These Movie Characters Were Inspired by Real Criminals

You would be surprised at the number of films that were either inspired or based on true crimes or criminals. Some are adaptations of memoirs and books, while others are purely fictional, with just inspiration taken from criminals. Click through the slideshow to view movie characters inspired by real criminals. A few of these are true stories.

Horror movies take a lot of inspiration from real crimes and criminals. "House Of 1000 Corpses" is no exception. Did you know that Captain Spaulding is slightly based on the serial killer John Wayne Gacy? This notorious serial killer was known as the "Killer Clown." You can see Rob Zombie's inspiration in the design of Captain Spaulding as he is dressed as a clown.

So, who was John Wayne Gacy? Gacy was a serial killer active during the 1960s and 70s. Although he's likely killed and tortured more people, he was convicted of killing 33 people. This is not a case you can forget.

"Zodiac" didn't just take inspiration from The Zodiac Killer, but tells the story of the manhunt for the killer. We still don't know who the unidentified serial killer is, but he's been linked to seven victims.

The movie focuses more on the manhunt as opposed to the crimes. It was released in 2007.

Unfortunately, Ghostface from the Scream franchise is also based on a true crime/criminal. Kevin Williamson wrote the screenplay after seeing a crime report on the Gainesville Ripper in Florida.

The Gainesville Ripper, whose real name is Danny Rolling, murdered five college students over the course of four days. It was a brutal murder. He also killed three others in his home. His murder spree was active from 1989 to 1990.

Did you know that "The Wolf of Wall Street" is based on a true story? The movie was inspired and based on Jordan Belfort's memoir. This movie is about Belfort's struggles with fraud and corruption on Wall Street.

Jordan Belfort, a real financial criminal who served 22 months in prison. As part of his deal, he worked as an informant for the FBI. In the film, Leonardo DiCaprio portrayed Belfort.

Many horror movies, especially slasher films, took inspiration from real criminals – this includes "The Texas Chain Saw Massacre." Leatherface, the killer in the film, was inspired by the real-life killer, Ed Gein, also known as "the Butcher of Plainfield."

Ed Gein was a murderer but also a suspected serial killer from Wisconsin. He was also a known body snatcher, stealing jewelry and other things from graves. Gein was convicted of first-degree murder, although later found legally insane. He spent the rest of his life in a mental hospital before passing away at 66.

"Can You Ever Forgive Me?" is another film based on a true story and memoir, written by Lee Israel. Unlike a few other criminals and movies on this list, she wasn't violent. Instead, Lee committed various literary forgeries. She forged more than 400 letters from deceased writers and actors. Soon after she started forging letters, she stole original work.

Buffalo Bill from "Silence Of The Lambs" was based on various killers. Thomas Harris, the author of the novel, took inspiration from three serial killers – Ed Gein, Ted Bundy, and Gary M. Heidnik.

Since we've already lightly discussed Ed Gein, here is a brief description of the other two killers. Ted Bundy was confirmed to have 20 victims, although it's suspected there may have been over 30. He lured victims to his vehicle by faking injuries and illnesses.

Gary M. Heidnik was a serial killer and assaulter with 6 known victims. He killed two of them but tortured the rest in his basement. Heidnik was executed for his crimes, making him the last person to be executed in Pennsylvania.

Another movie character based on a real criminal is Frank Abagnale from "Catch Me If You Can." This crime-comedy drama was based on the semi-autobiographical book by Frank Abagnale Jr., where he detailed his supposed scams and cons that all took place before turning 19.

In his book, he details his life as a con artist, even telling the story of when he faked being a Pan American World Airways pilot. Although an interesting movie, book, and person – his claims are heavily disputed.

Last but not least is Jason Voorhees in "Friday The 13th." Are you surprised to see yet another slasher movie character on this slideshow? While his appearance isn't based on a killer, but somebody the creator knew, his characteristics were influenced by various serial killers and real murders.

One of these may have been the Lake Bodom killings in Finland in 1960. During this terrible incident, three teenage campers were killed out of the four camping. The fourth was injured but survived. No one has been found guilty of this crime.