15 Horror Movies That Inspired Real-Life Crimes

In November 1994, 25-year-old Daniel Sterling and his 23-year-old girlfriend Lisa Stellwagen went to see the movie adaptation of Anne Rice’s book Interview with the Vampire starring Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt. In the early hours of the following morning Sterling woke a sleeping Stellwagen and told her, ''I'm going to kill you and drink your blood.''

Perhaps assuming he was joking, Stellwagen ignored him but later that day Sterling made good on his threat when he stabbed her seven times and sucked blood from the wounds. Luckily, Stellwagen survived the attack but unsurprisingly the incident signalled the end of the couple’s eight-year relationship as murder attempts are wont to do.

After his trial, Sterling was found guilty of attempted first degree murder but to his credit didn’t blame Interview with a Vampire outright for his actions saying, “I was influenced by the movie. I enjoyed the movie. But I cannot sit here and blame the movie.”