The true story behind the Night Stalker who inspired the serial killer’s character in MaXXXine ( Photo Credit – YouTube )
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The X franchise is back with its third installment, titled MaXXXine, marking the return of Maxine Minx, who strives to make a mark in Hollywood, leaving her dark past behind. However, things go awry as a mysterious killer, called The Night Stalker, begins to target the starlets around her.
As The Night Stalker’s terror engulfs Hollywood in the film, Maxine once again has to confront her horrific past. While the serial killer seems scary enough in the film, what is even more terrifying is that the character is based on a real-life person. The film uses actual news footage about the serial killer from the time and bundles it with the fictional tale of Maxine. Here is the story of the real Night Stalker, the man whose crimes terrified the country in the 1980s.
The Night Stalker from MaXXXine is Based on a Real Serial Killer
The Night Stalker is a name famously linked to Richard Ramirez, a serial killer whose spree of terror in the mid-1980s left a deep scar on the American public. Richard Ramirez was born Ricardo Leyva Muñoz Ramirez on February 29, 1960, in El Paso, Texas. His childhood was full of traumatic experiences that seemed to shape his future path of violence. He grew up in a troubled household, with an abusive father and a cousin who showed him dreadful stories and photos from the Vietnam War.
This early exposure to brutality had a profound impact on young Richard, making him fascinated with death and suffering. As a teenager, Ramirez began to show antisocial behavior. He got into drugs and petty crimes, eventually dropping out of high school. His descent into darkness sped up as he moved to California, where he would eventually earn his infamous nickname.
Ramirez’s crime spree began in 1984 and continued until his capture in 1985. During this time, he committed a series of heinous acts that included murder, sexual assault, and burglary. His victims ranged in age from young children to elderly adults, and his methods were as varied as they were brutal. Ramirez showed no consistent pattern in choosing his victims, making his attacks even more alarming because anyone could be next.
One of the most chilling aspects of Ramirez’s crimes was his use of satanic imagery and rituals. He would often leave behind symbols and messages invoking Satan, and he reportedly proclaimed his allegiance to the devil during his attacks. This satanic element added a layer of psychological horror to his crimes, intensifying the fear and panic among the public and the media.
The Night Stalker’s Arrest and Conviction
The police were initially confused by the Night Stalker’s inconsistent methods and seemingly random targets. However, they began to piece together clues through forensic evidence, eyewitness accounts, and the distinct pattern of violence. The investigation was a massive undertaking, involving multiple police departments and agencies. One eyewitness, Inez Erickson, whose fiancé had been killed by Ramirez in their bed, gave a detailed description of him to the police in August 1985, helping in his identification.
On August 30, 1985, Ramirez took a bus to Tucson, Arizona, to visit his brother, not realizing that his face was all over the news in California. When he couldn’t find his brother, he returned and went into a convenience store in East Los Angeles, where elderly women recognized him and called him ‘el matador’ (the killer). He was then chased down and beaten by the local residents until the police arrived and took him into custody.
Ramirez’s trial began on July 22, 1988. At his first court appearance, he raised a hand with a pentagram drawn on it and shouted, ‘Hail Satan!’ On September 20, 1989, Ramirez was convicted of 43 charges, including 13 counts of murder, 5 attempted murders, 11 sexual assaults, and 14 burglaries. He was sentenced to death in California’s gas chamber on November 7, 1989.
Following the death sentence, Ramirez remarked, ‘Big deal. Death always went with the territory. See you in Disneyland.’ His trial cost $1.8 million, the most expensive in California’s history until the O.J. Simpson case of 1994. Ramirez’s first round of appeals ended unsuccessfully in 2006, and he died of complications from B-cell lymphoma on June 7, 2013. His body was cremated after it was not claimed.
Interestingly, MaXXXine is not the only film that references this real-life case. The serial killer has been the subject of several films and shows in the past, including the 2002 film Nightstalker, directed by Chris Fisher, and the 2016 film The Night Stalker, helmed by Megan Griffiths. Fictionalized versions of Ramirez’s crimes are also featured in the fifth and ninth seasons of the FX horror anthology series, American Horror Story. Additionally, in 2021, Netflix released a documentary, detailing the serial killer’s life and crimes, titled Night Stalker: The Hunt For a Serial Killer.
