Creepy tales from cursed movies
Not that these epic horror movies need to get any spookier, but these real-life tales help seal their fate as "cursed" flicks.
Whether the mysterious happenings are merely eerie coincidence or the work of more sinister forces, is all up to you. Here's the 411, or should we say, the 666.
They don't call it the "Curse of The Omen" for nothing. The cast and crew of this horror classic were haunted by tragic deaths and, many believe, real-life encounters with the supernatural.
Information sources include Reuters and movie/news sites, including IMDb.com and latimes.com.
"The Omen" - Gregory Peck
In June 1975, just two months prior to filming "The Omen," lead actor Gregory Peck's son shot himself.
Then, while flying to London in September, Peck's plane was struck by lightning.
A few weeks later, executive producer Mace Neufeld was on a plane to Los Angeles that was also struck by lightning.
And after that, producer Harvey Bernhard narrowly escaped being struck by lightning while filming in Rome.
Who could blame Bernhard for deciding to carry a cross on set. He was quoted as saying, "The devil was at work and he didn't want that film made."
"The Omen"
An animal handler who helped with the "crazy baboon" scene in the 1976 film was mauled and killed by a tiger shortly after shooting wrapped.
"The Omen"
Special effects artist John Richardson, who helped with the film's infamous decapitation scene, was in a car crash during post-production.
While Richardson survived the Friday the 13th crash, the head-on collision beheaded Richardson's passenger, assistant Liz Moore, in a manner that was eerily similar to the death scene he helped shoot. Richardson reportedly saw a road sign near the accident scene showing the distance to a Dutch town that read: Ommen, 66.6 km.
"The Omen"
A plane that was chartered by the film, but switched at the last minute, went down shortly after takeoff, killing everyone on board.
Cursed movies - "Poltergeist"
Of all the films in this list, "Poltergeist" makes the freakiest case for cursed movie sets. All three films in the franchise are marked by premature death.
Many believe these deaths were a form of spiritual payback for the real corpses used as props in the infamous "flooded pool" scene of the first film.
"Poltergeist"
Who could forget the little blonde girl and her eerie, scary lines, "They're heeere!" and "They're baaack!" Heather O'Rourke (Carol Anne) was discovered by Steven Spielberg in the MGM Commissary and went on to make an indelible impression on moviegoers.
"Poltergeist"
The film's iconic lead, O'Rourke, died at age 12, less than a year after the release of "Poltergeist III," after what doctors thought were complications from flu-like symptoms. She died on the operating table after suffering cardiac arrest.
"Poltergeist" - Dominique Dunne
Dominique Dunne, 22, who played the eldest daughter Dana (far right) in "Poltergeist," died in late 1982 after being strangled by her abusive boyfriend, John Thomas Sweeney, 27. She was sustained on life-support systems for five days.
"Poltergeist II" - Julian Beck
Julian Beck, who played Kane the evil preacher, died in 1985 during post-production on "Poltergeist II."
In 2009, actor Lou Perryman, who played a construction worker in Poltereist, met a gruesome end when he was axed to death in his home by an ex-convict.
"Poltergeist II"
Will Sampson, who played Taylor the medicine man and was a real-life shaman in the Creek Indian tribe, died a year after "Poltergeist II" was released of post-operative kidney failure.
In 1992, actor Richard Lawson, who played Ryan in Poltergeist, survived a plane crash out of LaGuardia that killed 27 of the 51 on board.
Cursed movies - "The Exorcist"
Pea soup stains were the least of this 1973 possession film's problems, which was beset by fire, deaths, and lightning.
Nine deaths are connected to the film, including Jack McGowran who played Burke Dennings, Linda Blair's grandfather, a night watchman on set and a special effects expert. McGowran died one week after after the release of the movie.
"The Exorcist" - Ellen Burstyn
While on set, Ellen Burstyn suffered a permanent spinal injury during a stunt gone wrong while shooting a scene where Regan throws her from the bed. That was her real scream of pain that was used in the film.
"The Exorcist"
The entire set for the MacNeil home caught fire and burned down, delaying filming for six weeks. Regan's demonic bedroom, meanwhile, remained untouched.
