10 People Who Copied Movies In Disturbing Ways
8. A Teenager Died After Copying Into The Wild's Lead Character
Cult hit Into The Wild follows a disillusioned man, Christopher McCandless, who escapes modern society by venturing into the wilderness, where he lives for several months.
At first, it seems to be a story about hope, about "finding yourself" by removing all the hustle and bustle of 20th century life. Unfortunately though, things don't end well when Christopher realizes how unforgiving nature can be, and he ultimately dies after eating a poisonous plant.
In 2013, the real-life story of an Arizona teenager called Johnathan Croom also had a similarly bleak ending, after he took inspiration from the film and headed out into the forest. A month later, he was found dead, just 1,000 feet from his abandoned car.
Croom's father said that he watched Into The Wild a lot, and attributed his desire to live in the wilderness to his "broken heart", which was caused by the end of a relationship.