It is difficult to imagine modern life without cinema, and each of us managed to watch dozens of touching films, from sincere comedies to deep dramas. For some, these are happy memories of the best going to the movies, but for others it is something more frighteningly bigger.
Surely many have heard (and will never forget) the stories about films that inspired a series of frightening crimes that are difficult to talk about even in a whisper. This is not the fault of the filmmakers, the fault of the actors or the crew, or the fault of any Hollywood studio. Alas, some people tend to transfer everything they see on the screen straight into real life, not caring about the cruel consequences.
Many major tapes are based on real events, but what if there is a place in the world for the monstrous atrocities born from the plot of the film? Trying to understand why these people did what, unfortunately, they did after seeing a particular picture is too broad a topic for us to fully understand within the framework of this article. However, these atrocities have been committed more than once over the past decades, and therefore we invite you to consider 15 waking nightmares generated by the magic of the film, but I must warn you: some stories are full of genuine cruelty and depress even with a simple reading. You might be interested in Article 10 Movies Morally Avoid Watching.
15. Saw
Speaking of the joke that she went too far: it was the film franchise "Saw"Served as the impetus for the events that brought 52-year-old Beverly Dixon to a stroke in 2007. The day before the funeral of her loved one, Mrs. Dixon received a voice message that traumatized her so badly that the elderly woman had a stroke and had to be rushed to hospital.
The message turned out to be a silly prank by two girls. The recording stated that Beverly's friend was hidden and imprisoned somewhere in her house, and the house would soon be filled with a poisonous gas that would kill anyone who breathed the toxin for more than 30 seconds.
The official police report even contained a quote: “I want to play a game with you. Will you have to decide if life is worth fighting for?". The police were able to trace the call. At the other end of the line were two girls aged thirteen. Both were punished for telephone disorderly conduct.
14. City of Thieves
Ben Affleck's business as an actor did not always go uphill, however, he found a way to please the audience not only as a performer of the role, but also as a director. His paintings "Goodbye baby, goodbye "," Operation Argo" and "City of thiefs”Collected a lot of praise from both critics and viewers. Alas, the life of gangsters fromCity of ThievesSeemed too tempting to some.
Affleck's 2010 film follows a group of inveterate bank robbers who use nuns' vestments and masks as disguises and business cards. Unfortunately, Navacho Edwards and Lyndon Germel Wesley learned from their own experience that this only works on the screen, but not in life.
Captivated by the idea of dashing robbery featured in “City”, The partners almost succeeded in the case for $ 120,000. But luck changed the criminals, and now both are serving time for robbery. Who was the initiator? As the investigation found out, Edwards was previously an employee of that very bank in Chicago.
Fortunately, although the criminals were armed, no one was hurt during the incident. This loud case has become a great symbol: Not everything that looks so daring and dexterous on the screen can be done in real life.
13. Fight Club
David Fincher's 1999 film starring Brad Pitt and Edward Norton was at its best on all counts: plot, acting, musical accompaniment and masterful work of the director. But while the film itself, based on the 1996 novel of the same name by Chuck Palahniuk, was pure fiction, the ideas behind it were contagious enough to induce a 17-year-old boy named Kyle Shaw to commit a crime.
The essence of "Fight club"Was in the project"The rout", Which was developed by the key character of the novel Tyler Durden. Many disaffected young people such as Kyle were extremely susceptible to his twisted philosophy.
With the help of firecrackers, Shaw created an improvised explosive device, and as his contribution to the project “The rout»A young man planted a bomb near a Starbucks cafe in 2009. For attempted arson and the manufacture of weapons, Kyle was sentenced to 3.5 years in prison.
Alas, there are still many underground unknown to the public "fight clubs"Inspired by a provocative tape.
12. A Nightmare on Elm Street
«A Nightmare on Elm StreetDirected by Wes Craven, is revered by fans as one of the greatest horror films of all time, and its protagonist - paranormal maniac Freddy Krueger - has become an icon. He is also featured in the list of the 15 most insane psychopath films.
Unfortunately, the acting work of Robert Englund, who played the role of Freddie, was so convincing that the image of a serial killer inspired a copycat in 2004. One day, drug abuse provoked Daniel Gonzales, a young man diagnosed with schizophrenia. Having lost his mind, he killed four completely random people, and armed himself for this with several knives, thus imitating Freddie, famous for his glove with claw-blades.
Despite the fact that the investigation revealed that Gonzales did not receive the medications he needed, he was sentenced to six life sentences for four aggravated murders and two attempted murders. Later, behind bars, Gonzales committed suicide.
