Escape From Pretoria and 3 Other Bone-Chilling Thrillers Based on Real Events
These stories may be hard to believe, but they are based on real-life events.
We will tell you stories that are so tense they're almost unbelievable, but each one actually happened. This list includes several days in the life of a maniac, a fight for survival in the open ocean, and other incredible true stories.
1. Escape from Pretoria, 2020
In Apartheid-era South Africa, strict segregation rules were in place across the country. Tim Jenkin and Stephen Lee sacrificed their privileged birthright to fight for equality through political activism.
Following a high-profile protest, the two were arrested and brought to trial. Jenkin received 12 years, and Lee received 8.
They would serve their sentences in Pretoria, a maximum-security prison for murderers, repeat offenders, and political prisoners. From day one, the two men planned an escape that no one had ever attempted before.
2. Memories of Murder, 2003
In the suburbs of the provincial city of Hwaseong, the bodies of women have begun to turn up. The murders occur on rainy nights, and the victims' hands are tied before they die. The local police are unprepared to hunt the serial killer.
Park Doo-man, the head of the investigation, is unfamiliar with working with physical evidence and resorts to torture during interrogations.
He manages to beat a confession out of a local resident, but Seoul detective Seo Tae-yoon believes it is too early to close the case. He insists his colleagues arrested the wrong man and that the killer will strike again soon.
3. The Golden Glove, 2019
Hamburg is where Fritz Honka, the serial killer from the '70s, lived and hunted. He spent his evenings at the Golden Glove pub, hoping to meet a one-night girlfriend.
In exchange for a cheap drink, women willingly went to his dirty apartment, which reeked of decay. Some of them met their death there.
4. Adrift, 2018
Twenty-four-year-old Tami wasn't afraid of any job as long as it allowed her to travel. After a long sailing trip working as a cook, she stopped in Tahiti to rest and decide where to go next.
She was enjoying life when Richard, a young connoisseur of sea travel, burst into it. The young man dreamed of sailing around the world – and that's exactly what Tami wanted.
However, before embarking on dangerous adventures, they decided to earn some money by driving their friends' yacht to California. What should have been the simple quest for experienced sailors turned into a real struggle for survival.