The 1980s was an iconic decade for many reasons. From Michael Jackson's moonwalk to the Miracle on Ice, it was an era of change and bright colors. Cinema in the '80s was just as shocking.
And some of the most jaw-dropping plot twists were based on real-life events! Keep reading to find out which movies we still can't believe are rooted in reality.
© AlamyJohn Travolta leans in to adjust vintage recording equipment in a tense film scene.
Blow Out (1981)
Blow Out (1981) starred John Travolta, Nancy Allen, and John Lithgow and was inspired by two real political scandals. The mystery thriller followed John as movie sound recordist Jack who accidentally captured audio of a tire popping just as a car plunged into a creek. The recording was of a governor running for president and a young woman he was having an affair with.
© Getty ImagesA close-up study of Senator Edward Kennedy, taken in Edgartown in May 1969.
The scandals that inspired Blow Out
In 1969, Senator Ted Kennedy drove off a bridge into a body of water, which resulted in the drowning of the passenger Mary Jo Kopechne. Ted swam free, claiming he tried to rescue Mary Jo. A few days after the harrowing incident, Ted pleaded guilty to a charge of leaving the scene of an accident and received a two-month suspended jail sentence.
The other scandal that inspired Blow Out was the assassination of John F. Kennedy. John's character obsessed over the case, much like investigators did after JFK's assassination. In 1963, investigators used 8mm film and ambient radio recordings to track the bullet trajectories and prove a conspiracy to kill the president.
© Getty ImagesMary Stuart Masterson with her arm around Sean Penn in a scene from 'At Close Range'.
At Close Range (1986)
In 1986, Sean Penn and Christopher Walken starred in At Close Range, a crime thriller following a rebellious teen (Sean) who idolizes his estranged father (Christopher) and his rural heist gang. Brad Jr. joins the gang just before Brad Sr. orders hit jobs on his son and eventually shoots him nine times.
© Getty ImagesSean Penn points his forefinger like a gun in a scene from 'At Close Range'.
Inside the Johnston Gang
At Close Range was based on the Johnston Gang, which ran in Chester County, Pennsylvania. After joining his dad's gang, Bruce Johnston Jr. turned over evidence to the state police after learning he'd sexually assaulted his 15-year-old girlfriend Robin. This noble decision resulted in Bruce Johnston Sr. ordering a hit on his own son.
In 1978, two hitmen ambushed Bruce and Robin. They killed Robin and shot Bruce nine times, including twice in the head. But, he miraculously survived and testified against his father, who ended up serving a sentence of life in prison.
© Getty ImagesMeryl Streep and Fred Schepisi at Cannes to present "A Cry in the Dark," for which she won Best Actress.
Evil Angels (1988)
Evil Angels, starring Meryl Streep and Sam Neill, followed a family in the Australian Outback. Meryl starred as Lindy Chamberlain, a mom who screams that a wild dog took her baby. The distraught mom's baby is never found, and the Australian media refused to believe a wild animal would take a child. Lindy is sent to prison after being convicted of murder, with the film ending years later after she was released from prison when the baby's missing jacket was found.
© Getty ImagesLindy and Michael Chamberlain pictured together in 1981.
The dingo's got my baby
Lindy Chamberlain became a meme in the '80s before we even knew that word. "The dingo's got my baby," she yelled. The phrase was mocked globally, even on Seinfeld. Lindy went on to spend three years in prison for a crime she never committed.
Years after Lindy's baby, Azaria Chamberlain, was taken, a British hiker fell in the same area of the Australian Outback. While searching for the hiker, police found Azaria's missing jacket, which led to Lindy's immediate release and exoneration.
