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Horror Movie Special Effects Gone Wrong

Published

7 years ago

January 28, 2017

Special effects in horror movies are extremely common, but they don’t always go off without a hitch. The cost of an ill functioning practical effect can be costly to the film’s production, result in injury of cast or crew, push back the release date, and even cancel the entire production. Here are five horror movies that had disastrous special effects, one which even ended in death.

Jaws

The classic killer shark movie that has scared generations of swimmers not to go into the water almost didn’t happen. The mechanical shark in Jaws was actually three mechanical sharks, and none of them worked well. The sharks, dubbed ‘Bruce’ by director Stephen Spielberg after his own lawyer, almost sunk the entire film production as soon as it began. In fact, the shark did not swim most of the time! Instead it would sink to the bottom of the ocean and have to be retrieved only to have it happen all over again.

In a way the shark’s inability to swim made the film a success. Spielberg had to think on his feet how to keep moving forward with a film about a killer shark using a shark that you couldn’t see. That is when he changed tactics and decided to suggest the shark’s presence instead of showing him on screen. The implied presence built suspense and kept audiences riveted on the edge of their seat until the third act when you actually see the great white, effectively sending moviegoers into a frenzy!

The Exorcist

The Exorcist, Warner Bros.

Director William Friedkin of The Exorcist is well known for his questionable methods when motivating his actors. He is the type of director to go to any lengths to obtain the shot. One of the more damaging special effects that went wrong involved Ellen Burstyn, the actress who played Chris MacNeil, Regan’s mother.

After the actress receives a slap across he face from her possessed daughter, Burstyn is supposed to be tugged backwards on her body harness beneath her clothes. The result would look like an exaggerated fall backwards from her daughter’s inhuman strength. Burstyn expressed her concern to Friedkin she was afraid of being injured if tugged backwards too hard.

At the last moment Friedkin whispered to the special effect crew member “Let her have it.” Following the director’s order the grip gave the rope a hard yank, sending Burstyn sprawling backwards onto her back and injuring her spine. Her scream in pain you see on the film is authentic, as was the agony on her face when Friedkin zoomed for a close up on the actress’s face.

Candyman, TriStar Pictures

Believe it or not, in Candyman they used real bees! In fact, the bees supplied for this movie were bred specially for this film. Newborn bees who are only 12 hours old look fully matured like adult bees, but their stingers aren’t nearly as damaging yet. However, this doesn’t mean Tony Todd escaped their wrath. During the filming of all three Candyman movies the actor was stung a total of 23 times! That sounds like a love for his craft! Later he told TMZ camera man for every bee sting he received on the set of the trilogy he was paid an additional $1,000! Not too shabby.

A Nightmare on Elm Street, New Line Cinema

Special effects weren’t always a smooth ride in the making of A Nightmare on Elm Street. When Johnny Depp’s character Glen gets sucked into his bed and then regurgitated up into a blood smoothie all over his room the crew used a rotating room to get the shot.

Rigging the room so the ceiling was really the floor the crew shot 500 gallons of blood colored water out of the bed straight down. With the camera locked upside down it appeared blood was being sprayed all over the ceiling. What the special effects crew didn’t anticipate was for the blood to weigh the room down in one direction, and when the grips began to pivot the rotating room the wrong way the weight of the fake blood continued to flow in that direction and spin the room uncontrollably!

When the room began to spin the blood went down the walls. If you look closely in the movie you can see the blood shift to one side of the ceiling. The crew also forgot to insulate the lights and wires and sparks began to fly as the fuses popped. For thirty minutes director Wes Craven and cinematographer Jacques Haitkin were left hanging upside down in their harnessed seats on the darkened set. Fortunately when all was said and done no one was hurt and they got the shot they wanted.

The Crow, Dimension Films

Arguably the most notorious special effect gone wrong in horror movie history occurred in The Crow. Brandon Lee was only 28 years old when he filmed the movie, but his life was tragically cut short when a special effects gag went horribly wrong. In the script it is called for his character, Eric Draven, to be shot by actor Michael Massee. However, unbeknownst to the actors at the time, the gun was improperly loaded and Lee was shot in the stomach from twenty feet away. Tragically the young actor died later that night in the hospital as doctors tried to repair the damage.

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Russell Crowe To Star in Another Exorcism Movie & It’s Not a Sequel

Published

19 hours ago

April 22, 2024

Timothy Rawles

Maybe it’s because The Exorcist just celebrated its 50th-anniversary last year, or maybe it’s because aging Academy Award-winning actors aren’t too proud to take on obscure roles, but Russell Crowe is visiting the Devil once again in yet another possession film. And it’s not related to his last one, The Pope’s Exorcist.

