However, it turns out that many iconic horror movie moments that you thought came out of the imaginations of Hollywood writers can also be found in the pages of history, hundreds or even thousands of years before it made sense for anyone to come up with them. Coincidence, or demonic influence? You decide.

Most successful horror movies are products of the fears and anxieties of their era. In the '50s, they had Godzilla because they were afraid of nuclear war; in the '60s, they had Night of the Living Dead because some were afraid of social change; and today, we have Paranormal Activity because people can't stand not being on camera all the time.

5 There Were "Killer Doll" Legends a Century Before Chucky

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The Scene:

In Child's Play, a boy is given a doll as a gift, but little does he know that it has an evil spirit trapped inside thanks to a voodoo spell. The doll does various evil things that the kid gets blamed for, but when he tells people that the doll is alive, no one believes him ... until the doll starts killing people, that is.



"Hey, just left a turd in your mom's panty drawer. Good night."

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The History:

Child's Play was partly based on the early 1900s Key West, Florida, legend of Robert the Doll ... who is still around. Here's a picture of him:

Via Explorekeywesthistory.com

His eyes aren't actually black. He's just reflecting the emptiness that's now inside you.

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Purportedly, a young boy named Gene Otto was given a life-size straw doll made in his likeness, which he named Robert. From that day onward, Gene and Robert were inseparable. They'd dress alike and sleep together, and Robert even got his own spot at the dinner table.

But then things got weird(er). Some versions of the story say that one of the servants, who was of Caribbean descent, was treated unfairly by the family and cursed Robert with a voodoo spell.