The Real Murders on Elm Street Is Eerily Similar to Don’t Breathe

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  • Don’t Breathe Was a Horror Hit
  • The Burglary of Byron David Smith on Thanksgiving Day
  • Don’t Breathe Ends With One Survivor of the Home Invasion

As a seasoned movie enthusiast and a resident of Little Falls for over two decades, I can confidently say that the chilling events of Thanksgiving Day 2012 were more terrifying than any fictional horror story ever conceived by filmmakers like Fede Álvarez. The tragic tale of Nicholas and Haile is a stark reminder of the harsh realities that sometimes lurk just around the corner, even in seemingly peaceful towns.

Titled “Real Terrors on Elm Street“, this riveting true-crime series currently streaming on ID Channel and Max is cleverly leveraging the Elm Street name to pique interest among Freddy Krueger fans, but make no mistake – the chilling tales it presents are as real and terrifying as any nightmare. As Freddy once said in “Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare“, “‘Every town has an Elm Street,’” and this series delves into suburban communities across America that have been haunted by murders that took place on their very own Elm Streets.

Each episode has been quite chilling on its own, but the fifth one titled “What Lies Beneath” stands out as the most spine-tingling yet. It bears a striking resemblance to Fede Álvarez’s 2016 horror movie, Don’t Breathe. While Álvarez and his co-writer Rodo Sayagues have not admitted drawing inspiration from real-life events for their film, the grisly murders of Nicholas Brady and Haile Kifer, which were featured in Elm Street’s fifth episode, could potentially have sparked ideas for Álvarez’s horror success.

Don’t Breathe Was a Horror Hit

The movie “Don’t Breathe” follows the story of three young individuals, who resort to breaking into houses unnoticed and taking whatever valuable possessions they find as a means of survival. Although it’s clear that their actions are questionable, one of them, Rocky (played by Jane Levy), seems to be trapped in this lifestyle due to her need to flee an abusive mother and alcoholic boyfriend, with dreams of joining her sister Diddy (Emma Berovici) in California. The items they steal often don’t fetch a high price from their fence, but they have come across a new target that could potentially bring them a significant fortune.

In simpler terms, the character named Norman Nordstrom, often called “The Blind Man,” is a former Gulf War veteran who’s rumored to have $300,000 cash at home. Due to his blindness, they assume it would be effortless to burglarize his home, take the money, and escape unnoticed during the night. However, little do they know – a group consisting of Rocky’s friend Alex (Dylan Minnette), her boyfriend Money (Daniel Zovatto), and another individual – that Norman is far more formidable than they imagine, and he harbors hidden secrets beyond being an isolated war veteran living in a run-down Detroit neighborhood.

The Burglary of Byron David Smith on Thanksgiving Day

The story of Nicholas Brady and Haile Kifer doesn’t completely follow Don’t Breathe’s trajectory, but there are similarities. On Thanksgiving Day in 2012, 18-year-old Nicholas and his 17-year-old cousin Haile decide to break into the home of 64-year-old retired U.S. State Department employee Byron David Smith. In their town of Little Falls in Minnesota, Smith is described as someone who lived alone and kept to himself, similar to Lang’s “The Blind Man” in Don’t Breathe.

At first glance, the burglary and subsequent murder of the two teenagers might seem like a straightforward instance of self-defense and home protection. He fired at the pair ten minutes apart as they entered his house, initially claiming that he thought them to be a threat because he suspected they were armed. Furthermore, he disclosed that his home had been broken into numerous times in the past few months, resulting in substantial amounts of cash being stolen, in addition to other items. Consequently, Smith installed a security system, stating it was for self-protection. However, as events unfolded on that day, it became increasingly apparent that Smith was not as innocent or blameless as he initially appeared.

In the movie “Don’t Breathe“, I, as a viewer, initially perceive “The Blind Man” to be the victim due to the trio who break into his home with the intention of stealing from him. However, when money turns out to be the first casualty in their attempted robbery, it’s challenging for me to initially feel sympathy because they seem to have brought this tragedy upon themselves. It isn’t until a startling revelation that we, the audience, discover “The Blind Man” has secrets of his own, which gradually shifts our perception and empathy towards him.

In the course of their investigation, Rocky and Alex stumble upon a pregnant woman confined in the basement. This woman is revealed to be Cindy Roberts (Franciska Törőcsik), the person responsible for a car accident that took the life of “The Blind Man’s” daughter, resulting in him receiving $300,000 as compensation. Later in the story, Cindy unfortunately meets her end, and Rocky finds himself in a similar predicament when he learns that Cindy was carrying a baby girl meant to replace the one he lost. As it turns out, The Blind Man intended to impregnate Rocky using a turkey baster, mirroring what he had done to Cindy to have another child. This is evident as he prepares to perform the same act on Rocky.

