Netflix’s Trainwreck: The Real Project X dives into the unbelievable true story of a teenager’s innocent birthday party invite that accidentally sparked a full-blown riot in the quiet Dutch town of Haren back in 2012.
It’s one of the more lighthearted episodes in the Trainwreck series, which explores various high-profile scandals, from the Travis Scott Astroworld tragedy to Carnival’s infamous Poop Cruise.
The new documentary revisits the chaos that unfolded when Merthe Weusthuis set up a Facebook invite for her 16th birthday and forgot to make it private. Within days, thousands had RSVP’d, and new event pages were created under the name ‘Project X Haren’ – a reference to the 2012 movie.
Despite warnings and attempts to prevent it from happening, thousands of gatecrashers descended on the quiet Dutch village of Haren, leading to looting, fires, injuries, and arrests. This case was real – but what about the movie that inspired the name?
Was Project X a real party?
While the creators of Project X have never confirmed this, the movie is widely believed to be inspired by a real-life party in Melbourne, Australia.
In 2008, 16-year-old Corey Worthington threw a wild, alcohol-fueled bash while his parents were on holiday, having used MySpace to publicize the event. It made international headlines after over 500 teens showed up and caused $20,000 in damages.
Eventually, police were called in to shut it down, but this was only the beginning. Corey rose to viral fame when he was interviewed by A Current Affair shortly after the party, appearing on TV with no shirt, bleach blond hair, and bright yellow sunglasses.
His deadpan delivery is what really won audiences over. When asked what he was thinking, Corey replied, “I wasn’t really.” He then admitted that he had been ignoring his parents’ calls, joking, “They’ll probably try to kill me.”
The public couldn’t get enough, and he went on to appear on Big Brother Australia Season 8 later that year. According to his Instagram page, he’s now an entrepreneur and proud father, working for charity Leg Up Project and wellness brand CannonBalm.
But the reason for his fame is the party, which many believe inspired the plot of Project X, a 2012 teen movie directed by Nima Nourizadeh and produced by Todd Phillips.
The film follows three friends – Thomas (Thomas Mann), Costa (Oliver Cooper) and J.B. (Jonathan Daniel Brown) – who try and gain mates by throwing a huge bash, but it quickly escalates out of their control.
The ending even sees Costa appearing on TV for an interview, where he’s dressed and acts similarly to Corey. However, when asked by GQ about Corey’s party, writer Michael Bacall neither confirmed nor denied if it inspired the film.
“I got the idea from [producer] Todd Phillips and [executive producer] Scott Budnick. They called me while I was in production on Scott Pilgrim,” he explained.
“I was out in Toronto for about eight or nine months and also working on a second draft of 21 Jump Street at the time, so I didn’t have time to write the first draft for Project X but I wrote a treatment that essentially structured the party and the escalation and the big party gags and how crazy it got.
“And that started my involvement, with them calling me up and saying, ‘How do you feel about writing something about a kid who throws a party and [it] just gets so out of control and almost burns down the neighborhood?’ I appreciate that kind of anarchy. I’m a big fan of the apocalypse.”
Project X inspired multiple copycat parties
As is revealed in the Netflix documentary, the chaos in Haren wasn’t an isolated incident. After Project X hit cinemas in 2012, a wave of real-life parties tried to match its mayhem, leading to very real consequences.
In March 2012, Michigan high schooler Mikey Vasovski planned ‘Project M’ at a foreclosed house, posting invites to Twitter. It went viral almost instantly, with reshares coming in every second. Police shut it down before it kicked off, but Mikey still landed a summer internship with Gawker for his marketing skills.
Plus, just days later, a wannabe Florida-based promoter set up ‘Project X House Party 2’ at another foreclosed home. Police canceled the event before it began, but not before turning away 2,000 teens and charging the organizer $19,000 for criminal damage.
The same day as the Florida event, 13 teens were arrested after trashing a vacant house and causing $100,000 in damage at a separate Project X style party in Houston, Texas. In Argentina, a 2012 party called ‘Proyecto X’ drew around 4,500 teenagers – and plenty of alcohol.
By 2014, things escalated further with ‘Project P’ in rural Michigan, a 2,000-person rave featuring strippers, go-go dancers, and fire throwers. Dozens of attendants overdosed on drugs, one sexual assault was reported, and organizers were later charged.
Then there was ‘La Fiesta de los 4 Mil’ in Zapopan, Mexico. Held by a teen on his birthday, nearly 7,000 people showed up, resulting in six injuries, 281 arrests, and the seizure of weapons and weed.
Most chilling of all was a 2012 copycat party in Houston, which ended in tragedy when shots were fired and one attendee died.
From the Netherlands to Argentina and across the US, the pattern repeated: a viral invite, a crowd of teens, and a night that spiraled way out of control, leading to fatal consequences.
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