Sometimes, the truth is scarier than fiction. When it comes to horror movies, stories abound about strange occurrences and tragic events stirring up controversy during production. A few of these stories even involve the loss of life. These on set calamities raise a terrifying question: were these films haunted? Many people believe the answer is yes.
Fans of the genre are well-aware of cursed conditions on the sets of popular flicks like The Exorcist and Rosemary's Baby. Let's dig into some deeper cuts and lesser-known tales about hauntings on horror movie sets while highlighting one of the most infamous and terrible productions of all: 1976's The Omen.
The Omen (1976)
Some fans of The Omen speculate it may be the most haunted movie set of all time. The list of accidents, mishaps, and problems associated with this film about the Antichrist goes on for pages, many of which mirror events from the movie.
What's even more shocking is that both the cast and crew of The Omen experienced one tragedy after another before, during, and after shooting. Planes ferrying actor Gregory Peck and writer David Seltzer were struck by lighting, a zookeeper hired for the film was mauled to death by a lion the day after working with baboons on set, and special effects supervisor John Richardson died in a heinous car accident soon after the film was completed.
Maximum Overdrive (1986)
This Emilio Estevez-led story focuses on a comet whose proximity to Earth causes all of the planet's inanimate machines to come to life. Based on a Stephen King short story, Maximum Overdrive was plagued by strange occurrences during production, leading some crew members to believe the film's events were coming to life.
Stuntmen and crew members engaged with near-death experiences on a daily basis. To make matters worse, a hurricane plowed into the Wilmington, North Carolina production in the middle of filming.
The Innkeepers (2011)
Ti West's film about a haunted hotel may have been filmed in a real-life haunted hotel. The Innkeepers was shot on location in Torrington, Connecticut's Yankee Pedlar Inn, and stories are plentiful about creepy conditions on set.
Whether it was doors shutting without explanation or receiving phone calls with no one on the other end of the line, cast members received enough scares to breathe a sigh of relief when filming wrapped up. It's no wonder the Yanke Pedlar Inn is a hotspot for ghost hunters.
Twilight Zone: The Movie (1983)
John Landis directed this anthology film based on the Rod Serling series of the same name. Originally, Landis intended to co-direct with Steven Spielberg, but Spielberg dropped out after Landis tried to cut too many corners during production.
During filming, a helicopter spun out of control, leading to the deaths of three actors, including Vic Morrow. While some consider this proof the Twilight Zone: The Movie set was haunted, others blame Landis's poor planning. Landis was eventually acquitted on manslaughter charges, but the accident led to stricter safety regulations on movie sets.
The Crow (1994)
It's a well-known fact that actor Brandon Lee was killed in a stunt gone wrong while filming The Crow, and a legend persists to this day that the entire production was cursed from the beginning. In fact, Lee's death isn't the only accident that occurred on set.
Multiple crew members were electrocuted while working on The Crow, and one member of the art department was stabbed with a screwdriver while building part of a set. On top of that, a prop truck caught on fire without any clear cause.
Ghost Of Goodnight Lane (2014)
Far from a hit, Ghost of Goodnight Lane is a low-budget scary flick about a horror movie set being terrorized by a revengeful spirit. It turns out this feature may be more based on the truth than not – at least according to its cast and crew.
The only notable stars in Ghost of Goodnight Lane are Billy Zane and Lacey Chabert, and they both shared their experiences dealing with weird noises and flickering lights on set. Paranormal experts were even called in to confirm the actor's claims, which made for a good marketing boost.
The Lords Of Salem (2012)
Rob Zombie doesn't hold back from going over-the-top with displays of violence in his horror movies. The Lords of Salem tells the story of an ancient coven in Salem, Massachusetts that recruits a DJ to partake in their Satan-worshiping ways.
If the rumors are true, some bombastic scenes shot in an old hospital around Los Angeles caught the attention of forces from the great beyond. While filming, an alarm on an unoccupied floor kept buzzing, leading the crew to believe they weren't welcome in the building.
Psycho (1960)
A terrifying murder connected to Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho stirred up controversy in the media. In 1988, Myra Jones, who served as Janet Leigh's body double and the voice of Norman Bates's mother, was brutally murdered in her Los Angeles home.
Although 30 years transpired between making the movie and Jones's death, the similarities between her murder and the killings depicted in Psycho led many fans to hypothesize the poor woman was cursed. The man responsible for Jones's death, Kenneth Dean Hunt, murdered another woman in the same fashion.
The Possession (2012)
The Possession relies on Jewish beliefs about evil spirits to weave together a supernatural tale about a young girl who is inhabited by a demonic entity after buying an old box at a yard sale. Star Jeffrey Dean Morgan, who plays the girl's father, told journalists he felt strange drafts of cool air on closed sets – which is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the bad events that transpired while making the movie.
A storage unit housing all of the film's props, including the cursed box, caught on fire and burned to the ground. The cause of the blaze remains unknown to this day.
The Amityville Horror (2005)
The Amityville Horror remake starring Ryan Reynolds updates the store of the Lutz family, the subject of a 1977 book that details their experiences living in a home that was the site of a brutal mass murder a year before. Like the 1978 film, the remake was beset by alarming incidents.
For one, numerous cast and crew members woke up at 3:15 a.m., the supposedly time when the original mass murders occurred. A body also washed up next to the movie set, adding an even more ominous vibe to an already grueling filming schedule.