11. Twilight
If you thought that the saga "dust"Is a friendly, childishly naive melodrama, as befits a mass product for a young audience, then you are by and large right (sorry, Twilight fans). However, there was a 13-year-old teenager who was pushed by the tape into a strange prank.
A schoolboy from Iowa attracted the attention of the headmaster of his school after he bit his classmate. Investigations have revealed that he has bitten at least 10 other people in the past month. The boy's father explained his behavior by his love for the vampire saga, but this did not make the authorities go for leniency, and the young man went to a juvenile correctional facility.
By and large, this case seems like a trifle, but, in fact, it shows that even the most positive, peaceful and downright stupid films (again, sorry, Twilight fans) can provoke imitation, especially among susceptible youth.
10. Matrix
It may seem that the classic science fiction "Matrix”Appeared on this list by mistake, but newspapers know several crimes related to the theme of the film by the Wachowski brothers and which took place since the 1999 premiere. Since then, even the term “protection of the Matrix", Meaning that the accused believed that he was in an artificial reality.
Most notably, Leah Boyd Malvo was found guilty of a string of murders of civilians in the Beltway sniper attacks in October 2002 in the District of Columbia. Obsessed with artificial reality, Malvo even scrawled “Free yourself from the Matrix"On the walls of his prison cell.
Another person associated with "protection of the Matrix”, This is Vadim Miesedges. He killed and dismembered his landlord, and told the police that his “sucked into the Matrix".Later, this circumstance served as an argument in favor of his insanity and allowed him to avoid criminal punishment. Also check out the article 15 Surprising Facts About The Matrix.
9. Deer hunter
Film by Michael Cimino "Deer hunter"Released in 1978, is often remembered for the tense scene with the game of Russian roulette. In the final act, Robert De Niro's character Michael struggles to save his broken comrade Nick, played by Christopher Walker. Unfortunately, Nick decides to play Russian roulette and, to the horror of his friend, kills himself in front of Michael.
Undoubtedly, this is a shocking scene that few people can leave indifferent. The catch is that she provoked a whole wave of bloody bets. On what just do not go people for the thrill.
One of the most publicly known cases is associated with Mickey Culpepper, who took his own life in 1980. Despite the seeming stupidity of this hobby, it took the lives of many desperate people around the globe in the early 80s of the last century.
8. American psycho
Some will remember Christian Bale for his role in the 1987 film "Empire of the sun", But precisely"American psychopath1999 was a breakthrough in the career of an actor. Fascinatingly gloomy, frightening, with the right dose of black humor and social satire, this tape immediately received recognition from the general public.
Five years after the film's premiere, Michael Hernandez, then barely 14, stabbed his classmate to death. The young man openly stated that he imitated Bale's character Patrick Bateman and Hannibal Lecter, the character of Anthony Hopkins from the film “Silence of the Lambs».
According to Hernandez, the Lord himself gave him superpower and sent him to kill a classmate. The teenager planned to use these "strength"To become a serial killer modeled on Bateman and Lecter. No wonder Michael Hernandez was found guilty of aggravated murder in 2008.
7. A Clockwork Orange
Film by Stanley KubrickA clockwork orange"Filled with"good old ultraviolence", Became one of the most controversial films of 1971.
The image of friends and their cruel pranks was remembered by many film fans, but some people were too fascinated by Alex, played by Malcolm McDowell, and his “bros". Enchanted enough to go too far in the most horrific acts of violence. Notable examples: 14-year-old teen who stabbed a classmate shortly after watching a movie, 16-year-old boy who beat a vagrant to death or a gang rape case where criminals chanted Singin 'in the rain (the final composition of the film).
It got to the point that the surge in hate crimes and rape that followed the premiere “A clockwork orange”, The film was banned throughout the United Kingdom at the request of Kubrick himself in 1973 and remained inaccessible to the general public until the director's death in 1999.
6. Taxi driver
It is impossible not to mention such an interesting case for our review as the attempt on the life of President Ronald Reagan, because the film “Taxi driver»Indirectly influenced the desperate decision of John Hinckley Jr.
In the 1976 film, Jodie Foster plays a 12-year-old prostitute who is guarded with all his might by Travis Bickle, played by Robert De Niro. In the story, jealous of his girlfriend Betsy, Bickle makes an attempt on the life of a senator running for president.
