It’s pretty common for fiction to be at least partially based on real events; it’s not as common to see a work of fiction reflected in real life. Unfortunately, that’s just what happened in a small Florida city when a teen stalked and attempted to murder a jogger, an act that he said the film Scream inspired him to do.
Logan Smith was recently arrested and faces attempted murder charges after he attempted to strangle a stranger in the middle of a jog with the belt of a robe. No one was seriously hurt in the attack, and the would-be victim was able to fight off Smith. Luckily, the jogger was proficient in martial arts and used his training to subdue Smith until authorities were able to arrive on the scene.
According to the New York Post, the attack was premeditated. Logan Smith was apparently forthcoming with police, and admitted to watching the jogger over the course of six weeks and studied his exercise habits and routine. The route the jogger took went by Smith’s own home, and on the day of the attack Smith placed a rubber mallet, an axe body spray can, and the robe belt in between two cars along the jogger’s route. Smith had intended to hit the victim with the mallet and use the axe body spray to impair the victim’s vision.
If simply planning an attack and murder wasn’t enough, Logan Smith also admitted to wanting to hide the victim’s body in his own closet and use the body for his own sexual fantasies. He reportedly had planned to drag the body to his home using a bedsheet after strangling him with the robe belt.
Logan Smith told authorities that the planned attack was inspired by Scream, a cult classic slasher film that just recently came out with its fifth installment, a requel that very simply shares the same title as the original. It’s not completely clear which installment may have inspired the attack, although it is possible that Smith was someone who came out for the film’s massive opening at the box office.
While the intended attack and the planned aftermath sounds plenty brutal, Logan Smith’s plan shares very little, if anything at all, to the content of the Scream films. The killer(s) in Scream all wear the same Ghostface mask and use the same type of knife for the majority of the kills in the film. Also, there is always a connection to the killers and the main victims in the Scream franchise.
It’s unclear exactly what inspiration the attacker in this case took from Scream, and it could be that just the violent nature is what spurred the deadly idea for the attack. Even if watching Scream did make something click in Logan Smith’s head and somehow led to the attack, it’s clear that Smith acted in a way that the majority of people would not. Smith’s family allegedly plans to get a lawyer and fight for Smith to get some care for his mental health.
Most of us are able to differentiate between fiction and real life pretty easily, but that doesn’t mean that some exceptions slip through the cracks. Hopefully Logan Smith will be able to get the help he needs and can be rehabilitated. Thankfully, no lives were lost due to his actions. He is currently being held without bond, and no one from the Scream cast or production has commented on the unfortunate crime.