According to Collider, the film titled The Exorcism was originally going to be released under the name The Georgetown Project. Rights for its North American release were once in the hands of Miramax but then went to Vertical Entertainment. It will release on June 7 in theaters then head over to Shudder for subscribers.

Crowe will also star in this year’s upcoming Kraven the Hunter which is set to drop in theaters on August 30.

As for The Exorcism, Collider provides us with what it’s about:

“The film centers around actor Anthony Miller (Crowe), whose troubles come to the forefront as he shoots a supernatural horror movie. His estranged daughter (Ryan Simpkins) has to figure out whether he’s lapsing into his past addictions, or if something even more horrific is occurring. “

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Movies

New F-Bomb Laden ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ Trailer: Bloody Buddy Movie

Published

22 hours ago

April 22, 2024

Timothy Rawles

Deadpool & Wolverine might be the buddy movie of the decade. The two heterodox superheroes are back in the latest trailer for the summer blockbuster, this time with more f-bombs than a gangster film.

‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ Movie Trailer

This time the focus is on Wolverine played by Hugh Jackman. The adamantium-infused X-Man is having a bit of a pity party when Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds) arrives on the scene who then tries to convince him to team up for selfish reasons. The result is a profanity-filled trailer with a Strange surprise at the end.

Deadpool & Wolverine is one of the most anticipated movies of the year. It comes out on July 26. Here is the latest trailer, and we suggest if you are at work and your space isn’t private, you might want to put in headphones.

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Original Blair Witch Cast Ask Lionsgate for Retroactive Residuals in Light of New Film

Published

2 days ago

April 21, 2024

Cameron McFarland

Jason Blum is planning to reboot The Blair Witch Project for the second time. That’s a fairly large task considering none of the reboots or sequels have managed to capture the magic of the 1999 film that brought found footage into the mainstream.

This idea has not been lost on the original Blair Witch cast, who has recently reached out to Lionsgate to ask for what they feel is fair compensation for their role in the pivotal film. Lionsgate gained access to The Blair Witch Project in 2003 when they purchased Artisan Entertainment.

However, Artisan Entertainment was an independent studio before its purchase, meaning the actors were not part of SAG-AFTRA. As a result, the cast are not entitled to the same residuals from the project as actors in other major films. The cast doesn’t feel that the studio should be able to continue to profit off of their hard work and likenesses without fair compensation.

Their most recent request asks for “meaningful consultation on any future ‘Blair Witch’ reboot, sequel, prequel, toy, game, ride, escape room, etc., in which one could reasonably assume that Heather, Michael & Josh’s names and/or likenesses will be associated for promotional purposes in the public sphere.”

At this time, Lionsgate has not offered any comment about this issue.

The full statement made by the cast can be found below.

OUR ASKS OF LIONSGATE (From Heather, Michael & Josh, stars of “The Blair Witch Project”):

1. Retroactive + future residual payments to Heather, Michael and Josh for acting services rendered in the original BWP, equivalent to the sum that would’ve been allotted through SAG-AFTRA, had we had proper union or legal representation when the film was made.

2. Meaningful consultation on any future Blair Witch reboot, sequel, prequel, toy, game, ride, escape room, etc…, in which one could reasonably assume that Heather, Michael & Josh’s names and/or likenesses will be associated for promotional purposes in the public sphere.

Note: Our film has now been rebooted twice, both times were a disappointment from a fan/box office/critical perspective. Neither of these films were made with significant creative input from the original team. As the insiders who created the Blair Witch and have been listening to what fans love & want for 25 years, we’re your single greatest, yet thus-far un-utilized secret-weapon!

3. “The Blair Witch Grant”: A 60k grant (the budget of our original movie), paid out yearly by Lionsgate, to an unknown/aspiring genre filmmaker to assist in making theirfirst feature film. This is a GRANT, not a development fund, hence Lionsgate will not own any of the underlying rights to the project.

A PUBLIC STATEMENT FROM THE DIRECTORS & PRODUCERS OF “THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT”:

As we near the 25th anniversary of The Blair Witch Project, our pride in the storyworld we created and the film we produced is reaffirmed by the recent announcement of a reboot by horror icons Jason Blum and James Wan.

While we, the original filmmakers, respect Lionsgate’s right to monetize the intellectual property as it sees fit, we must highlight the significant contributions of the original cast — Heather Donahue, Joshua Leonard, and Mike Williams. As the literal faces of what has become a franchise, their likenesses, voices, and real names are inseparably tied to The Blair Witch Project. Their unique contributions not only defined the film’s authenticity but continue to resonate with audiences around the world.

We celebrate our film’s legacy, and equally, we believe the actors deserve to be celebrated for their enduring association with the franchise.

Sincerely, Eduardo Sanchez, Dan Myrick, Gregg Hale, Robin Cowie, and Michael Monello