15 Sci-Fi Movies That Were Inspired By Real Events

15. 12 Kilometers

12 Kilometers is a short sci-fi horror film inspired by the real-life Russian urban legend about drilling too deep into the Earth and supposedly hearing screams from hell. It’s a fast, unsettling ride packed with intense sound design and surreal visuals that make it feel like a nightmare you can’t shake. | © Boston International Film Festival

14. The Vast Of Night

The Vast of Night is a slow-burn UFO mystery set in 1950s New Mexico, inspired by real radio call-ins and early alien sighting reports. With sharp dialogue and two captivating leads, the film pulls you in with its eerie atmosphere and keeps you hooked through pure storytelling. | © Amazon Studios

13. The Fourth Kind

The Fourth Kind is based on real reports of mysterious disappearances in Nome, Alaska, blending supposed archival footage with a fictional storyline about alien abductions. Whether you believe it or not, the film plays with your sense of reality and leaves you questioning what might be out there. | © Warner Bros. Pictures

12. The Philadelphia Experiment

The Philadelphia Experiment is based on a real conspiracy theory about a secret 1943 Navy project that allegedly made a ship vanish and possibly travel through time. The movie runs with that wild idea, sending two sailors into the future for a time-travel adventure that's part sci-fi, part cult classic fun. | © 20th Century Studios

11. Tomorrowland

Tomorrowland was inspired by Walt Disney’s original vision of a utopian future built on innovation, curiosity, and optimism. This movie combines sci-fi with idealism, reminding us that believing in a better world is the first step toward creating one. | © Walt Disney Pictures

10. Godzilla

Godzilla wasn’t just a monster movie; it was a direct response to the nuclear devastation of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Director Ishirō Honda used the creature’s unstoppable destruction as a metaphor for the atomic bomb, turning Japan’s trauma into a powerful piece of cinema history. | © Toho

9. Safety Not Guaranteed

Safety Not Guaranteed was inspired by a real classified ad placed in a magazine by someone claiming to seek a partner for time travel. What starts as a goofy assignment for a group of reporters turns into a surprisingly heartfelt story about regret, second chances, and the people we meet along the way. | © FilmDistrict

8. Overlord

Overlord combines brutal WWII combat with twisted science fiction, taking inspiration from real Nazi experiments and the horrors of D-Day. Set during the actual Operation Overlord, the film imagines what might’ve happened if those dark rumors about supersoldier experiments were true. | © Paramount Pictures

7. War Of The Worlds

War of the Worlds draws heavily from the trauma of 9/11, with Spielberg using the alien invasion to mirror real-life fear and sudden chaos. Scenes of people running for their lives through dust and debris were directly inspired by images of New Yorkers fleeing the attacks. | © Paramount Pictures

6. Close Encounters Of The Third Kind

Close Encounters of the Third Kind was inspired by real government investigations into UFO sightings, including Project Blue Book, led by scientist J. Allen Hynek. Hynek even helped shape the film’s concept, bringing his idea of a “third kind” encounter straight from research to the big screen. | © Columbia Pictures

5. The Blob 1958

This cult classic about a growing alien ooze was inspired by a real 1950 police report in Philadelphia, where officers claimed to see a strange, jelly-like object fall from the sky. In the movie, no one believes the teens who witness it until the Blob starts swallowing the whole town. | © Paramount Pictures

4. The Mothman Prophecies

Set in Point Pleasant, West Virginia, this thriller is based on real reports from the 1960s about a winged creature with glowing red eyes. The film follows a grieving reporter as he uncovers strange sightings and chilling events tied to the mysterious figure locals called the Mothman. | © Sony Pictures Releasing

3. Fire In The Sky

This chilling abduction story is based on the real-life claims of Travis Walton, a logger who vanished for five days in 1975 after a strange encounter in the Arizona woods. The film dives into his terrifying account of being taken aboard a UFO, while his friends face suspicion and disbelief back home. | © Paramount Pictures

2. District 9

District 9 takes inspiration from the real forced removals in apartheid-era South Africa, where thousands were kicked out of their homes in District Six. The film uses aliens to explore issues of segregation, discrimination, and how people treat those they see as different. | © Sony Pictures Entertainment

1. Battle: Los Angeles

This alien invasion flick was inspired by a real WWII event where mysterious flying objects triggered a citywide panic in Los Angeles in 1942. Battle: Los Angeles takes that eerie moment in history and turns it into a chaotic, action-packed fight for survival against extraterrestrial forces. | © Columbia Pictures