– How did they think of that?

– Where did the idea come from?

– Why has no one ever thought of that?

Well if you do, you’re not alone. It’s our tendency as the audience to try and know more about the movies we watch. In our hunt for knowledge, we often end up on movie sites like the IMDb.

Hence, to quench your thirst about your movie knowledge and to make you look like a cinema-God in front of your friends, we’re bringing to you the strangest of inspirations behind some of the most popular movies ever made. So, kick back with your laptop/phone/desktop. It’s going to be a bumpy ride!

1. Pirates Of The Caribbean

Inspiration: theme park ride

In 1967, Walt Disney had the idea for a movie-based on one of his favourite rides in Disney World. The fact that it took over 35 years for the idea to materialize, only goes to show how Mr Walt was way ahead of his time.

2. A Nightmare on Elm Street

Inspiration: newspaper article

This is the last movie that should have been inspired by real events but we guess, truth is stranger than fiction. The idea behind this cult horror film emerged out of a newspaper article that reported on people who died in their sleep after having a recurring nightmare.

Nope, not sleeping tonight.

3. Back to The Future

Inspiration: high school yearbook

5. Star Wars

Inspiration: Flash Gordon

The idea for the most iconic film series of all times came out a comic strip that was as imaginative as it was ridiculous. When George Lucas couldn’t afford to buy the rights for Flash Gordon, he worked on a space story of his own, a story that would change the landscape of cinema forever.

And we’re a little glad Lucas couldn’t afford the rights to Flash Gordon.

6. Mad Max

Inspiration: car accident victims

Director George Miller was a medical student in 1972. As a doctor in the ER, he saw a lot of influx of smashed car accident victims that would later go on to design the world of Mad Max.

The bizarre world of Mad Max couldn’t have come from any less disturbing influences.

7. Pixels

Inspiration: viral video

Sometimes inspirations behind famous movies come from really oddball places. Chris Columbus’ 2015 sci-fi smash Pixels is one such movie. The movie takes its inspiration from a 2010 animated viral video.

And here’s that viral video.

8. Mars Attacks

Inspiration: trading cards

It’s hard to guess what was going through the mind of Tim Burton while working on the intellectual porridge that was Mars Attacks. However what we do know is that its story sprouted out of a 1962 trading card series from Topps.

9. The Hills Have Eyes

Inspiration: a family of cannibals in Scotland.

As hard to believe as it is, the film about a group of cannibals is based on Sawney Bean’s family, a group of cannibals in medieval Scotland. Director Wes Craven took the medieval story and moulded it in modern Nevada.

10. E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial

Inspiration: Steven Spielberg’s imaginary friend

Even though E.T. was based on a screenplay by Melissa Mathison, the germ of the story was seeded by Steven Spielberg’s childhood. At the time of his parents’ divorce, Spielberg had an imaginary friend which years later became the basis for his blockbuster film.

Bet you didn’t know this, did you?