The history of cinema is replete with movies that are considered cursed due to the unusual and eerie events that occurred during and after their production. From actors forgetting their lines and broken equipment to other technical glitches, many issues can cause stress and complications on a movie set.
While most shoots face some degree of trouble, certain movies are infamous for the terrible accidents, mysterious events, or even tragic deaths that occur during their making. These movies, marked by their unsettling and often creepy occurrences, are often deemed cursed due to the overwhelming and inexplicable problems that plague them.
1.The Exorcist
The Exorcist, a 1973 movie directed by William Friedkin, is one of the most iconic and celebrated horror movies in cinematic history. The movie was so impactful that some viewers in 1973 reportedly fainted or ran out of theaters during its screenings, underscoring its profound effect. However, what truly adds to its cursed reputation are the extraordinary and unsettling incidents that occurred during its production.
Firstly, two major fires broke out on the set, nearly destroying the entire production area. Remarkably, the room where the exorcism scenes were filmed remained untouched by the flames. These fires delayed the shoot by six weeks and led the filmmakers to have a priest bless the set.
During filming, actor Jason Miller experienced a severe car accident, and lead actors Linda Blair and Ellen Burstyn suffered injuries from various on-set accidents. Tragically, Vasiliki Maliaros and Jack MacGowran passed away shortly after the movie’s release. Additionally, many cast members faced the loss of close family members while the movie was in production.
In summary, The Exorcist has earned its place in history not only as a landmark horror movie but also as one of the most famously cursed movies of modern times.
Information about The Exorcist (1973)
Director: William Friedkin
Cast: Ellen Burstyn, Max von Sydow, Linda Blair, Jason Miller
Release Year: 1973
Duration: 2 hours 1 minute
Country: United States
Genre: Horror, Drama
Language: English
Age Rating: R
Available Platforms: Amazon Prime Video
IMDb Rating: 8.0/10
Similar Movies: Rosemary’s Baby (1968), The Omen (1976)
Trailer: Watch the Trailer on YouTube
IMDb Link: The Exorcist on IMDb
2.Poltergeist
Poltergeist, the 1982 supernatural horror movie written by Steven Spielberg, Michael Grais, and Mark Victor, and directed by Tobe Hooper, brought the chilling tale of the Freeling family’s encounters with the paranormal to the big screen. Although it did not achieve the same level of acclaim as The Exorcist, it has earned a reputation as a cursed movie due to the unusual and tragic events that occurred during and after its production.
One of the most striking incidents is the death of Heather O’Rourke, the child actress who passed away a few years after the movie‘s release due to a misdiagnosis. Additionally, Dominique Dunne, who played the older sister, was brutally murdered by her boyfriend in 1982. Furthermore, two other actors from the movie died under various circumstances in the years following its release. These events have fueled the belief that the movie is cursed.
Adding to the movie‘s eerie reputation, JoBeth Williams, one of the cast members, claimed that the human skeletons used in the movie were real. This unsettling detail, coupled with the tragic deaths, has contributed to the notion that Poltergeist is indeed a cursed movie.
Information about Poltergeist (1982)
Director: Tobe Hooper
Cast: JoBeth Williams, Heather O’Rourke, Craig T. Nelson, Beatrice Straight
Release Year: 1982
Duration: 1 hour 54 minutes
Country: United States
Genre: Horror, Mystery
Language: English
Age Rating: PG
Available Platforms: Amazon Prime Video
IMDb Rating: 7.3/10
Similar Movies: The Amityville Horror (1979), The Conjuring (2013)
Trailer: Watch the Trailer on YouTube
IMDb Link: Poltergeist on IMDb
3.The Omen
The Omen, a 1976 British-American co-production released in our country under the title The Prophecy, is among the movies considered to be cursed.
The movie, which chronicles the unsettling events that begin when an American diplomat and his wife adopt a peculiar child named Damien, is remembered for the bizarre occurrences during its production.
The strange chain of events starts when Gregory Peck, one of the lead actors, cancels his plane ticket for the trip to England for unknown reasons. The plane that Peck was supposed to be on crashes shortly after takeoff, tragically landing on the car of the pilot’s family. Unfortunately, all the passengers on the plane lose their lives.
