The Unbelievable True Stories Behind Project X: From Melbourne Teen To A European Riot

For years, the 2012 found-footage comedy *Project X* has been infamous for its depiction of the most chaotic, over-the-top, and destructive house party ever put to film. But the film's tagline—"An authorized account of a party that actually happened"—was more than just a marketing stunt. The movie is indeed "loosely based" on a real event: a legendary Australian party that spiraled into viral fame. However, the true story doesn't end there. In a bizarre twist of life imitating art, the movie itself inspired an even larger, more catastrophic event in Europe, which has recently been documented by Netflix, providing a fresh, updated, and terrifying perspective on the film's enduring legacy in late 2025. The complete narrative of *Project X*'s "true story" is a two-part saga: the original 2008 Australian inspiration that birthed the concept, and the 2012 Dutch riot that became the ultimate, real-life sequel to the movie. This deep dive uncovers the personalities, the chaos, and the lasting cultural impact of both events, confirming that sometimes, reality is far stranger—and more destructive—than Hollywood fiction.

The Original Inspiration: Corey Worthington’s Legendary 2008 Rager

The primary source of inspiration for the *Project X* film is the infamous house party thrown by Australian teenager Corey Worthington in January 2008.

Corey Worthington: The Unapologetic Party Host

• Full Name: Corey Worthington.
• Age at Party: 16 years old.
• Event Date: January 2008.
• Location: Narre Warren, a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
• The Setup: Worthington's parents were out of town on holiday, leaving him unsupervised.
• Promotion: He posted an open invitation to the party on the social networking site MySpace.
• Scale of Chaos: The party initially attracted around 500 people, but the crowd quickly swelled and spilled into the streets, causing extensive property damage, smashing car windows, and forcing police intervention.
• Police Response: The riot squad and a police helicopter were eventually deployed to disperse the massive, out-of-control crowd.

The Viral Interview That Launched a Legend

While the party itself was destructive, it was the aftermath and Corey Worthington's reaction that cemented his place in internet and Hollywood history. Facing the media, particularly a now-legendary interview with journalist Leila McKinnon on the show *A Current Affair*, Worthington was entirely unapologetic. He appeared in a pair of oversized, bright yellow sunglasses—an accessory that became his signature—and refused to remove them when asked by McKinnon. His defiant, nonchalant attitude, combined with his famous quote "I'm not saying sorry," made him an instant viral sensation. This interview perfectly captured the spirit of reckless teenage hedonism and defiance that Warner Bros. Pictures would later seek to bottle for their film. The producers of *Project X*, including Todd Phillips of *The Hangover* fame, took this real-life, found-footage-style phenomenon and used it as the blueprint for the film's plot and tone.

Corey Worthington: Where Is He Now? (2025 Update)

Despite the notoriety and the subsequent fines (reportedly around $20,000 in damages), Corey Worthington managed to parlay his infamy into minor celebrity status. His life today, over 15 years later, is a far cry from the teenage anarchy he caused. In recent years, Worthington, now in his 30s, has debuted a completely different look and is focused on family life, having a partner and a child. He has even pursued reality television, appearing on the second season of *Ninja Warrior Australia*. In a surprising 2024 admission, Worthington revealed that he had sold a "fake" pair of his iconic yellow sunglasses to *Zoo Magazine* for a reported $2,000, illustrating how he capitalized on his brief, chaotic moment of fame. This evolution from "party boy" to family man provides a fascinating contrast to the destructive legacy of the event he inspired.

Life Imitating Art: The Catastrophic Project X Haren Riot

While Corey Worthington's party was the film’s inspiration, the 2012 movie *Project X* itself became the inspiration for a much larger, more violent, and officially documented disaster—an event so significant it has been dubbed "The Real Project X."

The Project X Haren Disaster

The most current and relevant "true story" tied to the film is the Project X Haren riot, which occurred in the Netherlands. * The Host: A 16-year-old Dutch girl named Merthe Marije Weusthuis. * The Mistake: In September 2012, Merthe created a private Facebook event for her 16th birthday party in her hometown of Haren, Groningen. Crucially, she forgot to set the privacy settings to "private." * The Snowball Effect: The open invitation quickly went viral, spreading across social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter. The event was explicitly given the name "Project X Haren" by online users eager to recreate the anarchy of the movie. * The Scale: On the night of September 21, 2012, an estimated 3,000 to 5,000 people descended upon the quiet town of Haren, which has a population of only about 18,000.

Consequences and Cultural Impact

The consequences of Project X Haren far eclipsed the damage caused by the original Australian inspiration. The gathering quickly devolved into a full-scale riot, complete with civil disobedience and clashes with police. The aftermath was devastating: * Dozens of arrests were made. * At least 36 people were injured, including police officers. * Hundreds of thousands of euros in damages were reported, with cars being overturned, shops looted, and private property destroyed. * The event became a national emergency, requiring a massive police presence and international media coverage. The tragedy of Haren serves as a chilling example of the destructive power of social media and the cultural impact of the *Project X* film. Partygoers openly admitted they wanted to mimic the chaos they saw on screen, proving that the movie's fictional scenario was entirely replicable in the real world.

The Netflix Documentary: Trainwreck: The Real Project X

The freshest information regarding the *Project X* phenomenon comes from the Netflix documentary *Trainwreck: The Real Project X*, released as part of the streaming service's *Trainwreck* series. This documentary provides the definitive, updated look at the Haren riot, featuring interviews with those at the center of the disaster, including the birthday girl, Merthe Marije Weusthuis, who speaks publicly about the event for the first time in over a decade. By focusing on the Project X Haren event, Netflix highlights how the film's fictional chaos transformed into a very real, modern-day social media disaster, cementing the film's legacy as a cautionary tale about the dangers of viral invitations and the teenage desire for extreme, found-footage fame. The documentary's release in the mid-2020s ensures that the discussion around the "true story" of *Project X* remains current and highly relevant.

The Enduring Legacy of Teenage Anarchy

The trajectory from Corey Worthington's small-scale Australian party to the massive, film-inspired Haren riot illustrates a powerful cultural feedback loop. The initial event provided the raw material for Hollywood's fantasy, which was then, in turn, used as a blueprint for a real-world social media disaster. Entities like Warner Bros. Pictures, *A Current Affair*, Facebook, and Netflix have all played a part in amplifying the story of the out-of-control house party. Ultimately, the true story behind *Project X* is not just a single event but a cautionary saga in two parts, spanning two continents and over a decade. It is a story about the exponential power of viral internet fame and the terrifying consequences when the fantasy of a found-footage comedy collides with an unprepared reality.