It’s October. The perfect month to go out and catch a spooky film.
Some people enjoy the premeditated use of clever jump scares, and others can’t stand how filmmakers manage to create something so horrific. Although, horror films are intended to test the viewers reaction skills and perception of reality; the real horror lies with its creators.
Here, we revisit the making of various classic horror films that faced Satan himself.
The Exorcist (1976)
During filming, several set parts burst into flames; burning down everything except Regan’s bedroom. The cast and crew were so frightened that they called a pastor to cleanse the house before filming again. In addition, the actors playing Burke Dennings and Mrs. Karas passed away right before release. Speaking of the premiere, several guests fainted, vomited, and passed out during multiple screenings across the country. In Rome, a church nearby a movie theater was struck by lightning and resulted with a cross landing in front of the plaza.
The Omen (1976)
Shortly after The Exorcist, a new film arrived that certainly grabbed audience attention by being marketed as one the scariest movies ever made. In the same fashion, The Omen experienced a similar collection of unfortunate events as many cast/crew members lost their lives before, during, and after filming. Actor Gregory Peck’s plane was struck by lightning, director Richard Donner got hit by a car, and an animal wrangler was devoured by one of his tigers shortly after production ended. The most interesting example of the infamous “Omen Curse” is FX coordinator John Richardson, the artist who designed the notorious decapitation scene, later was involved in a fatal accident, which beheaded his female passenger.
The Omen (2006)
Obviously, people don’t listen, and white people do what they want, so here we have it. A reboot. No deaths here, but during filming; a whole two days’ worth of footage was lost, and director John Moore demanded that the malfunctioned screen read “666”. Say what you want, but that is not normal.
The Exorcism of Emily Rose (2005)
Star Jennifer Carpenter was haunted by the film’s set for months. She reads:
“When we were shooting, my stereo kept turning itself on in the middle of the night,” the
actress revealed after shooting wrapped. “It freaked me out because it started playing Pearl Jam’s ‘Alive’ — just the ‘I’m still alive’ part. It stayed with me for a while.”
The Exorcism of Emily Rose was inspired by the real-life story of Anneliese Michel, who lost her life after a particularly brutal battle with an evil spirit.
Poltergeist (1982, 1986, 1988)
In film, directors are determined to make the set look and feel as real as possible. In the original Poltergeist, real human skeletons were used as props, in which began the Poltergeist curse. Several cast members lost their lives near the productions filming, including star Heather O’ Rourke – who was only 12 years old. Furthermore, Dominique Dunne was murdered by her upset boyfriend on the year of release; she was 22. These events were so tragic that for Poltergeist 2, a Native American shaman insisted on performing a ritual to end the evil spirits.
The Shining (1980)
Also, known as one of the scariest films ever made (trust me, I still can’t finish it till this day), we have The Shining. In case you’ve never seen this film, just know whenever you see two young twins dressed as dolls in a film, it’s referencing The Shining. However, this one is no curse. Coupled with Poltergeist, directors will do whatever it takes to get the full emotion from his cast; and Stanley Kubrick was no ordinary director. Jack Nicholson (best known as the original Joker), revealed that Kubrick ordered Shelley Duvall to perform the terrifying bat scene 127 times. Kubrick would also treat Shelley extremely cruel on set to keep her in the mood of terror. Jack also revealed that Shelley will show him clumps of her hair falling out every day after filming. Today, Shelley Duvall suffers from severe mental illness.
The Conjuring (2013)
Based on the true haunting of the Perron family, this film was a box office hit. Noted as one of the highest grossing horror films ever made, the cast/crew didn’t have it easy. After one day of filming, their hotel caught on fire. Star Vera Farmiga felt uneasy about the film, in which she never took her script home. At one point of filming, the real Perron family visited the set for a feel of the movie, and the cast/crew reported that they felt a “gust of wind” as they walked by. Later that night, Carolyn Perron was brought to the floor, claiming that she felt a strange presence in her home towering
over her.