Cursed Movie Productions
We all suffer bad luck from time to time. That’s just the way life is. But when bad luck becomes an everyday occurrence, it’s easy to start looking for explanations outside of just coincidence. The idea of curses has been around for a long time and is often used to explain runs of particularly bad luck. These films suffered so many difficulties and tragedies that many believe they were cursed productions.
Poltergeist
In the film, a young family moves into what seems to be their new dream home. What they don’t know is that the house was built on a sacred burial ground, and the spirits residing there aren’t happy about it.
The Poltergeist Curse
Some suggest that using actual human skeletons was not the best idea for some of the spookier sequences in the film, and may have led to two shocking events that label the film as cursed. Tragically, star Dominique Dunne was slain by her boyfriend just before her 23rd birthday, and child actor Heather O’Rourke passed on a few years later at the young age of 12 from a misdiagnosed intestinal problem.
Wildhartlivie, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
The Omen
This horror flick focuses on young Damien, an odd child who is quiet and a bit unsettling to those around him. As time goes on and Damien gets older, those around him begin to realize that supernatural forces are swirling about the boy—and they’re not benevolent.
Twentieth Century, The Omen (1976)
The Omen Curse
You’ll notice that a lot of the movies on this list deal with the supernatural and occult. Even before filming started, star Gregory Peck’s plane was struck by lightning en route. Then, the on-set animal trainer was mauled by a tiger. Creepiest of all, a couple of months after the film premiered, special effects assistant Liz Moore was decapitated in a car accident 66.6 km from a town in the Netherlands named…Ommen.
Twentieth Century, The Omen (1976)
The Exorcist
This movie sees an exorcist called in to investigate the case of a young girl who is showing signs that she may have been possessed by a demon. As the investigation unfolds, stranger and stranger supernatural events occur, including an infamous vomiting scene that shocked and unsettled moviegoers.
Warner Bros., The Exorcist (1973)
The Exorcist Curse
This Academy Award-winning film has a pretty high body count. Nine people related to the production perished while the film was being made, and one actor in the film took the life of a reporter just before the film was released. Most of the set burned down at one point, and an actual priest was brought in to bless the rebuilt set, just in case.
Warner Bros., The Exorcist (1973)
The Conqueror
One of the few films on this list to not be a horror film, The Conqueror is a pseudo-biographical film about famed Mongol leader Genghis Khan. Made in 1956, it features some horrendously racist make-up and casting in lead actor John Wayne, but that’s not why people consider it cursed.
Bettmann Archive, Wikimedia Commons
The Conqueror Curse
The curse on this film set seems to come from completely explainable, or at least human-made, circumstances. Filmed in Snow Canyon, Utah, the production was downwind from a site where 11 atomic explosives had been tested. By 1980, 24 years after production, 46 members of the cast and crew had succumbed to cancer.
Return To Babylon
Although filmed on 16mm film and without any dialogue, this silent film is actually a 2013 production. Produced as a tribute to the stars and the style of the silent movie era, the film weaves together the stories of many of the biggest stars from the beginning of cinema.
Montebello Films, Return to Babylon (2013)
The Return To Babylon Curse
Perhaps filming in the former homes of stars of the silent film era was tempting fate a bit too much. Star Jennifer Tilly spoke about feeling like there were invisible entities on set with her. Even creepier, strange effects of faces and body parts shifting and changing—without the use of special effects—are supposedly visible while watching the film.
Montebello Films, Return to Babylon (2013)
Rosemary’s Baby
In this movie, a young couple moves into an old apartment with a strange history. As success seems to be imminent in their lives, they decide to have a child—and then things get very weird. As the pregnancy progresses, a strange group of people become interested in Rosemary’s unborn child, who turns out to be the Antichrist.
Paramount, Rosemary's Baby (1968)
The Rosemary’s Baby Curse
This film was dogged by tragedy, including actress Mia Farrow getting divorced while filming, and composer Krzysztof Komeda suffering a fall that led to a coma and, eventually, his demise. Perhaps the worst, however, was the slaying of director Roman Polanski’s pregnant wife, Sharon Tate, at the hands of the Charles Manson cult.
Sylvia Norris, Wikimedia Commons
The Passion Of The Christ
Unlike a lot of the films on this list, The Passion of the Christ deals with heavenly subject matter, rather than hellish. A fictionalized portrayal of the last days of Jesus of Nazareth, the film drew much criticism for its brutal portrayal of the sufferings of Christ.
