Writing a Murder Story -- Ideas?

So, I've had this story idea for quite a while and I never get it exactly right when I try it. WARNING; if you want to read this once its written, this thread might contain general story spoilers.

I'm thinking of something like Scream combined with God Bless America. A murder-suspense story combined with the realization that America has lost its compassion and backbone; the story will occasionally focus on major flaws in society and the main characters will regularly acknowledge certain conspiracy theories as though they're common knowledge (9/11 being an inside job, eugenics, vaccine controversy, etc).

The main characters are a group of misfits in highschool who pick up on the murders taking place in their town, your usual killer story... but the teenagers are a mixture of punks, goths, and geeks. As the murders--which have been taking place in their home town for quite a lot of years--spike in numbers, they all grow incredibly interested and wonder why the killings seem to happen all around them. Who's the killer? Why is he killing? What's the motive? What's the connection between the seemingly random victims? Why has this been happening for years--and why is it happening so much MORE now?

The killer is rarely fully seen; his face is never shown entirely. He has long black hair, a hat, a long black trench coat, and his method of killing is sawing the throats of his victims open with a saw-bladed branch cutter.

The main characters eventually work out that all the victims have had a somewhat questionable past; all of them have been accused or convicted of/for some crime or another. Child abuse, rape, child rape, (enter horrible crime name here), etc. The leader of the main characters, a girl named Jade (who is a rebellious antisocial introvert, until she befriends the other weirdoes in her school), concludes that the killer is slaughtering "bad" people -- people who, as the killer deems, deserve to die.

Soon after they begin to crack the case, even more killings take place around them--killings that don't match up with the earlier killings in any sense. The victims are no longer dying due to a sawed open throat, but rather, are being stabbed to death with a combat knife, and none of them fit the "questionable morale" synopsis--the victims are now innocent people.

As it turns out, the murderer has accidentily inspired another psychopath to emerge; a younger, ambitious killer who is killing with no regard to the victims whatsoever. The second killer has no care for the morale of his victims; he is killing for fun, and nothing else.

The original killer then targets the second killer, labeling him as one of the monsters of society (which is correct, of course) and after losing a number of friends to the second killer, Jade then targets him as well.

This story is meant to focus on the moral backbone in society deteriorating. A society that is accepting of unacceptable things; the schools are full of bullies, the government infringing on the people's rights, the most wicked of our species being allowed to roam free and continue to wreak havoc on the world around them and indulge in their sadistic existence. The hypocrasy in our society's priorities; racism is only a big deal if its directed at black people, sexism is only a big deal if its directed at women, and deaths are only seen as tragedy if the victims were Americans. Dead military soldiers are mourned heavily while dead military contractors are rarely heard of. A single shooting in America is a massive tragedy while a bombing overseas doesn't even make news.

The killer is a nutcase, through and through -- but he sees the world in all its morbid flaws. It drives him mad that the world is so blindingly accepting of all these problems, and that's what drives him to do what he does. Rid the world of the filth.

I'm willing to take any suggestions you have, my fellow writers. If I use any of them, I will mention you in the acknowledgements. I intend to publish this book once its done--but the main problem I'm having is coming up with a title.

Can anyone help me? I NEED a title.

I'll take critique too.

Peace!

a reply to: XxNightAngelusxX

I like the idea. A cool premise somewhat reminiscent of the Purge film series. In that the killer feels he has the right to rid the world of those he perceives as societal malcontents.

Any particular reason he uses a branch Pruner to kill?

Absolutely no political correctness. Bloody as fudge and as many unpredictable outcomes that you can imagine that separates you from what everybody expects to read or watch.

Pioneer that $h!t while taking cues from history.

a reply to: CagliostroTheGreat

He killed his first victim when he was Jade's age (18) and he did it entirely on impulse. He simply grabbed the branch cutter because it was closest to him, and he kept it ever since.

a reply to: eisegesis

Right on! What do you mean by "no political correctness?"

a reply to: XxNightAngelusxX

Jade is the new killer....and is also the daughter of the original killer.

Take it away maestro!

originally posted by: Argyll
a reply to: XxNightAngelusxX

Jade is the new killer....and is also the daughter of the original killer.

Take it away maestro!

...... do I know you from somewhere?

EDIT; She's not the second killer, I might have misinterpreted that...

But uh... her empathy with the original killer leads her down a dangerous path later on.