Who was The Night Stalker? The real-life murderer who inspired A24’s ‘MaXXXine’
Last year, it was practically impossible to avoid clips of Mia Goth wearing bright red lipstick and a matching dress, screaming, “Please! I’m a star!” online. Taken from Ti West’s movie Pearl, the clip soon became a meme and led to an influx of Halloween costumes mirroring Goth’s outfit from this now-iconic moment. The deranged protagonist was adored by many, and the movie ended up grossing over ten times its modest $1 million budget.
Before Pearl, Goth had starred as an elderly version of the character in X, where she also played Maxine, a young wannabe porn star who becomes the only surviving victim of a massacre carried out by Pearl and her husband, Howard. X paid strong homage to movies like The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Friday the 13th, setting the film in the ‘70s – a time when slashers were beginning to emerge. Both X and Pearl were received well, with West’s take on vintage-inspired horror remaining fresh and original by blending beloved classic tropes with intricate explorations of themes like ageing, fame and patriarchal expectations.
Now, fans of the franchise can be excited for MaXXXine, the third and final instalment in the trilogy. Set in the ‘80s, Goth reprises her role as Maxine, this time living in Hollywood, closer than she’s ever been to achieving her dreams of becoming a star. The trailer sees Maxine walking down neon-drenched city streets and auditioning for roles before discovering that a serial killer is at large. Halsey’s character tells Maxine, “I don’t like walking around here with that frickin’ Night Stalker guy on the loose.”
Surely this is something Maxine can handle? She survived a pretty nasty killing spree just a few years before, but how well she copes with the arrival of a new killer on the scene will be revealed when MaXXXine is released on July 5th. Until then, fans are left to speculate what exactly will go down in West’s new film and whether the mysterious Night Stalker has anything to do with the real murderer, Richard Ramirez. In the ’80s, he became known by the same moniker after breaking into a series of homes and raping, torturing and killing numerous victims at random.
So, who was The Night Stalker?
Between 1984 and 1985, Ramirez began a killing spree in Los Angeles that made him one of America’s most brutal and unforgiving criminals. Born in Texas, the killer had an uneasy life from the very beginning, experiencing abuse from a young age. It didn’t take long for Ramirez to become fascinated by things hardly suitable for children, including drugs and Satanism. He was also looked after by several older family members who exposed Ramirez to extreme acts of violence and depravity, from his cousin Mike, who killed his wife in front of him, to his brother-in-law, Roberto, who would take a teenage Ramirez to spy on women through their windows.
Clearly, Ramirez didn’t have the best start in life, and by the time he was in his 20s, his sadistic and brutal impulses took control. He committed a series of atrocious crimes in a short span of time, routinely breaking into random people’s houses to steal their belongings. While he was there, he would enact heinous methods of torture on his victims, whether that be raping or handcuffing them. He used various methods for killing his victims, including shooting, stabbing, stomping and bludgeoning, with his first victim being a nine-year-old girl named Mei Leung.
After he was caught, the killer was sentenced to death, but he died of cancer before he could be executed. Ramirez remains one of the most terrifying figures in the history of American serial killers. Despite his sentence stating that he had committed 12 counts of murder, he is suspected of committing several more.
Is The Night Stalker in MaXXXine?
The trailer for MaXXXine shows a victim with a Satanic pentagram on her body – something Ramirez would sometimes draw on his victims’ bodies. He was obsessed with all things evil and getting his victims to swear on Satan. It appears that MaXXXine takes inspiration from Ramirez and his crimes, but in the film, the serial killer seems to target young aspiring female actors in Hollywood. Thus, it is unlikely that the mysterious killer in MaXXXine will be someone resembling Ramirez. Rather, West has perhaps just used the same moniker – one we’re all familiar with – to add greater terror.
Interestingly, however, one of Ramirez’s victims was called Maxine Levenia Zazzara. It is likely that West’s naming of the title character was just a coincidence – but who knows? Perhaps the filmmaker planned out references to Ramirez’s crimes from the very beginning. Only the release of MaXXXine will reveal how much of The Night Stalker’s story is linked to the events within the movie.
Watch the trailer for MaXXXine below.