Icon Productions, The Passion of the Christ (2004)
The Passion Of The Christ Curse
There is an old belief that those who sin against God will be struck by a “bolt from the blue” as punishment for their transgressions. During the production of the film, both Jim Caviezel, who portrays Christ, and assistant director Jan Michelini were struck by lightning. The two survived—and it was the second time Michelini had been struck while on the set of the film!
Icon Productions, The Passion of the Christ (2004)
Rebel Without A Cause
Famous primarily because it was one of the few films starring icon James Dean, Rebel Without a Cause chronicles the troubles of a small group of young people in small-town America. Involving gangs and violent behavior, the film is a seminal piece of 1950s Americana.
Warner Bros, Rebel Without A Cause (1955)
The Rebel Without A Cause Curse
The film is most famously known as James Dean’s last project, as the young star perished in a car crash a few weeks before the film premiered. This alone wouldn’t be enough to qualify for curse status, but two of the film’s other leads also met violent and mysterious ends: Sal Mineo was slain in 1976, and Natalie Wood drowned in strange circumstances in 1981.
Warner Bros, Rebel Without A Cause (1955)
The Wizard Of Oz
The classic story of Dorothy Gale’s trip to the magical land of Oz is a well-known film and children’s book. One rumor that has grown around the production is that of a cast member who hung himself on set and can be seen in one of the film’s sequences. While this rumor turned out to be false, many on-set catastrophes led to the film feeling cursed.
The Wizard Of Oz Curse
Two actors in the film, original Tin Man Buddy Ebsen and Wicked Witch Margaret Hamilton, suffered greatly from the make-up used to cover much of their skin while on film. Hamilton also suffered second-degree burns when a trap door failed to open to allow her to escape some pyrotechnics.
Unknown Author, Wikimedia Commons
Apocalypse Now
Francis Ford Coppola’s infamous battle film is based on the short novel Heart of Darkness by author Joseph Conrad. The dark, psychological depths that the story explores seem to have spilled over into the film’s production, as can be seen in the documentary about its making, Hearts of Darkness.
United Artists, Apocalypse Now (1979)
The Apocalypse Now Curse
Nature takes credit for some of the trouble on this cursed production. Filmed during monsoon season, floods and heavy winds destroyed many parts of the set. What’s more, star Martin Sheen suffered a heart attack while on set, and director Coppola suffered a seizure brought on by the stress of the production.
United Artists, Apocalypse Now (1979)
Fitzcarraldo
This film from legendary director Werner Herzog tells the tale of a crew that has to somehow move a huge steamship up and over a hill. Filmed on location in Peru, the production was a hugely-troubled one.
Werner Herzog Filmproduktion, Fitzcarraldo (1982)
The Fitzcarraldo Curse
Original star Jason Robards had to be replaced early on due to him contracting dysentery while on set. Herzog brought in Klaus Kinski, an erratic actor whose on-set behavior caused much trouble. Further, Herzog actually had a steamship moved over a hill during production, which led to the deaths of numerous extras, and to one crew member having to amputate his own foot after a snake bite.
Werner Herzog Filmproduktion, Fitzcarraldo (1982)
Twilight Zone: The Movie
In 1982, building off the success of Rod Serling’s classic early television series, an anthology film based on The Twilight Zone was produced. It told four different creepy stories, directed by A-list directors Steven Spielberg, Joe Dante, George Miller, and John Landis.
Warner Bros., Twilight Zone: The Movie (1983)
The Twilight Zone Curse
Less a curse than a shadow of tragedy over the film, Twilight Zone: The Movie became infamous due to a terrible accident during Landis’ “Time Out” sequence. During a recreation of the Vietnam conflict, a helicopter on set malfunctioned and crashed, taking the lives of star Vic Morrow and child actors Myca Dinh Le and Renee Shin-Yi Chen.
Warner Bros., Twilight Zone: The Movie (1983)
Atuk
You might be forgiven for not having heard of the film Atuk. The simple reason is that it was never made. Unlike many films on this list, it’s not a horror movie but a comedy-drama—yet its status as a cursed film is a bit stronger than most of the others you’ve read about.
