The Horrific Murders at This Oklahoma Campsite Helped Inspire ‘Friday the 13th’

Today's the day...Friday the 13th! If you're a fan of horror movies and Jason Voorhees then I'm sure like myself you'll spend this evening watching as many "Friday The 13th" movies as you can. "ki ki ki, ma ma ma."

LEARN HOW AN OKLAHOMA TRUE CRIME INSPIRED "FRIDAY THE 13TH" BELOW

It should be a National holiday in my opinion so we can have the day off to binge the franchise in its entirety. Did you know that the "Friday The 13th" movies were inspired by actual events and the gruesome murders that took place at an Oklahoma campsite?  Turns out the Sooner State has its very own Camp Cyrstal Lake!

So how exactly did an Oklahoma campsite help inspire one of the single greatest horror movie franchises in history? Have you heard of the Oklahoma Girl Scout murders? It's a terrifying and tragic tale that took place back in 1977 at Camp Scott in Locust Grove, OK. a homicidal manic named Gene Leroy Hart killed 3 children.

All were girls who were at the camp for Girl Scouts. Prior to the murders camp counselors found threatening notes and mysterious messages that campers would be brutally murdered. Sadly, the threats became reality.

Watch the video below to learn more about Camp Scott and the OK. Girl Scout murders.

Camp Scott is now abandoned and is rumored to be haunted by the souls of the children who lost their lives there. The case went unsolved for over 45 years and was just recently solved. The prime suspect in the murders was escaped prisoner, Gene Leroy Hart who was hiding out in the woods and caves in the area during the time of the murders. He was eventually arrested but found not guilty of the crime until years later.

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The lack of evidence at the scene and unfortunately back in those days DNA evidence and testing weren't available. Well, things and times have changed and thanks to DNA testing investigators have finally identified Gene Leroy Hart as the killer. Mayes County Sheriff Mike Reed has spent years working the case and after re-testing all the evidence has ruled everyone else out as a suspect, except for Gene Leroy Hart.

Sheriff Reed stated he's convinced that not only did Hart do it, but that he would have been convicted if the evidence and DNA testing were around back then. It's been 45 long years, I can't imagine what these families went through all that time. Finally, the families of the 3 little girls: Lori Farmer, Michelle Guse, and Denise Milner know who was responsible. Hopefully, this will help and they can somehow get some peace.

Hit play on the video below to watch every "Friday The 13th" movie trailer!

The Oklahoma Camp Scott Girl Scout murders drew National attention from the very beginning as people everywhere were horrified and wanted answers. The story was seen and heard around the world and like many other tales, it started to become a legend. The more people talked about it the more terrifying and gruesome the story became. The exaggerated telling included camp counselors being slain and the gory ways in which they had been killed and their bodies discovered. I'm sure this helped inspire horror writers.

SCROLL DOWN TO SEE SOME OF OKLAHOMA'S SCARIEST & MOST HAUNTED PLACES

The original "Friday the 13th" hit the silver screen in 1980 just 3 years after the murders so by that time the story of Camp Scott was widespread and fairly well known. While the 2 stories are very different, it does follow and was certainly inspired by some of the more exaggerated legends of what happened at Camp Scott despite being pure folklore. The more it was told the worse and bloodier it got, imagination had gone wild!

So it's entirely possible that the Oklahoma Girl Scout murders helped create Jason Voorhees and the "Friday The 13th" horror franchise. Who knows the true inspiration behind the man in the mask and his insatiable appetite for killing and mutilating sexually promiscuous campers and counselors? Happy Friday the 13th!