So if this movie is based on/inspired by the murders of Ashley Pond and Miranda Gaddis, why drive home the point that online chatting with strangers is dangerous? Their real murders had literally nothing to do with online relationships... So is the only basis from their murders for this movie the fact that one young girl disappeared, and then another young girl who was associated with her disappeared, only for them both to be murdered and placed in a barrel? Because other than that, nothing about this movie translates the real horror that these girls endured.
I supposed that at least in this movie, there is a lesson to be learned: do not associate with strangers online. Unfortunately, the real murders of those poor young girls does not have a lesson to be learned. They befriended a girl who had a sick, psychopathic murderer for a dad and they were murdered by him through no fault of their own. A much darker reality, unfortunately.
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faithdwnsouth
10 years ago
I think that is where the whole inspired by bit comes in. It really was a poorly made movie. It is unfortunate because they could have really had a great movie had they just put effort into the story instead of the torture porn shock ending. The whole on video idea was taken from the fact that when Ward finally confessed to his family he did so on video. He never said what he did to them though and they couldn't tell with any certainty when autopsied except that he had stored them in a freezer for a period of time and then moved them to the back yard. He was charged with six counts of murder but plead out to two-three to avoid the death penalty once the judge refused a change of venue based on the fact that Wards father was already on death row for two murders and it is believe Ward senior committed as many as 26 while working as a truck driver. Oddly enough Ward Senior had his son (not Ward III) help him bury one victim under his front porch. Actually if you look there are a lot of similarity's between the father and sons crimes.
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xdiamondcrusherx
10 years ago
Yeah, I still haven't even watched this movie anyway. After reading some of these threads I have kind of decided against it. I was just curious about the Pond/Gaddis inspiration.
Unfortunately, I do know quite a bit about Ward Weaver and Weaver Senior. I'm from Portland, OR so when this all happened it hit me pretty hard. Oregon City isn't too far from me at all, and I believe my father's childhood friend actually lived in the same apartment complex as Miranda Gaddis (possibly Ashley Pond too? I don't remember if they lived in the same apartment complex or not).
I was young when it all happened, just a year or two younger than Pond and Gaddis. I remember when they found their remains I wrote a poem for them and left it at a memorial site that was created in their memory. Their murders really struck me in a deep way and really made me question the trust I should put in adults, even if they are a friends' parent. Truly a disturbing event that actually changed me in a way.
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sagan900
10 years ago
it's "inspired on" not word by word what happened in real life, this movie is still fiction you know?
"why drive home the point that online chatting with strangers is dangerous?"
you answered yourself on your second paragraph
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