![Knotts's turn in "The Incredible Mr. Limpet" caught the eye of Universal Studios head Lew Wasserman, which also helped. Knotts's turn in "The Incredible Mr. Limpet" caught the eye of Universal Studios head Lew Wasserman, which also helped.](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_1023,h_575,x_0,y_0/c_fill,w_1080,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/voltaxMediaLibrary/mmsport/mentalfloss/01j3f12yd6paqrc9me54.jpg)
![April Snellings April Snellings](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_180,ar_1:1,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/voltaxMediaLibrary/mmsport/mentalfloss/01fw71t972eppey0gpzr.jpg)
April Snellings
Joined: Mar 2, 2021
April Snellings has somehow built a career out of her passion for spooky pop culture. (Her obsession with The Facts of Life has thus far been less productive, but she remains hopeful.) She lives in Tennessee with her wife, their daughter, several recalcitrant dogs and cats, and a 7-foot-animatronic werewolf named C. Thomas Howl.
![Knotts's turn in "The Incredible Mr. Limpet" caught the eye of Universal Studios head Lew Wasserman, which also helped. Knotts's turn in "The Incredible Mr. Limpet" caught the eye of Universal Studios head Lew Wasserman, which also helped.](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_1023,h_575,x_0,y_0/c_fill,w_1080,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/voltaxMediaLibrary/mmsport/mentalfloss/01j3f12yd6paqrc9me54.jpg)
![Marlene Dietrich. Marlene Dietrich.](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_3838,h_2158,x_0,y_0/c_fill,w_1080,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/voltaxMediaLibrary/mmsport/mentalfloss/01j3ghs3n62vet144tqr.jpg)
7 Impressive Facts About Marlene Dietrich
![Marilyn Monroe. Marilyn Monroe.](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_3800,h_2137,x_0,y_792/c_fill,w_1080,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/GettyImages/mmsport/mentalfloss/01j2hmm65h3nd5nke0m8.jpg)
7 Conspiracy Theories About Marilyn Monroe
![Flashdance - Maniac Flashdance - Maniac](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_1080,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape/cover/sport/flashdance___maniac-237c450ecc76944e0f86ec1f598541d4.jpg)
The Maniac Next Door: The Surprisingly Bizarre Origins of Michael Sembello’s Pop Hit From ‘Flashdance’
The Grisly 1924 Crime That Led to the Forensic “Murder Bag”
The portable forensics kits that modern investigators use were inspired by bare hands at the scene of a horrific murder of Emily Kaye, which occurred 100 years ago.
Mental Floss’s 16 Best Books of 2022
From 'The Candy House' by Jennifer Egan to 'Tracy Flick Can’t Win' by Tom Perrotta, discover the best books of 2022 according to Mental Floss.
13 Essential Horror Novels From the Last Five Years
Discover 13 essential horror novels to read that were published in the last five years like 'The Hunger' by Alma Katsu and 'Plain Bad Heroines' by Emily M. Danforth.
6 Atmospheric Horror Novels to Read, Recommended by Author Grady Hendrix
Author Grady Hendrix shared six of his favorite atmospheric horror novels that any fan of the genre should pick up this Halloween season.
9 Fascinating Facts About 'The Slumber Party Massacre'
Like so many other horror films, it has taken decades for 'The Slumber Party Massacre' to get its due. But it's now recognized as a touchstone of feminist horror and a shrewd satire.
15 of History’s Greatest Mysteries
From a book no one can decipher and puzzling disappearances to unsolved crimes and beyond, many of these historical mysteries still have us scratching our heads.
46 Books that Changed the World
Here, in no particular order, are just a few of history’s most influential tomes—and how they made humanity look at things in a new light.
Rules for Murder: The Detection Club and the Evolution of the Murder Mystery
While the club initially formed as a social group for writers of detective fiction, it did have an official purpose: to uphold a rigid set of standards for crime fiction, and weed out any potential members who wouldn’t agree to meet them.
13 Great Horror Remakes That Stand Up to the Original
John Carpenter’s ‘The Thing’ isn't the only good horror remake worth watching. This season, you can scare up something better for your next marathon with these killer picks.
‘Dogged by Death’: The True Story Behind the Bizarre Syndrome That Inspired ‘A Nightmare on Elm Street’
Here’s how a wave of mysterious deaths in the late 1970s and early 1980s among Southeast Asian refugees living in America inspired Wes Craven to pen his 1984 horror classic, “A Nightmare on Elm Street.”
10 Frightening Facts About Shirley Jackson’s ‘We Have Always Lived in the Castle’
Shirley Jackson is best remembered for “The Lottery” and 'The Haunting of Hill House,' but her gothic mystery 'We Have Always Lived in the Castle' is regarded as her greatest literary achievement.
The 25 Best High School Movies
Whether you loved high school or hated it, filmmakers seem determined to give you as many opportunities as possible to relive it.