7. Open Water (2003)
Inspired by: Tom and Eileen Lonergan
Open Water isn’t the most well-known horror movie. In fact, it’s not even the most famous shark-related horror movie, although it’s definitely in the top five for the latter category. The 2003 survival horror tells the cautionary tale of an American tourist couple who go scuba diving. Predictably (it is a horror film, after all), they find themselves stranded miles from shore and menaced by sharks when they’re left behind by a neglectful scuba crew.
The basis of any good horror is plausibility, and Open Water has that in spades. Not only are its monsters – sharks and good ol’ human error – very much real, but its story is heavily inspired by the real-life disappearance of a scuba diving tourist couple.
Tom and Eileen Lonergan went on a group scuba diving trip off the coast of Australia in 1998. Not only were they left behind, but the crew didn’t notice their absence until two full days later. Search efforts began immediately, and personal effects believed to belong to the Lonergans were eventually recovered, but the couple were never found. After the recovery and inspection of some of the Lonergans’ diving gear, it was surmised that they most likely weren’t victims of an animal attack, but the most plausible cause of their death was drowning caused by dehydration and exhaustion.