10 Movies Which Unwittingly Inspired Real-Life Crimes

5. The Matrix

The Matrix doesn't initially seem like a movie that would inspire people to commit crime, but the Wachowski's revolutionary sci-fi has been an inspiration for several killers. Rather than any of the high octane violence, it was the philosophical themes of the movie that became associated with a multitude of murders. One particular instance involved a woman who killed her landlady, believed herself to be in the matrix.

Her logic appeared to be that the person she killed wasn't a real person and like something in a dream. She was eventually judged insane by a court. The Matrix also became tied up with the 2002 Washington sniper attacks as both John Allen Muhammad and Lee Boyd Malvo, the perpetrators of the attack were said to be fascinated and obsessed with the movie and Muhammad reportedly rambled about characters from the film during his incarceration.