If you think blood, filth, gore and a whole bunch of flying corpses are the only terrifying things about horror movies, take a hard look at your occult-free existence and think again! Especially in the case of the below mentioned cult horror flicks. Their productions were marked with equally ominous occurrences, sudden deaths and bizarre accidents.
7 spooky things that happened to the cast and crew while filming horror movies:
1. The Exorcist (1973)
The entire set burnt down and at least 3 people died
Many of us were introduced to the great genre of horror with The Exorcist. The dark film follows the exorcism of a 12-year-old girl, Regan. It is a little unnerving to watch. According to multiple reports, paranormal occurrences were an everyday affair on the set. In fact at one point, one of the two sets built for the film burnt down completely. But that’s not spooky, right? Accidents happen! The two sets, however, were very close to each other and the one that burnt down was the ‘MacNeil home.’ The one that was saved was ‘Regan’s bedroom.’ Although no one was injured in the fire, three cast and crew deaths that happened later are also associated with the film. A few days after actor Jack MacGowran finished filming his scenes, he passed away, unexpectedly. After his death, a security guard and FX worker also died.
2. Poltergeist (1982)
The lead actor died very suddenly. Her unfortunate death was followed by more bad news
Poltergeist franchise is well known for its stunning scare sequence and a weird consistency in its plots. But it’s still a revered classic. At least the original is. Long before the reboot version came to the screens near you in 2015, the original flick’s second instalment was overshadowed by multiple deaths. Heather O’Rourke, the star kid of the film died at the age of twelve. She suffered a cardiac arrest while working on the next instalment. The actress playing her older sister, Dominique Dunne, also died. She was reportedly murdered by an ex-boyfriend just one day after the movie premiered. And long before the second instalment even made it to the theatres, Like O’Rourke, the producer, died.
3. The Exorcism of Emily Rose (2005)
Loud music would start playing without any cues
Yes, this is that film where Dexter’s Debra (Jennifer Carpenter) plays the lead role! The film is not a horror masterpiece but is good enough to keep you up at night. In an interview, Carpenter said that though she wasn’t haunted by any ghosts during the filming of the project but two or three times when she was going to sleep her radio turned on by itself. “The only time it scared me was once because it was really loud and it was Pearl Jam’s 'Alive’,” she told Dread Central. Well, we’re not fans of subliminal messaging, but come on!
4. The Amityville Horror (2005)
The cast would suddenly wake up at 3:15 am, the time real-life mass murderer Ronald DeFeo Jr. killed six members of his family
Both The Amityville Horror by Jay Anson (1979) and this version starring Ryan Reynolds, Melissa George and Philip Baker Hall are great films. In fact, the latter is the ninth film in The Amityville Horror film series. It documents the experiences of the Lutz family after they move into a house located at 112 Ocean Avenue, Long Island. It belonged to real-life mass murderer Ronald DeFeo Jr. In 1974, he killed six members of his family in this house. According to reports, they were all killed at 3:15 am. The movie also follows this timeline and while on set, the cast and crew, including Reynolds, would suddenly wake up at 3:15 am. Clearly, the house did have some effect on them!
5. The Innkeepers (2011)
Lights and TVs would flicker all the time while shooting at a real-life haunted hotel
Shot at a supposed real-life haunted hotel, The Yankee Pedlar Inn in Connecticut, USA, The Innkeepers is a horror gem. The plot follows the lives of two employees, who are determined to reveal the hotel's haunted past after disturbing events start taking place when old guests check in. Apparently, during filming, the lights and TVs would flicker constantly. According to reports, many crew members weren’t comfortable at the hotel and would get very vivid and disturbing dreams at night.
6. The Conjuring (2013)
Mysterious bruises appeared on some of the actors’ bodies
While the ‘Conjuring Universe’ has garnered a fair amount of love and hate from fans of the genre, the controversies and inexplicable events surrounding the first film are chilling. The film is based on the Perron family’s encounter with the unknown; and paranormal investigators, Ed and Lorraine Warren’s attempts of ridding them with this dark presence. While shooting The Conjuring at the residence where these events occurred, the Perrons were also present, and the mother refused to go anywhere near the house as she believed that there are too many unsolved puzzles from their life back there. Many actors were suddenly covered in bruises after shooting for a couple of days. In multiple interviews, the lead actress confirmed that she had trouble sleeping during the filming and even for a while after they packed up.
7. Anabelle (2014)
Mysterious scratches appeared on the window and a sudden death scared the entire crew
For those obsessed with films based on cursed objects, The Anabelle franchise is a treat, albeit a cringey treat at times, but it’s definitely worth watching. While filming the first part in 2014, the director found eerie scratch marks on the window of their set — on the first day itself! This incident was followed by a whole range of creepy instances that had a direct link to the film. In a conversation with The Hollywood Reporter, Peter Safran, producer of Annabelle and The Conjuring said, “the first day that the demon was shooting in full makeup, we brought the demon up in the elevator. He walks out and walks around to the green room to where we’re holding the talent, and just as he walks under — a giant glass light fixture is being followed by the actor playing the handyman of the building — and all of a sudden the entire glass light fixture falls down on his head, the janitor‘s head. And in the script the demon kills the janitor in that hallway. It was totally freaky."
0 Comments