Apparently Hickley Jr. became obsessed with actress Jodie Foster and wanted to impress her. Therefore, on March 30, 1981, he attacked the president in the middle of a speech, firing 6 shots at the head of state and his entourage. He later stated that it was “the greatest love the world has known. Now everyone found out about John and Jody».
Fortunately, Reagan was relatively lightly injured from the rebound. Hinckley Jr. was found not guilty due to insanity and was detained in St. Elizabeth's Hospital in Washington, where he remained until July 27, 2016.
5. Scream
For decades, slasher films have been accused of provoking real-life incidents of violence. So it was with Wes Craven's film “Scream". In 1998, 37-year-old Gina Castillo was stabbed to death by her 16-year-old son and 14-year-old niece, who confessed that they were planning a series of murders and wanted to imitate films "Scream" and "Scream 2", For which we purchased ghost masks and voice modifiers.
Another riotous fan even donned the appearance of a Man in a Ghost Mask. It was Terry Jaradin, a 24-year-old Belgian truck driver who, according to the investigation, inflicted 30 stab wounds on his 15-year-old neighbor.
We have to admit that Wes Craven's directorial skills, the delight of the audience and the dark humor inherent in the franchise "Scream"Being the merits of the picture, they still encourage unbalanced people to do terrible things.
4. Kids games 3
The gruesome murder of 2-year-old James Bulger rocked Liverpool in 1993. And the more details were revealed as the investigation proceeded, the harder it was to believe that such a terrible evil could be the work of just a couple of 10-year-old boys, Robert Thompson and John Venables.
The crux of the matter is that Thompson and Venables, who came from dysfunctional families and often took out their anger at the younger ones, kidnapped baby James from the store while his mother was distracted, taken to the train tracks and brutally killed there. To give more bloody details is to put the reader to the test, so we will not cover them here.
It was believed that the film “Kids games 3»Could have influenced the behavior of children, but the truth is that violence is not caused by films, but by nightmarish family situations and parental irresponsibility.
3. Queen of the damned
Each of us has heard of people who either claimed to be vampires or tried to become creatures of the night. Such a popular topic has created a great demand for vampire themes in all forms of popular art, including cinema. However, only the 2002 film "Queen of the Damned"Became the real reason for the murder.
After watching the film about a hundred times, Alan Menziz drove himself to such a madness that in the middle of the night he had a vision in which the main character Akasha, played by the singer Aliya, “told him to kill". And Alan began with his friend Thomas McKendrick.
Tormented by paranoia and convinced that Thomas was planning to kill him, Alan attacked his friend and stabbed him 42, after which he drank his blood and ate part of his head, believing that in this way he would move to a new stage of being. His shattered psyche could not stand the imprisonment. "Vampire killer", As the press dubbed him, was found dead in his cell. The prison staff did not elaborate on the circumstances of the suicide.
2. The Dark Knight
The well-known case of mass murder at the premiere screening of the film "The Dark Knight Rises»Took place on July 20, 2012 in Ororo, Colorado. During an attack on a cinema in a shopping center Century 16 70 people were injured, 12 of them died. Surely among the readers of this article there are fans of the costumed heroes who were also waiting for the premiere of the final part of the legendary trilogy. These people came to see Batman performed by Christian Bale, but stumbled upon the real Joker.
Obsessed with comics about the knight of Gotham James, Holmes has long planned this terrorist attack in the full sense of the word. In Frank Miller's graphic novel “Return of the Dark Knight”Depicts a similar incident where the Joker organizes an attack on a television studio, killing all viewers with poisonous gas. Similarly, Holmes began by throwing smoke bombs at the hall, and then shot people with automatic weapons. Even the prompt reaction of the police did not help to avoid casualties.
1. Natural born killers
When it comes to films that provoked a wave of real crimes, few can compete with "Natural Born Killers". The plot tells the story of a couple of serial killers in love, played by Woody Harrelson and Juliet Lewis, who got into the focus of the media, who exploit their image to raise ratings.
The script was written by none other than Quentin Tarantino himself. And although the film is partially based on real events, it is unlikely that even Quentin could have expected such a wave of imitators, reports about which flashed since the premiere in 1994. The worst case is the series of murders committed by Benjamin Darras and Sarah Edmondson.
After taking LSD and watching the film several times, the couple engaged in a bloody carnage that ended with life in prison for Darras and 35 years in prison for Edmondson.
We recommend watching:
Unfortunately, these are far from all the films that inspired people to commit crimes. A list of 10 films that impressed too much and influenced the psyche of some viewers who decided to go for the murders.
