10 Movies Inspired By Things NOBODY Expected

10. Christmas Shopping - The Texas Chain Saw Massacre

Though it's no secret that The Texas Chain Saw Massacre was somewhat inspired by the crimes of murderer Ed Gein, but writer-director Tobe Hooper only threw a chainsaw into the mix after an especially harrowing bout of... Christmas shopping. Yup.

At the 2014 Cannes Film Festival to celebrate the film's 40th anniversary, Hooper revealed that while he was working on the script, he found himself doing some seasonal shopping in a Montgomery Ward department store, where he became frustrated with the crowds.

As he attempted to escape the masses, he glimpsed a chainsaw in the store, and a macabre idea immediately took root in Hooper's mind. He said:

"I thought - 'This is a no-brainer. What a way to get out of this store!' But rather than go to jail, I decided to instead incorporate the hedge-cutting weapon into the script."

To think that arguably the single most iconic aspect of the entire franchise was the result of pure happenstance while its director was begrudgingly running errands. Wild.