The Atuk Curse
Atuk never got made because the actors who were offered the lead role kept dying. First, comedy legend John Belushi, and then, stand-up maverick Sam Kinison. After their deaths, the script was given to John Candy, who subsequently passed on. It was then handed to Chris Farley who also passed on shortly thereafter. It’s even rumored that Farley gave the script to comedian Phil Hartman, who was slain by his wife not long after.
Universal Pictures, National Lampoon's Animal House (1978)
The Conjuring
While a lot of supposedly cursed films take their inspiration from occult subjects, The Conjuring used the case files of real-life paranormal investigators for its strange tale. Based on the work of ghost hunters Ed and Lorraine Warren, the set of The Conjuring apparently would have made a good case for the Warrens.
Warner Bros., The Conjuring (2013)
The Conjuring Curse
Like any good ghost story, the cast and crew on the film’s set reported hearing strange noises that could not be explained. Some even reported seeing objects moving on their own, a sure sign of supernatural intervention. Star Vera Farmiga even experienced unexplained damage to her laptop after receiving the script.
Warner Bros., The Conjuring (2013)
Quantum Of Solace
An entry into the James Bond franchise, Quantum of Solace starred Daniel Craig as a gruffer version of the suave super-spy. As with many Bond films, Quantum had its fair share of action sequences, but the accidents on set had some calling the production cursed.
The Quantum Of Solace Curse
Star Craig, through accidents on set, suffered bruised ribs, the loss of a fingertip, a damaged rotator cuff, and a kick to the face that required plastic surgery. The crew on the film also suffered numerous accidents, including one driver who drove one of the Aston Martins used in production into Lake Garda while filming on-location.
The Innkeepers
Director Ti West was inspired to make this film about a haunted hotel while staying at an actual haunted hotel. Further, West filmed the movie in that same haunted hotel. While we applaud his desire for realism, this seems like a really good way to tempt fate a little too much.
Dark Sky Films, The Innkeepers (2011)
The Innkeepers Curse
Unsurprisingly, the production of The Innkeepers was beset by all the hallmarks of a haunting. Filmed at a “real” haunted hotel, The Yankee Pedlar Inn, lights would flicker on and off for no reason, and crew members would receive phone calls from seemingly no one. Doors were even reported to open and close by themselves, lending the film a definite air of authenticity.
Dark Sky Films, The Innkeepers (2011)
The Possession
Based on the legend of the Dybbuk, an evil spirit in the Jewish faith, The Possession is another horror film that benefited from having some truly creepy things happen on-set. Revolving around a “dybbuk box,” the evil spirit escapes its confinement and torments a family.
Lionsgate, The Possession (2012)
The Possession Curse
In a scene right out of a horror film, the actual prop for the dybbuk box was destroyed in a fire that swept through the prop storage warehouse shortly after filming was completed. During the shoot, the cast and crew reported problems with the lights on set, as well as strange, cold winds blowing through the locations.
Lionsgate, The Possession (2012)
The Man Who Killed Don Quixote
Monty Python alum and acclaimed director Terry Gilliam worked for more than 30 years to get this film made. Based on the stories of Cervantes about a delusional man who believes himself to be a monster-slaying knight, numerous problems kept the production of this film from reaching a quick conclusion.
Warner Bros., The Man Who Killed Don Quixote (2018)
The Man Who Killed Don Quixote Curse
The film was finally completed in 2018, after being beset by difficulty from the mid-1990s onward. Huge amounts of set and equipment were lost to floods, leading to difficulties in procuring insurance for the production. Also, lead actor Jean Rochefort suffered health complications that halted production. The troubled history of the film is chronicled in the documentary Lost in La Mancha.
Warner Bros., The Man Who Killed Don Quixote (2018)
Antrum
Subtitled The Deadliest Film Ever Made, Antrum was less a cursed film than a film that used the idea of a cursed film as a clever marketing plot. Supposedly a documentary about a lost 1970s film about two children who dig a hole to Hell, the film used word-of-mouth and social media to create a pre-release buzz.
Else Films, Antrum: The Deadliest Film Ever Made (2018)
The Antrum Curse
Like the cursed video from horror film series The Ring, Antrum tells the story of a found-footage movie from the 70s that kills everyone who watches it. Most notoriously, it is said to have taken the lives of over 50 people when a movie theater in Budapest burned down during the screening. The filmmakers created this story to increase interest in the movie and give it a sense of realism for audiences.
