 million at the box office from a $1.5 million budget.
Were any of the filming locations haunted?
None of the Insidious filming locations were confirmed to be haunted, although the cast believed that the house had a creepy vibe. The movie was shot in two different houses, which most of the cast members alleged felt strange while they were there.
Some claimed to have heard loud buzzing sounds in some rooms, while others felt sudden queasiness, and others heard non-existent bells ringing. The crew alleged that the creepy vibe followed on the set of Insidious: Chapter Two, which was shot at an abandoned hospital in Linda Vista, California.
While researching for the movie, the writer and his wife visited the abandoned hospital. During the visit, Leigh's wife allegedly practically pleaded and begged the ghosts to show up or possess her, but nothing happened. A few weeks later, she visited a psychic who revealed that she was close to bringing back something with her.
FAQs about Insidious
- What is Insidious about? Insidious follows a family whose son becomes trapped in a spirit realm, while evil entities try to possess his body.
- Is Insidious the movie based on a true story? Insidious, the movie, is not based on a true story but a fictional work.
- Are The Conjuring and Insidious connected? The Conjuring and Insidious are not connected, but they share the same director, James Wan, and actor, Patrick Wilson.
- Are any of the Insidious movies based on true events? None of the movies is based on true events. They are all inspired by concepts of astral projection, sleep paralysis, and ghost stories.
- Where was the Insidious movie filmed? Insidious was mainly filmed in Los Angeles, California, including a residential home in Victoria Park and the historic Herald Examiner Building.
- How many Insidious movies are there? Insidious has five films–Insidious (2010), Insidious: Chapter 2 (2013), Insidious: Chapter 3 (2015), Insidious: The Last Key (2018), and Insidious: The Red Door (2023).
- Do the sequels connect to the first Insidious movie? The sequels and prequels expand on the original story, exploring the characters' pasts and continuing the events that began in the first film.
Final word
Is Insidious based on a true story? No. The film is a creative fiction built on supernatural themes such as astral projection, sleep paralysis, and ghostly tales. The events and characters depicted in the film are entirely invented for the film's purposes.
Are you looking for more information about John Q? Tuko.co.ke shared an informative article about whether it is based on a true story and other interesting details about the American drama film.
John Q is not based on a true story. The film, released in 2002, was loosely based on events in Toronto, Canada, in 1999. One significant difference is that the perpetrator in the movie lives, whereas the police killed the man in Toronto. Read the article to learn more.
Proofreading by Masolo Mabonga, copy editor at TUKO.co.ke.
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