It was thought that Smith was not involved in the murder of the two Minnesota teens, but events leading up to that day suggested otherwise. He intentionally parked his car away from his house, making it appear unoccupied, which sparked a heated discussion about the “castle doctrine.” This law allows homeowners to defend their homes with lethal force. However, as more details emerged, it became apparent that Smith wasn’t entirely innocent. He had visited neighbors after parking his car and later admitted he recognized Haile driving by his house, suspecting her of past burglaries. Upon seeing her, he claimed he needed to prepare for her visit and returned home.

As a cinephile, let me recount an intriguing sequence of events from my perspective: I, concealed in a chair, chose to surreptitiously record and extinguish the overhead lights, creating an enigma as I bided my time. The teens eventually resurfaced, and though I heard a shattered window, I made no move to summon help. Instead, I remained still, engrossed in silence for about 12 minutes, until I detected Nicholas descending the stairs. Without any prior signal, I fired shots at Nicholas twice on the stairs and once more when he collapsed, falling to the ground. Later, I wrapped his body in a tarp and relocated it to another room, before reemerging upstairs.

For about 10 minutes, he stays upstairs without summoning the police, then rushes back to the basement to resume his earlier posture. A short while later, Haile comes into the house searching for her cousin and these interactions are captured on a recording device used during the subsequent investigation. On this recording, you can hear Haile calling out for Nicholas. Not long after, she descends the stairs into the basement and gets shot by Smith. A chilling exchange between them is recorded on the tape: Smith sarcastically says, “Oh, I’m so sorry about that,” to which Haile responds in pain, “Oh, my God.” Continuing with the shooting, Smith hits her multiple times in the stomach, causing her to scream, again uttering, “Oh, my God!” He then shoots Haile directly in the eye, following her cries for mercy. After this, he addresses her with a series of offensive slurs, such as “B*tch,” before dragging her into another room with her cousin’s body and ending her life by shooting her in the chin.

Don’t Breathe Ends With One Survivor of the Home Invasion

In the climax of Don’t Breathe, it’s just Rocky who makes it out alive after a botched home invasion. Nearly meeting her demise at the hands of “The Blind Man,” she manages to escape, thinking she has killed him in their fight. Later, news reports disclose that he is recuperating in the hospital, having acted in self-defense when he eliminated Money and Alex after the break-in. As for the night’s events, Rocky stumbles upon the money and decides to keep it. However, “The Blind Man” fails to acknowledge Rocky, his captivity of Cindy, her pregnancy following his daughter’s demise, or the missing funds. The tale concludes in a peculiar manner, with Rocky and her sister Diddy embarking on their journey to Los Angeles.

In this actual home invasion incident, there wasn’t a joyful resolution to be found. Instead, it stirred up doubts among the residents of Little Falls about certain events that transpired that day. Initially, the situation appeared to be an instance of self-defense; however, as the investigation progressed, things took a different turn. Smith chose to delay reporting the shooting until the following day, stating he didn’t want to disturb the police on Thanksgiving.

Smith claimed that Haile expressed shock at him (Smith) when he first shot her on the stairs, but all his recording device captured was her saying “Oh, my God” before he shot her a second time and then insulted her. The audio also recorded six hours of what transpired in the basement, including things Smith said when he was alone, such as a chilling statement about shooting Haile in her left eye, which became more heart-rending because that’s exactly where he ended up shooting her.

Additionally, there was a question about the honesty of Smith. Despite asserting that his house was broken into more than a dozen times, it turned out he reported only one break-in to authorities, and they could verify only two previous burglaries. One of these burglaries occurred in a detached garage that Smith hadn’t been aware of until someone informed him later on. Whether some events were exaggerated in his mind or not, which might have influenced his behavior that day, it’s clear that Smith had personal problems. Nicholas and Haile encountered an individual who seemed to be quite disturbed.

In the end, despite causing a significant rift within the town, Smith was finally convicted and found guilty of two counts of premeditated first-degree murder, receiving a life sentence without the chance for parole. It was determined that his recordings and actions indicated he carefully planned the crimes, as he chose not to alert the police when he noticed them investigating the house, instead opting to lie in wait.

It was additionally found that he employed an excessive amount of force once they no longer posed a threat after the initial shot, each of the teens on the stairs. While it’s acknowledged that their actions were indeed wrong, there was a viable option for law enforcement and the judicial system to impose a penalty that punished them for their crimes without costing them their lives. This tragic incident in Little Falls on Thanksgiving Day 2012 bears striking resemblance to the terrifying events depicted in fiction only a few years later, underscoring the fact that the horror created by Fede Álvarez and his team in “The Real Murders on Elm Street” pales in comparison. Currently airing on ID Channel and available for streaming on Max.

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2024-10-18 00:32