A teenage boy who killed his own mother in 1998 by stabbing her 45 times was obsessed with the movie "Scream," and used it as an inspiration to butcher her.

Mario Padilla, 16, took the help of his young cousin, Samuel Ramirez to kill his mother Gina Castillo, 37, at their home in Lynwood, California, after she asked him to do some chores and grounded him. Both the accused admitted that they were obsessed with the 1996 film "Scream," and thought the murders in the film were "cool." Padilla told a pal on the way back from school about the killings in the movie, "it was the perfect way to kill somebody."

The two boys also allegedly discussed real killings as they planned to copy the ones from the film, in which a teenage girl is terrorized by a killer a year after the murder of her mother. The killer targets the girl and her friends by using horror films as part of a deadly game, reports.

According to The Sun, witnesses said that the two boys referred to their murder fantasies as "doing a Scream" or "busting a Scream." They even planned to buy costumes and a voice distortion box to carefully copy the killings in the film. They also spoke about going on a "killing spree."

On that fateful day on January 13, 1998, Padilla attacked his mum from behind, while his cousin held her down. They then stabbed her 45 times using at least four different knives. The victim managed to call 911 for help and said: "My son, he's 16, he just stabbed me. I'm bleeding. Oh, I'm bleeding.″

Over a year after the murder, Padilla was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole while his cousin was sentenced to 45 years to life. During the trial, Superior Court Judge John Cheroske had forbidden references to the "Scream" film series.

"The court orders that this case is not to be referred to as the 'Scream' murder case," Cheroske had said in a written ruling, explaining, "I have been watching television since the age of 7. It's ironic how people say do not let your kids watch TV at that age, because it really does affect them."

Before Cheroske's ruling, the prosecution had planned to make the trial a showcase for the effects of watching violence on the screen on children. Deputy District Attorney Carol Rose said in opening statements that the accused was upset with his mum for giving him chores to do and also wanted to steal $150 meant for the victim's newborn daughter. However, Rose also noted that the movie played a huge role in the crime.

The prosecution claimed that the teens were planning to kill several others in a similar way, including the victim's husband and two girls in the neighbourhood. The girls had been receiving threatening phone calls and letters from them prior to their arrest.

During the case, psychologist Madeline Levine also stressed that the movie provided a "blueprint" to the culprits, explaining, "You need a cat to copy. In this case, Scream is that cat."

Scream masks
The masks associated with the hit movie franchise 'Scream', starring David Arquette and Neve Campbell Getty