Twin Peaks’ Laura Palmer Story Is Based On Not 1, But 2 Real Life Crimes

Before Twin Peaks and the mystery of who killed Laura Palmer changed television forever, there was a true 1908 crime that’s eerily similar to the events of the series. One of the things that makes Twin Peaks one of the best TV shows of its era is how it helped to transform the crime genre. The complex presentation of Laura, the murder victim, defies the misogynistic, polarized perceptions of women that crime fiction and true crime alike are prone to perpetuate.

Part of what inspired this was how this historical crime story moved and disturbed Twin Peaks co-creator, Mark Frost. From the moment he heard of the victim’s haunting in the dark woods where her body was found, Frost was struck by the incompetence and apathy regarding the case at the time, which he felt was a reflection of society’s attitudes toward women. He never forgot the story and years later, it would come up again in a creative brainstorming session with David Lynch, who recently revealed a surprising Twin Peaks season 4 update.

Laura Palmer Is Based On A Real 1908 Murder

Hazel Irene Drew’s Death Inspired Twin Peaks

Hazel Irene Drew — the inspiration for Twin Peaks’ Laura Palmer — was seen for the last time on July 7, 1908. Hazel’s community was shaken when a group of teen hikers discovered her body in Teal’s Pond four days later at Sand Lake, Troy, NY. The real-life mystery thickened as letters, postcards, and photos from many admirers revealed a secret life that Hazel’s parents were ignorant of. Her ghost has since haunted the mystery genre, thanks to Twin Peaks co-creators David Lynch and Mark Frost.

Hazel’s death was initially ruled a suicide – the media and public did not believe it. They criticized law enforcement for what they felt was a sense of police apathy. Hazel’s mother told the press, “I am sure Hazel did not [die by] suicide. She was happy and had everything she wanted.” (The Lima Times-Democrat) That alone wasn’t a smoking gun – however, it was not the only sign of foul play. Following her autopsy and witnesses’ statements, $1000 was offered for her murderer — over $23,000 in today’s money.

Mark Frost Was Also Disturbed By A Similar Event

Hazel’s Story Affected Frost

Mark Frost was disturbed by two real instances of violence against women. He learned about Hazel Drew from his grandmother, Betty Calhoun, who told Mark and his brother Scott ghost stories about the crime during his summers in Taborton, which is close to the crime scene. Frost recalled being told a story about a ghost as a warning, “Don’t go into the woods at night,” (New York Post).

In his foreword to The Secret History of Twin Peaks, he expanded that when he asked Betty about who the ghost was supposed to be, she could hardly remember the original event, referring to a girl who was murdered and thrown in the pond, almost as a ‘throwaway’ comment. It wasn’t throwaway to Frost — he maintained that ‘a real person died in that water.’The haunting of Hazel would stay with him, influencing his imagination. In his introduction to a true crime book about Hazel, Murder at Teal’s Pond, Frost wrote:

Two years later in California, that feeling hit much closer to my life. While away at boarding school in Canada, a girl I knew well – Susan Freschi, 14, daughter of my father’s boss and sister to one of my best friends – was assaulted and killed by a deranged young man. As time passed, and I learned more about the pervasive threat of sexual violence that women face on an everyday basis, these two dreadful events coalesced in my mind.

The Similarities Between Hazel Drew And Laura Palmer Are Undeniable

Many Comparisons Can Me Made

There are striking similarities between Hazel Drew’s case and the Laura Palmer mystery, plus some resemblance between the towns. Foremost is the crime scene. She was murdered with a blunt object away from the pond and then thrown in the water, which parallels Laura Palmer. The red herrings in Hazel’s case could have been pulled from a crime drama — the tabloids tirelessly covered them. There was even a suspicious camp owned by two wealthy brothers, reportedly ‘the scene of riotous doings,’ (The Evening World) mirroring the Horne brothers in Twin Peaks and their involvement with One Eyed Jacks.

The admirers’ notes in Hazel’s suitcase full of secrets are only identified by initials — Twin Peaks draws upon this in Laura Palmer’s diary, in which she often refers to men in her life with only the initials of their first names. Their double lives also invite comparison. At the time of Hazel’s murder and the discovery of her affairs, a lot of the media sensationalism was around her having a socially respectable image and having secret relationships with wealthy men, who seemed to afford her a lifestyle that her modest wage as a governess didn’t.

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Twin Peaks unravels the nature of Laura’s death but also who she was in life. The enigma of Hazel, together with the pervasive, woodsy atmosphere of her hometown, brings the dreamlike Twin Peaks down to earth. More than this, however, is the poignant humanity they afford a complex woman who leads two lives. Frost and Lynch’s creation has such enduring influence because it squashed the idea of the perfect victim. While Laura Palmer has an ethereal quality, the Twin Peaks showrunners never let the viewer forget that Laura is just as real as the living, breathing characters in the series.

Source: New York Post, The Secret History of Twin Peaks (Frost), Murder at Teal’s Pond (Bushman, Givens), The Lima Times-Democrat, The Evening World

Twin Peaks

Cast

Russ Tamblyn , Sheryl Lee , Kimmy Robertson , Dana Ashbrook , Grace Zabriskie , Everett McGill , Ernie Hudson , Mädchen Amick , Ray Wise , Kyle MacLachlan

Release Date

May 23, 1990

Seasons

2

Directors

Mark Frost

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