In honor of Cassie Joe Stoddard and The Scream Killers, I will no longer watch slasher films

I had never heard of Cassie Jo Stoddard or The Scream Killers until I watched an episode of Dateline a few nights ago. Cassie's horrific death has led to my no longer watching slasher films. I am a proud baby boomer who grew up when movies were suspenseful and not graphic. A lot was left to the imagination which is not the case today.

On the night of September 22, 2006, Stoddart was house sitting for her aunt and uncle, Allison and Frank Contreras, on Whispering Cliffs Drive in northeast Bannock County. The Contreras family was out of town and had hired Stoddart to house sit their pets for the weekend. Stoddart was visited that evening by her boyfriend, Matt Beckham, who arrived around 6:00 p.m. Later, classmates Brian Draper and Torey Adamcik, who were both aged 16 at the time, came over to the house to "hang out." Stoddart gave the friends a tour of the house, including the basement. The four teens went into the living room to watch the film Kill Bill: Volume 2, but Adamcik and Draper ended up leaving before the film ended, saying they wanted to watch another movie at the movie theater instead.

The original Halloween film in 1978 terrified me because of all the moments that made me jump but I did not care for the blood and gore. Unfortunately, what is entertainment to some is motivation to others. Cassie was stabbed 29 times by two male classmates, Brian Draper and Torey Adamcik who got the idea from the film franchise Scream.

Looking for fame and pleasure, the two wanted to go on a killing spree hoping to outdo Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, the perpetrators of the Columbine High School massacre, as well as the fictional Billy Loomis and Stu Macher from the first Scream. Draper and Adamcik would make tapes detailing their plan and motive.

Cassie was housesitting for her aunt and uncle when her boyfriend Matt Beckham came for a visit. Later, Torey and Brian showed up. The young men left but did not go to the movies. Instead, the killers lurked in the basement and returned to the upstairs where they tormented and murdered their classmate.

Rational thinkers would be outraged at what Klebold did but not everyone thinks rationally. A family is grieving a situation that never should have happened because of extreme violence in a film. Consider please that if censorship were still available as it was decades ago, and there were limits to what can be shown on screen, Cassie might still be alive.

If human imagination did not go to such dark places and the general population did not enjoy being frightened teh Stoddar family might not be grieving. Cause and effect cannot always be determined when horrific crimes happen but in this case the killers admitted where there inspiration came from.

The Scream Franchise has grossed over $000 million worldwide and Cassie's death makes the earnings blood money. Consider over the decades how many other murders may have been committed because of what was seen on the big screen.

Even if no one else had ever died because a killer was inspired by a horror flick, Cassie's death and her grieving family should be enough to give us all pause. The families of tghe killers are also grieving.

I realize that not everyone will see things my way or decide not to support slasher films. Still, I ask the readers to consider Cassie Stoddard the next time you decide to wear a Scream mask for Halloween or some other occasion or you desire a Scream marathon.

I will no longer support horror films that may trigger unstable individuals to act out what they have seen on screen. There are other ways to be entertained than watching murders.