I watched the 2021 movie Aftermath today, and while I already knew most of what would happen I was pretty disappointed that it never acknowledged the cases that the movie was inspired by.
There will be spoilers for the movie in this, so beware if you don’t want the movie spoiled.
Anyways, the most I can find about the ‘based on true events’ part is a single article with a small mention of a case in 2011 where a couple was harassed and people attempted to scare them into selling their home using the same tactics as was shown in the movie.
There’s no mention at all of the 1922 murder of Fred Oesterriech, which I found the movie was heavily inspired by. Hell, they even gave the same name to the murderer, though the movie obviously goes in a little more sinister route than in real life.
Honestly the murder of Fred Oesterriech is fascinating, and it’s a shame that it isn’t highlighted more by this movie as the main premise is based on the case.
In both instances there is an affair, a house designed and built by the wife who intends to hide her secret lover in the walls and the attic of the house, things go missing and get moved, a secret door in a closet leads to Ottos hidden living space, someone sees Otto and gets convinced it was just a nightmare or ghost while describing him as a “rail thin pale man”, and eventually there is a murder of the husband.
In the real life case Otto Sanhuber shot Fred Oesterriech to save Walburga “Dolly” Oesterriech after hearing the married couples heated argument, then because he loved Dolly he stayed in the house’s walls and attic for 8 more years before he was found out by Dollys new lover and attorney Herman Shapiro.
Dolly had been taken in to custody after some new evidence was found that linked her closely to the murder of her husband, and during this time she expressed worry to her lover about her “vegabond half brother” that lived in her attic. Unfortunately (or fortunately) for her Otto Sanhuber confessed the truth of Dolly and his relationship to Herman Shapiro, as well as the fact he was the murderer.
That’s where the case ends thankfully, no torturing of a new couple and no more Otto hiding in walls. Instead Otto Sanhuber was convicted of manslaughter, but due to the statue of limitations he never spent time in jail. Instead he moved to Canada and changed his name to Walter Klein, where he eventually married and lived out the rest of his life in obscurity.