The mysterious occurrences continue in England. The building where the movie crew, including Peck, had a dinner reservation is destroyed by a devastating explosion before they could arrive.
Additionally, Gregory Peck’s stunt double is seriously injured during a scene involving trained dogs. These eerie and tragic events have contributed to The Omen being regarded as one of the cursed movies in cinematic history.
Information about The Omen (1976)
Director: Richard Donner
Cast: Gregory Peck, Lee Remick, David Warner, Harvey Stephens
Release Year: 1976
Duration: 1 hour 51 minutes
Country: United States
Genre: Horror, Mystery, Thriller
Language: English
Age Rating: R
Available Platforms: Amazon Prime Video
IMDb Rating: 7.5/10
Similar Movies: Rosemary’s Baby (1968), The Exorcist (1973)
Trailer: Watch the Trailer on YouTube
IMDb Link: The Omen on IMDb
4.Waste
Many productions on the cursed movie list managed to reach audiences despite the strange events surrounding their production. However, some cursed movies were never completed!
Director Norman Jewison decided to adapt Canadian author Mordecai Richler’s 1963 novel The Incomparable Atuk, which is rich in comedic elements, for the big screen. He secured the rights to the book and struck a deal with screenwriter Tod Carroll in 1970. Unfortunately, the project remained unfinished.
In 1982, the Atuk project gained renewed interest from American comedian John Belushi. This time, the script was ready, and Belushi was set to star in the lead role. However, Belushi died of a drug overdose that same year.
The project resurfaced in 1986 with another American comedian, Sam Kinison, who was determined to bring the story to life. Filming began, but the project was put on hold while some script revisions were made. Kinison tragically lost his life in a traffic accident in 1992.
Canadian comedian John Candy also expressed interest in bringing Atuk to the big screen, but he died shortly after announcing his involvement.
American actor and comedian Chris Farley was another notable figure who wanted to star in Atuk. Unfortunately, Farley also died of a drug overdose in 1997. Despite numerous attempts, Atuk was never made into a movie. The series of tragic events associated with the project has led many to consider it one of the most cursed movies in history.
5.Rosemary’s Baby
Several reasons contribute to this famous 1968 thriller’s place on the list of movies considered cursed. The movie, directed by the controversial Roman Polanski, is notable for the strange events experienced by some of its cast and crew. However, what truly earned the cursed label for the movie is the brutal murder of Sharon Tate, Polanski’s actress wife who was pregnant at the time. She was murdered by members of the Manson Family cult, a tragic event that has overshadowed the movie‘s production history.
Information about Rosemary’s Baby (1968)
Director: Roman Polanski
Cast: Mia Farrow, John Cassavetes, Ruth Gordon, Sidney Blackmer
Release Year: 1968
Duration: 2 hours 16 minutes
Country: United States
Genre: Horror, Drama, Mystery
Language: English
Age Rating: R
Available Platforms: Amazon Prime Video
IMDb Rating: 8.0/10
Similar Movies: The Exorcist (1973), The Omen (1976)
Trailer: Watch the Trailer on YouTube
IMDb Link: Rosemary’s Baby on IMDb
6.The Crow
The Crow, a 1994 comic book adaptation, is infamous for the tragic death of its lead actor, Brandon Lee, on set. The movie, set in an extremely dark atmosphere and centered around a captivating revenge story, has achieved cult status. However, some moviegoers believe that the movie is cursed and that Lee’s death was a result of this curse.
Information about The Crow (1994)
Director: Alex Proyas
Cast: Brandon Lee, Rochelle Davis, Ernie Hudson, Michael Wincott
Release Year: 1994
Duration: 1 hour 42 minutes
Country: United States
Genre: Action, Fantasy, Thriller
Language: English
Age Rating: R
Available Platforms: Amazon Prime Video
IMDb Rating: 7.6/10
Trailer: Watch the Trailer on YouTube
IMDb Link: The Crow on IMDb
7.Twilight Zone: The Movie
The director of the science fiction movie Twilight Zone: The Movie, released in 1983, was American John Landis. However, Landis was not particularly meticulous about set safety. For instance, dissatisfied with the sound of fake guns used during filming, he decided that the actors should use real guns. Perhaps due to this careless approach, Twilight Zone: The Movie became the site of one of the most horrific set accidents in history.
