The horror films that were cursed: From actors shot on set to weird accidents, how some of Hollywood’s biggest chillers left cast and crew with a real shiver down the spine

Hollywood has long realized that one of the surest ways to win an audience’s wallet is to send shivers down their spines.

But some of the greatest horror films of all time have left casts and crews with their own chilling stories.

From on-set recordings to behind-the-scenes exorcisms, here we show how often it wasn’t just moviegoers who wanted to hide behind the couch.

The exorcist

The Exorcist is probably one of the most famous horror films made in recent years.

For many, even though the film was first released in 1973, and at the time was called the most terrifying film ever made, and for some it still sends a chill down our spines.

The plot tells the story of a little girl’s demonic possession and a Catholic priest who is asked to come and exorcise the entity.

What some people may not know is that in one case, the set used as the family home caught fire after a bird flew into a control box. the sun reports.

But in a sinister twist, the only area that survived the fire was the bedroom where the exorcisms in the film were performed. The fire ultimately delayed filming by six weeks.

In case the set was haunted by an evil spirit, the crew enlisted the help of a Jesuit priest to bless the set after the incident.

The creepy stuff didn’t stop there, though, as the main reason why people believe the set was cursed was the number of deaths associated with the cast.

For Jack MacGowran and Vasiliki Maliaros, both characters died in the 1973 film. However, they also both died in real life shortly after filming of the movie was completed.

Stars Linda Blair and Max Von Sydow were also affected by the so-called ‘curse’, with Linday’s grandfather also present during the show’s production, while Max’s brother passed away on Max’s first day on set.

Jason Miller, who played Jesuit Father Damian Karras, also had a near-death experience when he was hit by a motorcycle during filming.

Poltergeist

People suspect that the Poltergeist is accused of using real human remains during filming.

In one scene, movie star JoBeth Williams is dragged into her family’s swimming pool and as she tries to get out, she comes across rotting corpses and skeletons.

She said she “assumed” it was a “prop skeleton” made of plastic, but later found out with the crew that they were using real skeletons because it’s “way too expensive to make fake skeletons out of rubber to make’.

Shortly before the third film’s release in 1988, four cast members, including 12-year-old Heather O’Rourke, died after cardiac arrest and septic shock.

Dominique Dunne, 22, who played the older sister of O’Rourke’s character, died after being strangled by her ex-boyfriend just months after the film was released.

In 2009, Lour Perryman was also hacked to death with an ax by an ex-con.

Shortly before the third film’s release in 1988, four cast members, including 12-year-old Heather O’Rourke, died after cardiac arrest and septic shock.

Dominique Dunne, 22, who played O’Rourke’s older sister, died after being strangled by her ex-boyfriend just months after the film was released.

In 2009, Lour Perryman was also hacked to death with an ax by an ex-con.

Annabelle

Many of us may remember the terrifying Annabelle doll and how could we forget how we felt when the scary looking figure stared at us through the screen.

To make matters worse, both Annabelle and the sequel had apparently experienced strange incidents, including lights apparently falling and the doll moving on its own.

The film’s producer, Peter Safran, told The Hollywood Reporter: ‘Especially the first day when we were shooting the demon in full makeup, we brought the demon up in the elevator.

“He walks out and walks around to the green room where we’re holding the talent, and just as he walks underneath – a giant glass lamp is followed by the actor playing the building’s handyman – and suddenly the whole glass lamp falls on his head, the head of the janitor.

“And in the script, the demon kills the janitor in that hallway. It was totally scary.”

The Ring Two

There were some strange events that happened in the movie that mirror the movie.

Water was used symbolically to represent an evil spirit, while in real life the production office was also flooded.

During the production, a deer reportedly ran six feet toward Jeannine Bourdaghs, a customer, and she said that if she had been three feet ahead, the deer likely would have plowed straight into her at almost 100 miles per hour.

Ironically, in the film itself, a character named Samara tries to kill Rachael and Aidan with a deer.

The Crow

The Crow starred Brandon Lee, son of martial artist Bruce Lee.

The film was set to be the actor’s breakout role, but during production Brandon died after being shot with a prop gun accidentally loaded with a real bullet.

It hit the 28-year-old actor’s abdomen and unfortunately caused his death. However, his father was only 32 when he also died, leading some to think the family was somehow cursed.

The liberation

The most recent film on this list is Netflix’s 2024 The Deliverance.

The film’s production had some bizarre instances, including actor Mo’Nique being rushed to hospital and director Lee Daniel’s dog dying.

Moreover, the director also later revealed how his sister was diagnosed with lung cancer just days before filming a chemotherapy scene.

The Omen

The 1976 film also had some tragic circumstances surrounding its production.

Just two months before filming, lead actor Gregory Peck had a tragedy in his family, with his son committing suicide.

Additionally, the award-winning actor’s plane was struck by lightning while he was traveling to London for the filming of the movie. The film producer Mace Neufeld faced the same situation.

As part of the film, they planned to rent a plane to take aerial shots in Israel, but at the last minute the planes were switched and the original site ended up crashing, killing everyone on board.

To really add weight to the curse rumors, John Richardson, the film’s special effects designer, got into a car accident behind the famous beheading scene while sculptor Liz Moore was in the passenger seat.

Richardson survived the incident, but Moore was beheaded.

He also claimed that when he stumbled out of the car, he saw a road sign saying he was 66.6km away from the town of Ommen.