Many of horror cinema's greats come with frightful footnotes, tales of on-set spooks, and damning curses nailed onto the film's cast and crew. If ghosts can glide their way through walls, then invading a movie studio would surely provide little challenge for a sneaky specter. Multiple filmmakers and stars have recounted hauntings of their own whilst creating some of the genre's greatest pictures.
Those most frequently seeking out the scares may argue that these terrifying trivia tidbits all add to a horror movie's mystique, yet some behind-the-scenes incidents are all too real and would have any rational person thinking twice when it comes to working on these film productions.
10 Something Sinister Protected A Single Room During The Exorcist's On-Set Fire
One of horror's true classics, The Exorcist absolutely terrified the masses upon release in 1973. The movie still holds up exceptionally well today, though a good part of its fright comes from the alleged curses that are attributed to William Friedkin's iconic picture.
During shooting, a fire ravaged the set, completely destroying the house with one startling exception - the room within which the film's exorcism took place was amazingly left unscathed. Ellen Burstyn also suffered a serious, permanent back injury whilst filming. Even more tragically, two actors from the horror production died within months of completing their roles. The Exorcist is truly deserving of its reputation as a cursed movie and as one of horror's most iconic films.
9 A Demon's Drawing Is All Part Of Annabelle's Alarming Art
Fingers drawn through dust may not seem all that shocking at first glance, yet upon learning that there were just three fingers, the same number belonging to the movie's demon, the dust markings become a lot more terrifying.
John Leonetti, Annabelle's director, also spoke of light fixtures falling on heads. The on-set scares certainly left their mark. As for the sequel, Annabelle Comes Home, the filmmakers decided to take precautions and have a priest bless the set before shooting. As far as one can tell, it seemingly worked.
8 Keeping Spirits Under Lock And Key Was Ineffective During The Possession's Shoot
Any onset mishaps sinister enough to spook The Walking Dead's Negan are likely to be pretty darn scary. The Possession was inspired by tales of a real-life dybbuk box, one said to house evil spirits, and stars Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Natasha Calis were both asked how they felt about the idea of the original box making an appearance on set. Understandably, neither wanted anything to do with it. Morgan even stated he was "adamantly against it."
The genuine article wasn't exactly famous for being watertight when it comes to keeping evil spirits locked away, and even though the movie was shot without the real box, Morgan recalled "weird goings-on" including the classic ghostly prank of exploding lightbulbs.
7 The Omen Has Connections To Very Real Tragedies
Frequently cited as one of history's most doomed cinematic productions, the 1976 film has a long list of tragedy attached to it. Screen legend Gregory Peck's son committed suicide before filming even began, and whilst incredibly upsetting, this fact alone would not be enough to consider The Omen cursed if not for the events that would follow it.
Both Peck's and writer David Seltzer's planes were allegedly struck by lightning on their way to the filming location, and a stuntman was viciously attacked by rottweilers in a scene gone awfully wrong. A troubled production indeed, yet even more tragedy came after. Effects artist John Richardson and his assistant Liz Moore were involved in a serious car accident which took Moore's life soon after the production ended.
6 The Conjuring's Creepiness Cast A Shadow Over The Film's Production
One of the best fright-filled releases of recent times, The Conjuring is inspired by real-life specter seekers Ed and Lorraine Warren, expertly brought to life in the movie by Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga.
James Wan's horror hit is utterly spine-chilling, yet its scares extend beyond the big screen, as, during filming, there were multiple reports of the unexplainable both on and off set, including strange claw marks on Vera Farmiga's computer, Wan's precious pooch growling at invisible intruders, and, of course, a fire.
5 The Exorcism Of Emily Rose Sent A Startling Message To Its Star
Though decidedly less harmful than most shooting spooks, Jennifer Carpenter's experience whilst filming The Exorcism of Emily Rose is just as chilling.
The actress reported that her radio would regularly turn on by itself during the night, and on one occasion, a Pearl Jam song blasted on and really startled her. The song in question was the band's classic track "Alive." Perhaps there's a far more sinister message hiding behind the radiowaves in this ghostly recollection.
4 The Innkeepers' Creators Found Exactly What They Were Looking For
Ti West's The Innkeepers is yet another flick inspired by real-life hauntings. The terror tale tells the story of two young employees attempting to prove the existence of the paranormal in the inn where they work. A guide to catching ghosts on film would of course advise shooting in locations that are supposedly actually haunted, and that's exactly what the filmmakers did.
Filmed at Connecticut's Yankee Pedlar Inn, writer and director Ti West reported lights burning out, TVs having minds of their own, and waking up to feeling a presence in the room with him. Letting the camera roll amongst the creepy spirits clearly does come with a petrifying price.
3 A Priest's Blessing Didn't Stop The Spooks Whilst Shooting The Nun
Another Conjuring spin-off with claims of creepy contact with the other side, The Nun was filmed in Bucharest, Romania, and the creators made the wise decision of having a priest bless the set before lights, camera, action.
The priest quite clearly failed in his duties here, as during a take, director Colin Hardy took notice of two men he assumed to be crew members, but upon completion of the shot, he turned to address the wandering staff, yet they were nowhere to be seen. The men allegedly would've had to have passed Hardy in order to leave the room.
2 Poltergeist Is Yet Another Production Shrouded In Darkness
Another movie high on on-set horrors, Poltergeist has multiple deaths connected to its production. What's even more upsetting is that one of these is that of child star Heather O'Rourke, the young actress died at the age of 12 after appearing in both the original film and its sequel.
Child actor Oliver Robbins also claimed to have been choked to near-death by the movie's petrifying puppet, and Dominique Dunne, for whom Poltergeist serves as her only theatrical movie credit, was killed by her ex-boyfriend shortly after the film's release.
1 The Twilight Zone Movie Needed No Spooks To Be Named Scariest Movie Production
Twilight Zone: The Movie's on-set horrors are more irrefutably awful than terrifying, yet this is still a production no one would want to have been a part of. After director John Landis pushed ahead with a stunt despite unsafe weather conditions, a helicopter spun out of control and crashed onto three of the film's stars.
Vic Morrow and two child actors, Myca Dihn Le, and Renee Chen were tragically killed. Landis was charged, then acquitted of manslaughter. The accident remains one of the worst in movie history and led to new and improved safety regulations in film.