With all the mishaps, a Jesuit priest, Thomas M. King, in Washington, D.C. where the movie was being filmed, was asked to bless the set.
"The Exorcist"
Still, during the film's Rome premiere, lightning struck a 400-year-old cross atop a nearby 16th-century church.
"The Crow" - Brandon Lee
The movie that was supposed to launch actor Brandon Lee into super-stardom was instead plagued by on-set injuries and one deadly tragedy.
While filming, Brandon Lee, the son of Bruce Lee, was shot and killed by a live bullet unknowingly lodged in a prop .44 handgun.
To make things even more tragic and bizarre, Bruce Lee died in 1973 shortly after making the film "Game of Death," in which he played an actor shot after gangsters replace a fake bullet with a live one.
"The Crow"
One of the film's carpenters got shocked and burned by a scissor lift while on set.
A grip truck unexpectedly went up in flames on set.
A disgruntled carpenter plowed through a plaster shop in his car.
"The Crow"
During filming of the "The Crow," a stuntman fell through the roof in between takes.
And a crew member accidentally stabbed his hand with a screwdriver.
Cursed movies - "Rosemary's Baby"
The malevolent forces at work in the supernatural thriller "Rosemary's Baby" from 1968 took an ominous new tone when strange ailments beset the crew and true evil struck the director, Roman Polanski's family.
A year after the release of the film about evil descending upon an expectant mother, members of the Charles Manson family murdered Polanski's wife, Sharon Tate, and her unborn child.
"Rosemary's Baby"
After receiving death threats over the film's satanic themes, producer William Castle suffered kidney failure and was rushed to the hospital. Castle mentions one particular letter which read: "Bastard. Believer of Witchcraft. Worshipper at the Shrine of Satanism. My prediction is you will slowly rot during a long and painful illness which you have brought upon yourself."
Castle raged that the movie was cursed, repeatedly crying out during his illness, "Rosemary, for God's sake drop that knife."
"Rosemary's Baby"
Unbeknownst to Castle, the film's composer, 38-year-old Krzysztof Komeda, had been admitted to the same hospital due to a blood clot. Komeda's death was the result of a brain haematoma, eerily reminiscent of what befell Hutch in the film, but the cause of the haematoma remains unclear.
"The Conjuring"
Director James Wan may have been playing with forces beyond his control when he shot "The Conjuring" about the evil force taunting the Perron family, and the real-life demonologists, Ed and Lorraine Warren, who helped get rid of it.
When members of the real-life Perron family visited the set, they were met by a gust of fierce wind.
And while the Perrons were being bullied by wind, mother Carolyn felt a presence back home then suffered a bad fall.
Shortly thereafter, the cast and crew had to evacuate their hotel due to a fire.
"The Conjuring"
Phone calls between the screenwriters and Lorraine Warren always suffered static and often went dead.
When working late one night, Wan's dog wouldn't stop growling at ... nothing.
"The Conjuring"
The laptop screen of lead actress Vera Farmiga allegedly, and mysteriously, showed 'digital' claw marks one day when she opened her computer.
The actress also showed off photos in interviews of what appeared to be claw marks on her thigh after filming concluded on the movie.
Cursed movies - "Annabelle"
Producer James Wan's prequel/spin-off to "The Conjuring" proved what we already knew: Don't mess with DEMONIC DOLLS, ever.
On the day the 2014 film's demon went full makeup there was an on-site injury.
"Annabelle"
As the actor walks to the green room as the demon, producer Peter Safran described a lighting fixture abruptly falling and striking a janitor's head. In the film, the demon kills the janitor in that same hallway.
"Annabelle"
While filming, director John Leonetti (far left) discovered a three-finger marking clawed across a dusty set window.
Eerily, the film's demon also had just three fingers.
"Annabelle"
The film is inspired by an actual doll believed to be possessed by evil spirits, confirming that reality can be even creepier than real life.
The real-life Annabelle lives in Lorraine and Ed Warren's Occult Museum, stored safely inside a glass case with a sign warning visitors to leave the door locked. A priest visits the museum and blesses the doll regularly.
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