Is it possible for a horror film to be cursed, the mere act of making it evoking some sort of malicious entity hell-bent on inflicting harm to those involved? It sounds pretty silly, I’m well aware, but the truth is that many horror films over the years have seemingly incurred the wrath of an evil force.
Of course, it’s impossible to ever know if what we’re dealing with in these situations is coincidence or something far more sinister, though the stories we’re presenting to you today certainly seem to indicate the latter. So turn off all the lights and prepare to be spooked.
Here are 8 horror films that were (allegedly) plagued by real-life death curses!
1) THE EXORCIST
One of the most infamous tales of a horror movie curse is tied to The Exorcist, many believing that an evil entity took up residence in the celluloid itself. So plagued was the production by strange occurrences that E! aired a two-hour special a decade ago to collect all of the stories together, ranging from on-set fires to nearly a dozen mysterious deaths in the immediate families of crew members.
At several points a real priest was brought in to bless the set, and he seemed sure that Satan didn’t want the film to be made. Furthering belief in the alleged curse is the fact that Jack MacGowran, who played Burke Dennings, died of influenza shortly after completing his scenes. Other oddly timed deaths included actress Valsiliki Maliaros, Max von Sydow’s brother and Linda Blair’s grandfather.
The strange activity continued after the movie was shot, with many fainting, passing out and/or vomiting upon its theatrical release. At one screening in Rome, a church nearby was struck by lightning after the audience filed into the theater, a giant cross landing in the plaza below.
2) THE OMEN (1976)
Just three years after the release of The Exorcist, The Omen fell victim to a similar rash of mysterious activity, and many cast/crew members lost their lives before, during and soon after the film was shot. Star Gregory Peck’s plane was struck by lightning, director Richard Donner was hit by a car right around the time of filming and an animal wrangler was eaten alive by one of his tigers a mere two weeks after production wrapped.
The most chilling example of the so-called “Omen Curse,” however, is tied to special effects artist John Richardson. The artist, who designed the film’s memorable decapitation scene, was involved in a fatal car accident in late 1976, which beheaded his female passenger. It’s even been rumored that when Richardson got out of the car, he saw a sign indicating that he was 66.6 miles from a town in the Netherlands called Ommen.
These stories are merely the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the Omen Curse, which nearly claimed the life of a stunt coordinator as well as the producer – the latter narrowly avoiding being struck by lightning.
3) THE OMEN (2006)
If a cursed film is remade, does that mean that the curse is carried over to the new production? Those involved in the making of 2006’s remake of The Omen would answer a resounding yes to that question, as the remake was not without its own share of tragedy. Much like with The Exorcist, it seemed that the Devil himself didn’t want the film to be made, a sentiment that most fans agreed with.
At one point during production, an entire two days’ worth of footage was lost when a camera malfunctioned, and director John Moore insists that the broken camera displayed the message “Error 666.” A repairman informed Moore that he had never before seen that error message, as it wasn’t one programmed into the camera.
Moore revealed in the DVD commentary that he truly believes an evil entity attached itself to the production, and other stories include Liev Schreiber being attacked by a dog and fellow star Pete Postlewaite’s brother dropping dead during a card game – after pulling three sixes.
4) ROSEMARY’S BABY
Producer William Castle was convinced from the get-go that Rosemary’s Baby had a demonic curse attached to it, and the late master of the cinema gimmick was reportedly terrified of the film. After receiving countless letters from irate viewers who insisted that he had unleashed evil upon the world, Castle was the victim of an excruciatingly painful urinary blockage, and he famously shouted “Rosemary, for God’s sake, drop the knife!” during one operation.
Other strange events tied to the production center on Charles Manson and his murderous gang of followers, who of course killed director Roman Polanski’s pregnant wife, Sharon Tate, in the summer of 1969 – one year after the release of Rosemary’s Baby. In another strange coincidence, John Lennon was shot outside the hotel seen in the film over a decade later, and it’s interesting to note that Manson and his followers were obsessed with The Beatles.
Adding a bit more legitimate fuel to this particular fire is the fact that the film’s composer died of a brain clot one year after release, much the same way a character in the film dies.
5) POLTERGEIST
If you choose to believe the stories, real human skeletons were used as props in the filming of Poltergeist, which kick-started a curse that spanned the entire franchise. Several primary members of the casts of each film in the series lost their lives in close proximity to the productions, most notably young star Heather O’Rourke – who died at just 12 years old.
Dominique Dunne, who played Dana Freeling in the original film, was murdered by an angry ex-boyfriend at the age of 22, the same year the movie was released. Other casualties of the supposed curse include Poltergeist 2 stars Will Sampson and Julian Beck. A Native American shaman, Sampson allegedly performed a ritual to rid the set of evil spirits.
On a less tragic note, JoBeth Williams claimed that each night she returned home from the set of the original Poltergeist, the pictures hanging on her walls were crooked. It became a regular ritual for her to straighten them out, which needless to say gave her a nightly spook.
6) THE EXORCISM OF EMILY ROSE
If you thought curses such as these were exclusive to older films, think again. Released in 2005, The Exorcism of Emily Rose is one of the more recent examples of a horror movie curse, as star Jennifer Carpenter believed that she had been followed home from the set by an entity none too happy about the content of the film.
“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.
7) THE POSSESSION
The 2012 horror film The Possession was similarly inspired by real events, centering on an item referred to as a “Dybbuk Box.” A wine cabinet said to be possessed by an evil spirit, the real-life relic was the launching point for the movie, and the cast and crew revealed that they were pretty terrified of the box’s perceived power.
Though he says he’s a skeptic, star Jeffrey Dean Morgan admitted that some pretty freaky things happened on the set of the film, including light bulbs exploding, cold breezes and the set being imbued with an overall creepy vibe. At one point a storage facility burned to the ground, destroying the titular box made for the movie.
“Don’t mock the box” became a mantra for the crew, he said, and though the offer was made for the real box to come to the set, it was politely declined. Best not to mess with things like that!
8) THE CONJURING
Whenever a horror movie is based on true paranormal events, you’ve probably noticed, the production tends to be plagued by some sort of curse, and The Conjuring is no exception. Based on the real-life haunting of the Perron family, James Wan’s box office hit seemed to give new life to those entities, which reared their ugly heads when the cast and crew were forced to evacuate their hotel after it caught fire.
Star Vera Farmiga reported feeling very uneasy about the film whenever she returned home from set and refused to bring the script with her. She claims that one night she opened her laptop and noticed three slashes across the screen, which she could not identify the source of. Wan had a similar experience when his dog was growling at something he himself could not see.
At one point during filming, the real Perron family visited the set, and members of the crew noted that a strange gust of wind seemed to follow along with them. After returning home, Carolyn Perron felt a presence in her home and was seemingly pushed to the ground, as if something from the set had come home with her.
Again I ask: Is it possible for a horror film to be cursed? Now that you’ve read these stories, we’d love to hear what you think. So comment below with your thoughts!
