2. The Dunblane massacre was one of deadliest firearms
incidents in UK history
43 year old Thomas Hamilton entered Dunblane Primary
School and murdered 16 children and one teacher before
committing suicide
He was armed with four legally held handguns
A total of 32 people sustained gunshot wounds inflicted by
Hamilton over a 3–4 minute period, 16 of whom were fatally
wounded so died instantly
Thomas Hamilton
Dunblane Primary 1 and teacher Gwen Mayor – victims of
the massacre
3. There are parallels between the events of the Dunblane Massacre, and
the narrative of my horror film
Both the Thomas Hamilton and Jackson are troubled and psychotic
serial killers who go on a murderous rampage in a school.
Jackson’s background in the film is that he is seen as a waste of space by
his parents who neglect him, see him as a burden and compare him to
other children. This leads him to become an extremely troubled
teenager who goes on a rampage to kill everyone who has put him
down in his life.
This is partly similar to Hamilton’s background who was snubbed by the
town of Dunblane in Scotland as they were "suspicious of his moral
intentions towards boys“. It has been found that he believed the failure
of his business was due to rumours about him and complained that his
attempt to organise a boys club was being prevented by the local
government and scout organisation. These incidents may have caused
him to have a mental breakdown and take his anger out on innocent
people but going on a killing spree.
4. Also, like the Dunblane Massacre, in my horror film the
teenagers will be killed in a school setting. I have taken
inspiration from the tragedy of the Dunblane massacre to
help me create Jackson as a troubled teenager who was,
like Hamilton, an outsider in society who takes his anger out
on school students. However, to fit in with Slasher
conventions, Jackson’s victims will be teenagers who are
rebellious and who bullied him in school, so aren’t innocent
children in the wrong place at the wrong time like the
victims of the Dunblane Massacre
5. 20 year old Adam Lanza went on a murderous rampage in Sandy Hook
School in Connecticut in December 2012
He shot his mother four times before entering Sandy Hook and killing 20
students and 6 teachers then shot himself
It is said that he refused to take medication for serious mental health
problems and had an obsession with mass murder, especially the killing
of 20 people at a Colorado High school in 1999
He 2appeared to have had few friends growing up,” and was bullied,
according to his parents, who split in 2001. He was estranged from his
father and older brother since 2010
His father said he was a evil and he wished that he had never been born
6. There are parallels between Adam Lanza and the character of
Jackson in my horror film
Like Adam, Jackson had a troubled childhood with a father who
he never connected with and called him a waste of space that
shouldn’t have been born. Also, like Jackson, Adam Lanza was a
loner growing up who never had many friends and was seen as
the weird kid
Both Adam and Jackson are suspected of mental issues, to try and
explain why the both went on a murderous rampage, but neither
of them are officially diagnosed with a specific mental illness that
could explain their behaviour
Both the Sandy Hook Shooting, and the killings in my film, took
place in a school setting. However unlike the tragedy of the Sandy
Hook Shooting, where the victims appear to be a random choice,
the victims in my horror film will be characters who bullied
Jackson
