'Kristy' Has A Premise Too Terrifying To Be True

It's no secret that Lifetime often uses real stories as the inspiration for its original movies. Sometimes, they're totally ripped from the headlines — think The Elizabeth Smart Story, Kidnapped: The Hannah Anderson Story, or Murder in Mexico. Other times, the movies are fictional, cautionary tales about everything from drug use to killer spouses. So, when I saw the creepy trailer for the movie airing on Lifetime this Saturday night, I immediately wondered if Kristy is based on a true story.

Based on the official synopsis, I definitely found myself hoping this is one movie that's purely derived from the imagination of its writers.

With the rest of the campus home for the Thanksgiving holiday, Justine and a few of her friends spend the weekend in their college dormitory: studying, relaxing and blissfully unaware of the terror that is about to unfold outside in the cold. Suddenly, confronted by a gang of violent outcasts, Justine’s quiet long weekend becomes one long lesson in survival as her and her classmates are terrorized in increasingly bizarre and brutal ways, leaving it up to her to figure out who her attackers are... and if they can be stopped.

Luckily, Kristy doesn't seem to be based on any true life occurrences — so I won't need to sleep with my lights on after watching. And, it wasn't actually produced as a Lifetime movie, so it may be quite different than what viewers are accustomed to seeing on the network. In fact, according to Fangoria, the film was shot over three years ago and has already played on the big screen overseas. Watch the trailer below to get an idea of what to expect from Kristy.

Although we can rest assured that Kristy isn't based on a true story, the plot doesn't look entirely unfamiliar, but that's just because so many horror movies' plots focus on its central characters being stalked by faceless, unidentified strangers. (And for good reason, it's hard to think of a creepier concept than that.) The trailer immediately reminded me of It Follows, a critically acclaimed, low-budget horror flick about a girl who is relentlessly stalked by a shape-shifting, supernatural entity.

There's also The Strangers, which isn't quite the caliber of It Follows, but is undeniably creepy and shares Kristy's plot devices of an isolated setting and assailants terrorizing someone for unclear reasons.

And, if Kristy inspires you to embark on a serious horror movie marathon (it is almost Halloween, after all), check out P2, another suspenseful movie about using physical and psychological strength to survive being stalked by a violent stranger.

Kristy looks like it could be the creepiest movie to hit Lifetime yet, even without any real-life inspiration, so watch at your own risk and get in the Halloween spirit.

Image: Lifetime