Is ‘The Horror of Dolores Roach’ Based on a True Story? Separating Fact from Fiction

Ayushi S
July 5, 2023

Aaron Mark is the creator of the horror-comedy series “The Horror of Dolores Roach” on Amazon Prime. It is also Justina Machado (‘One Day at a Time’) plays Dolores Roach in it. Roach has served an unfair 16-year prison sentence and is now free. Dolores enlists the aid of an old acquaintance who owns an empanada shop in her fight for survival. Dolores, however, soon becomes implicated in a number of horrific killings. The show offers a delicious fusion of comedy, horror, and thematic storytelling that will appeal to the audience. Naturally, viewers must be interested in the source of inspiration. Here is all the information you want if you’re interested in learning more about how “The Horror of Dolores Roach” was created.

Is The Horror of Dolores Roach a True Story?

‘The Horror of Dolores Roach’ is not based on a factual story, to be clear. On the surface, Dolores Roach’s tale, which incorporates a number of social sins into her struggle for existence while being forced into a life of crime, seems plausible. However, in no way, shape, or form is it based on actual occurrences. Instead, the show is based on the Off-Broadway theatre piece “Empanada Loca.” Aaron Mark wrote the one-woman play, which had its world premiere in 2015 with Daphne Rubin-Vega (‘In the Heights’). Later, Mark modified it and turned it into a Gimlet podcast that was made available on Spotify.

The original play, which was largely influenced by the story of Sweeney Todd, tells an entirely fictitious scenario. James Malcolm Rymer and Thomas Peckett Prest, the authors of the book “The String of Pearls,” are credited with creating the fictional character. Mark discussed how the initial one-woman piece was conceived in an interview with Vulture from last year. A crazy notion for a modern reimagining of the ancient Sweeney Todd legend from the penny-dreadful era struck Mark as he was working on a series of one-person horror plays that were contemporary reinventions of historical horror characters and properties.

The story’s main issue is gentrification, and it takes place against the multiracial backdrop of New York City. The drama employs cannibalism as a metaphor for gentrification, which frequently involves wealthy individuals moving into impoverished urban areas and renovating them. Mark discussed how the story was influenced by his experiences as a child growing up in Washington Heights, New York, in the same interview. “I moved there and witnessed the gentrification firsthand, therefore that experience heavily influenced the character and the plot. Additionally, living on the first level meant I could hear conversations all night long outside my window. Dolores is based heavily on people I know from my neighbourhood, said Mark.

From Mark’s statements, it is clear that the play’s themes and the podcast’s characters are inspired by his real-life experiences. However, the story itself is made up, and Dolores is depicted as an urban legend in the style of Sweeney Todd. The story’s overarching theme of survival is exemplified by Dolores, who strives to make ends meet despite living in abject poverty. Regarding the story’s survival themes, Mark commented, “For me as a writer, it was exciting and challenging to embrace, on the one hand, the horror, and on the other, the really fundamental, very frightening, animalistic survival instinct that I think all human beings have.”

‘The Horror of Dolores Roach’ is ultimately not based on a real event. It is a largely accurate adaptation of the theatrical play and podcast of the same name. The slasher horror genre’s cliches and tropes are used in the series, but they are humorously subverted. It draws inspiration from the traditional macabre penny-dreadful tales of the 19th century while also addressing contemporary issues like gentrification.