A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)

Looking at this selection you may be thinking there's no way Freddy Krueger is based in reality and you’d be right. Wes Craven’s iconic film isn't based on actual events of a murderous killer in your nightmares, but inspired by the accounts of 18 Laotian refugees who mysteriously died in their sleep. In one such case a young man went to great lengths to stay awake, telling his family he wasn’t just getting ordinary nightmares, but something else. Even as his family attempted to put him at ease and urged him to take sleeping pills, he refused. However, while watching television with his family, the young man fell asleep, much to his family’s relief as they carried him back to his room. Later that night they were woken by his screams and rushed to his room to find him dead. What was more puzzling was that on his autopsy it was found that he didn't die of a heart attack — his death was unexplainable. Craven would eventually take that inspiration into creating this iconic horror film.