When we think about the horror genre and the darker side of storytelling, it’s easy to think of supernatural forces and movie monsters. But there are horrors in our real world and in our true histories that are far more terrifying, and some closer to our homes and our present lives in Oklahoma that we may realize.
The new novel “Moonlit Massacre” by author, English professor, and current Oklahoma City Councilman James Cooper explores the fallout and emotions surrounding one such true-life horror.
The 1978 Sirloin Stockade murders - in which six employees, many of whom were just teenagers, were tragically killed inside the restaurant - led to a devastated community and a manhunt that would last for more than eight months.
With the details of the case already well documented and easily accessible, Cooper turned instead to a fictionalized examination of the emanating grief and lingering dread that came in the murders’ wake.
James Cooper: So if you Google that, right, you know what happened. And so how do you create a story that has any sense of suspense? That was the first challenge, and so I created a historical fiction version of it.
Brett Fieldcamp: Not wanting to fall into the often sensationalist or glorifying traps of the modern true crime genre, Cooper sought to create his own characters through which he could explore the fallout of the killings and the shock that took hold of Oklahoma City while still keeping a respectable distance from the real lives affected.
James Cooper: I thought it was important to not focus on the assailants in real life and the people who lost their lives. I thought that they and their families deserve some peace, and resurrecting the story at all is going to, you know, disrupt that.
And so I, yeah, ultimately made the decision that all of the characters in here would be my own original characters.
Brett Fieldcamp: Cooper spent years on research for the book, extending back even well before he entered city government, in an effort to not only better understand the grim facts and realities of the murders and the manhunt, but to dig into the reverberating emotions and fears that have continued echoing through the area for generations.
James Cooper: I did pour the research in there, and then I just made sure that I created a very scary, very character driven story.
I mean, it really is a story about what are the consequences of when these things happen? What does that do to the people, the individuals living in that city or that small town, what does it do to them? What does it do to their mental health, their sense of paranoia, their sense of fear, and what happens? What happens if it happens again in that same space or nearby? What does that communicate to people about their city, their small town, their state, their country, right? And then what do you do as a response, right? And what happens if you end up blaming people who aren't the real culprit
Brett Fieldcamp: For Cooper, the Sirloin Stockade murders represent something of a tragic catalyst, bringing the horrors of the modern world into the homes and communities of many in Oklahoma City for the first time and pulling them into the same cycles of trouble and tragedy that are still being felt today.
James Cooper: I mean, I think this is a story about violence. It's a story about grief. And that's what drew me to this book, and what I hope people take away from it is that I think the Sirloin Stockade murders are the origin story. And if we can go back to that origin story, then I think we will better understand why the repetition.
I just thought I could help illuminate for people why that cycle happens. And God help us, we can interrupt that cycle. We can literally interrupt it.
Brett Fieldcamp: Ultimately, Cooper believes that the key to interrupting that cycle is to not only learn and to study our history, but to take a broader, bolder look into the unique experiences of Oklahoma, even if understanding its very true horrors may sometimes require a more fictionalized approach.
James Cooper: We're going to have a conversation about “who” Oklahoma is.
And by the way, how often do we get movies about Oklahoma, literature about Oklahoma, albums about Oklahoma. We deserve our stories. We deserve for them to be heard.
And so, yeah, it just felt like, you know, I know horror. I know horror really, really well. And I said “I think I can do this.”
Brett Fieldcamp: “Moonlit Massacre” by James Cooper is available at bookstores and online retailers now from Oklahoma City’s Literati Press.
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