Horror films often captivate audiences with tales of the supernatural, the macabre, and the unknown. One of the most compelling aspects of these films is their ability to blur the line between fiction and reality, leaving viewers questioning the origins of the story.

“Suburban Screams” is one such horror movie that has generated interest and intrigue among fans, as many have wondered if it is based on a true story. In this article, we will delve into the origins of “Suburban Screams” and explore whether any real-life events inspired this chilling cinematic experience.

What Is Suburban Screams About?

Released in 2023, “Suburban Screams” is a horror film that revolves around a seemingly idyllic suburban neighborhood.  Carpenter and his wife, Sandy King Carpenter (his producing partner for decades), developed Suburban Screams from a concept developed by the show’s other producers Tony DiSanto, Jordan Roberts, Patrick Smith, and Andy Portnoy. The Carpenters were so taken with the concept that they agreed to collaborate on the series through their Storm King Productions label.

Carpenter also co-wrote the show’s theme music with his son Cody Carpenter and godson Daniel Davies, and he directed the final episode of the season, titled “The Phone Stalker.” Because the series was shot in Europe, this was done remotely from the United States.

Carpenter summarizes the show in the opening voice-over, saying, “In our suburbs, evil lurks behind closed doors.” True horror stories are frightening because the horror is real. You will never again look at your neighbors the same way.”

Is Suburban Screams Based on True Story?

‘Suburban Screams’ is inspired by true events. Each episode of the series delves into a real-life experience, event, or element of terror, with a narrator or narrators who have lived through or witnessed something similar. The show’s goal is to demonstrate how real occurrences are more terrifying than fiction because the latter cannot be dismissed as works of fiction.

The first episode of the show is based on Kelly Lynn Fitzpatrick’s 1999 death, which was discovered between Luskville and Aylmer. The episode discusses the potential of Kelly’s death being a murder through Dan, who claims to have summoned her spirit using an Ouija board.

The series also recounts the horrible crimes done by real-life serial killer Allan Legere in the city of Miramichi, as told by Rick Maclean and David Cadogan, former editors and publishers of the local newspaper Miramichi Leader, respectively.

In addition to giving light on his crimes, the episode explains how Legere targeted Maclean and Cadogan for writing and publishing about him, demonstrating the murderer’s full depths of horror. Similarly, the show delves into more horrifying genuine stories told from the views of victims, revealing that their experiences do not fade even after years.

“[…] the fact that we focused it on the survivors, the people left behind, the people who have been either the victims or those next to them or what was happening,” executive producer Sandy King told ComicBook. “In the case of a community being held hostage, a person being stalked, or any of these things, they are never unaffected.” We tend to conceive of solved cases as having closure, but can those folks really walk away unscathed? They are not. “It’s impossible not to be affected,” he continued.

Another fascinating genuine story explored by the show is the legend of the Bunny Man, which involves a man costumed in a rabbit suit attacking victims with an axe or hatchet, according to witness testimony. “I also believe that Bunny Man is very successful because it is a hundred-year-old legend with a couple of foundations that grew as a result of parents trying to scare their children into coming home at night over the years.”

There were two modern occurrences in newspapers and things that didn’t involve any deaths and everything, but it grew largely because it was the age when John Walsh’s kidnapped and that heightened everything, so various real-life occurrences played into the myth of the Bunny Man,” King added.

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Scripted segments illustrating the narrators’ accounts are also included in ‘Suburban Screams’ episodes. The series’ creative minds did everything they could to ensure that these segments were true to the truth. ” your interviews and real-life pieces are touchstones that remind the audience in the midst of the scripted portions.” Yes, this did happen, and we did keep a tight rein on it so that the planned bits remained true. “Everything in these stories happened; we just amplified it,” King explained in a separate ComicBook interview.

Finally, the series authentically portrays the reality behind these genuine occurrences. “I believe the key here is not to minimize what their truth is, and their truth is their fact.” It’s how they live, so you must respect what they currently live with for the rest of their lives.

That’s a truth we can’t betray if we’re telling their stories, and keep in mind that we met these people and interviewed them, so there’s trust in their relationship with us, and you can’t be jerks and then suddenly put swamp monsters in their story or do something that makes us think it was more terrifying,” King added.