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The Surprising Inspirations Behind 14 Iconic Movies

There's a reason we view inspiration as some sort of mystical force -- it can come from anywhere, from the utterly bizarre to the completely mundane. The one constant is that it's surprising and unpredictable. And sometimes, that inspiration leads to onscreen magic.

For example:

14

2 THE JOURNAL OF A PARAPSYCHOLOGY W There'd be A no Ghostbusters if Dan Aykroyd didn't read parapsychology journals. He got the idea for trapping ghosSource: Vanity Fair

13

The Reservoir Dogs characters started speaking to Quentin Tarantino when he was writing the Pulp Fiction script. He'd holed himself up in his mother'sSource: Vanity Fair

12

You Afraid Are oF the Dark? A Nickelodeon show inspired The Sixth Sense. An episode of Are You Afraid of the Dark? Called The Tale of the Dream GirlSource: The 7 Most WTF Origins of Iconic Pop Culture Franchises

11

Anne THESEASAIIOMLMTIOMLEISTSULLLR Rice AUTHOROF TIE The OLEN DANNED Vampire Lestat Anne Rice's work led to Groundhog Day. Her book The Vampire LestatSource: Den of Geek

10

BABY DRIVER Edgar Wright based Baby Driver on a 2004 music video he'd directed. The video for Blue Song by Mint Royale has a getaway driver chillingSource: Entertainment Weekly

9

00000000 Sofia Coppola got the idea for Lost in Translation when she saw a friend singing. The guy nicknamed Charlie Brown in the movie is a real-lifeSource: IndieWire

8

WA Metrics IT 100 A Opt TTTTTr fi Endlsh: USA Face Off was inspired by a hang-gliding accident. A friend of co-writer Mark Werb's was in a grisly hangSource: Writers SuperCenter

7

Avatar: The Last Airbender was inspired by Antarctic exploration documentaries. Animation director Michael Dante DiMartino went through a period of beSource: YouTube

6

ARAD PILL EOWEA NORTON 0rZ FALK CI' Old School is just a comedy take on Fight Club. Writer and director Todd Phillips says he was thinking of Fight ClSource: The 7 Most WTF Origins of Iconic Pop Culture Franchises

5

BON ROCKY IV After Rocky IV, people in Hollywood started joking that the only thing left for Rocky to do is fight an alien. Screenwriters Jim and JohnSource: The 7 Most WTF Origins of Iconic Pop Culture Franchises

4

A Nightmare on Elm Street was kind of based on a real story. Wes Craven had read a series of articles about Southeast Asian men who died from their niSource: The 7 Most WTF Origins of Iconic Pop Culture Franchises

3

CREATURE THE FROM LAGOON BIACK RICHARD CARLSON JULIAADAMS ECMON 100 The Shape of Water was Guilermo del Toro's way of dealing with a childhood disappoSource: Variety, The Hollywood Reporter

2

Gilligan's Island is based on the seven deadly sins. Each one of the castaways symbolizes a sin: Skipper is Anger, Professor is Pride, Ginger is Lust,Source: The 7 Most WTF Origins of Iconic Pop Culture Franchises

1

The idea for Robocop was born at around 3 AM on the Blade Runner set. Ed Neumeier started working in the art department for Blade Runner. One night atSource: GamesRadar, The Dissolve

Related:

6 Surprising Stories Behind Iconic Cartoon Voices
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