The movie included a scene featuring a helicopter that was supposed to explode in mid-air and crash to the ground. Unfortunately, the helicopter did indeed crash, but not as intended. The propeller pieces that broke off during the accident led to the deaths of two child actors, seven-year-old Myca Dinh Le and six-year-old Renee Shin-Yi Chen, as well as the lead actor Vic Morrow. Tragically, Le and Morrow’s heads were severed from their bodies in the accident.
Information about Twilight Zone: The Movie (1983)
Director: John Landis, Steven Spielberg, Joe Dante, George Miller
Cast: Dan Aykroyd, Albert Brooks, John Lithgow, Scatman Crothers
Release Year: 1983
Duration: 1 hour 41 minutes
Country: United States
Genre: Fantasy, Horror, Mystery, Thriller
Language: English
Age Rating: PG
Available Platforms: Amazon Prime Video
IMDb Rating: 6.4/10
Similar Movies: Creepshow (1982), The Outer Limits (1995)
Trailer: Watch the Trailer on YouTube
IMDb Link: Twilight Zone: The Movie on IMDb
8.Rebel Without a Cause
American director Nicholas Ray brought together four major Hollywood stars in the 1955 drama movie Rebel Without a Cause, creating a cult classic. Although there were no notable mishaps on the film’s set, it is considered by many to be one of the cursed films in cinema history.
The movie‘s leading actors all met unusual and tragic ends:
- James Dean died in a tragic car accident in 1955, before the movie‘s release.
- Nearly a decade later, Nick Adams was found dead in his home, with reports suggesting he had committed suicide.
- Approximately ten years later, Sal Mineo was murdered by a pizza delivery man in his own home.
- Finally, about a decade after Mineo’s death, Natalie Wood‘s lifeless body was discovered in the ocean off the coast of California. The exact cause of her death remains unknown.
These mysterious deaths contribute to Rebel Without a Cause being classified as a cursed movie.
Information about Rebel Without a Cause (1955)
Director: Nicholas Ray
Cast: James Dean, Natalie Wood, Sal Mineo, Jim Backus
Release Year: 1955
Duration: 1 hour 51 minutes
Country: United States
Genre: Drama
Language: English
Age Rating: PG-13
Available Platforms: Amazon Prime Video
IMDb Rating: 8.0/10
Similar Movies: East of Eden (1955), The Wild One (1953)
Trailer: Watch the Trailer on YouTube
IMDb Link: Rebel Without a Cause on IMDb
9.The Conqueror
When John Wayne, one of Hollywood’s most prominent actors, agreed to portray Genghis Khan in the 1956 movie The Conqueror, it generated significant excitement among moviegoers. However, despite the buzz, The Conqueror was not a particularly successful movie. Nonetheless, it holds a unique place in cinema history and is considered one of the cursed movies.
The movie‘s curse is linked to an alarming statistic: 91 of the 220 crew members, including John Wayne, his co-star Susan Hayward, and director Dick Powell, succumbed to cancer over the years. There are claims that the extras, who were not included in the official crew count, might have increased the death toll even further.
The rumored curse is partly attributed to the fact that the movie was shot near a nuclear weapons facility in the USA, which some believe contributed to the high incidence of cancer among those involved
Information about The Conqueror (1956)
Director: Dick Powell
Cast: John Wayne, Susan Hayward, Pedro Armendáriz, Lee Van Cleef
Release Year: 1956
Duration: 1 hour 57 minutes
Country: United States
Genre: Adventure, Biography, Drama, History, Romance, War
Language: English
Age Rating: Approved
Available Platforms: Amazon Prime Video
IMDb Rating: 5.9/10
Similar Movies: The Fall of the Roman Empire (1964), Spartacus (1960)
Trailer: Watch the Trailer on YouTube
IMDb Link: The Conqueror on IMDb
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