Our world is a strange and (as far as we know) unique place. There are hundreds of stories from history that have been made into some great movies. But there are also stories from the weirder side of our histories that would make insanely awesome movies, books, or games.
History’s mysteries, unique happenings or just a little known historical fact that gets overlooked are all fertile grounds for horror and sci-fi. And for some of these there have been movies, books and games about them but they’re either sub-par or we have other angles that could be explored.
Below is the Kali Krew’s list of famous historical incidents, people, and unsolved (or unexplained) mysteries and what we’d like to see in media.
Atlantis
Chosen by Tracy
Atlantis has always been fascinating and so much could be done with it on both sci-fi and horror fronts.
The Carrington Event
Chosen by Brian
The Carrington Event in 1859 was the largest geomagnetic storm on record. If a solar storm of that magnitude were to hit the Earth in current year it would cause widespread blackouts and power grid failures. It would be fascinating as a jumping off point for sci-fi tech thrillers.
Cursed Items
Chosen by Gracie
Historical curses such as the opening of King Tutankhamen’s tomb, the Hope Diamond, or the Little Bastard causing destruction and mayhem are usually written off as coincidence. But, what if they’re not? This opens up so much ground for horror.
D.B. Cooper
Chosen by Cory
The Story of D.B. Cooper would make a great thriller, if done well. With the unsolved aspect to it, it could really open it p for a supernatural or sci-fi aspect to be brought to the table. I’m sure someone could do better than Bigfoot vs. D.B. Cooper, at any rate.
Dyatlov Pass
Chosen by Sam
The Dyatlov Pass Incident has long intrigued people. And, no matter the theories proposed there is still no concrete conclusion. No matter how logical they seem. And even with everything that’s been proposed we’ll gladly accept more.
Flannan Isles Lighthouse
Chosen by Gracie
The Flannan Isle Lighthouse disappearances have always intrigued Gracie. It seems incredible that three men could just disappear with very little trace. And the ‘official’ explanation feels a little lackluster and a bit of a stretch. I’m sure someone in the sci-fi or horror realm could think of an alternative.
Hanging Gardens of Babylon
Chosen by Lilyn
“We don’t even know if they actually existed or not, but I would love to see a sort of simulation gardening game based around them.” – Lilyn
Living Statues (Encephalitis Lethargica)
Chosen by Lilyn
“I think Scalzi has already done something similar with Locked In, but the possibilities are still out there. Imagine an Event Horizon style movie, but one where they find some of the remaining passengers locked in like that. Take them to a base, it begins to spread… ” – Lilyn
Roanoke Island
Chosen by Lilyn
“So Roanoke is fascinating and has been covered several times, but I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of the ‘everyone suddenly gone, what the fuck happened?’ thing. I think Event Horizon could be qualified as being a spin on it? Depending on how you look at things. But I would love to see it happen on a different planet. Like Titan, maybe. Somewhere where there isn’t already life, so the explanation couldn’t be some disease that wiped everyone out or whatnot.” = Lilyn
The Titan: Or, Futility – and Titanic
Chosen by Gracie
“I’ve always found this story really interesting. It could be done as a cool split-screen of her writing and the Titanic being built and it’s not revealed until the end that it’s her book being written before the Titanic.” – Gracie
You can read The Wreck of The Titan: Or, Futility for yourself here
Tunguska
Chosen by Gracie
The Tunguska Event has been nominally explained but there is so much you could do with it. The X-Files took it in an interesting direction but it would be really cool to see more.
The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald
Chosen by Bill
The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald would make a fascinating story on screen or page. There could be a horror twist to it, for instance.
Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald by Gordon Lightfoot (Song)
Washington Mystery Goo
Chosen by Sam
In 1994 mystery blobs rained from the sky. And it’s not the only time in history that it’s happened. The fleshy blobs also (reportedly) made people ill. Seriously, this is something almost straight out of Lovecraft and it really, really should be explored through a science fiction and horror lens.
One thing I’ve found interesting while compiling this list is that movies seem to either go realistic/thriller or outright comedy. Books have a much broader range for using historical events as springboards for the imagination. That’s not mean to put down one form over another, it’s just something I noticed.
Games can be a fertile media, as well. For instance, the game Kholat (narrated by Sean Bean) is based on the Dyatlov Pass incident (I had a hard time with it because it seemed a little wonky in spots and I really, really suck at using actual maps).
Let us know down below what you would love to see written about or a movie or game made on? Or, let us know what you have checked out that you loved!
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GracieKat was the first co-host of Sci-Fi & Scary, Lilyn’s partner-in-crime, and sub-head of the Kali Krew. She reviews horror books, movies, and games for the site. She also does a weekly Focus on the Frightful feature, and is the site list-maker. She is also in control of the Sci-Fi & Scary podcast which will relaunch soon.
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