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Horror Movie Special Effects Gone Wrong

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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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Brad Dourif Says He’s Retiring Except For One Important Role

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Brad Dourif has been doing movies for nearly 50 years. Now it seems he is walking away from the industry at 74 to enjoy his golden years. Except, there is a caveat.

Recently, digital entertainment publication JoBlo’s Tyler Nichols talked to some of the Chucky television series cast members. During the interview, Dourif made an announcement.

“Dourif said that he’s retired from acting,” says Nichols. “The only reason he came back for the show was because of his daughter Fiona and he considers Chucky creator Don Mancini to be family. But for non-Chucky stuff, he considers himself retired.”

Dourif has voiced the possessed doll since 1988 (minus the 2019 reboot). The original movie “Child’s Play” has become such a cult classic it’s at the top of some people’s best chillers of all time. Chucky himself is ingrained in pop culture history much like Frankenstein or Jason Voorhees.

While Dourif may be known for his famous voiceover, he is also an Oscar-nominated actor for his part in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. Another famous horror role is The Gemini Killer in William Peter Blatty’s Exorcist III. And who can forget Betazoid Lon Suder in Star Trek: Voyager?

The good news is that Don Mancini is already pitching a concept for season four of Chucky which might also include a feature-length movie with a series tie-in. So, Although Dourif says he is retiring from the industry, ironically he is Chucky’s friend till the end.

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Editorial

7 Great ‘Scream’ Fan Films & Shorts Worth a Watch

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The Scream franchise is such an iconic series, that many budding filmmakers take inspiration from it and make their own sequels or, at least, build upon the original universe created by screenwriter Kevin Williamson. YouTube is the perfect medium to showcase these talents (and budgets) with fan-made homages with their own personal twists.

The great thing about Ghostface is that he can appear anywhere, in any town, he just needs the signature mask, knife, and unhinged motive. Thanks to Fair Use laws it’s possible to expand upon Wes Craven’s creation by simply getting a group of young adults together and killing them off one by one. Oh, and don’t forget the twist. You’ll notice that Roger Jackson’s famous Ghostface voice is uncanny valley, but you get the gist.

We have gathered five fan films/shorts related to Scream that we thought were pretty good. Although they can’t possibly match the beats of a $33 million blockbuster, they get by on what they have. But who needs money? If you’re talented and motivated anything is possible as proven by these filmmakers who are well on their way to the big leagues.

Take a look at the below films and let us know what you think. And while you’re at it, leave these young filmmakers a thumbs up, or leave them a comment to encourage them to create more films. Besides, where else are you going to see Ghostface vs. a Katana all set to a hip-hop soundtrack?

Scream Live (2023)

Scream Live

Ghostface (2021)

Ghostface

Ghost Face (2023)

Ghost Face

Don’t Scream (2022)

Don’t Scream

Scream: A Fan Film (2023)

Scream: A Fan Film

The Scream (2023)

The Scream

A Scream Fan Film (2023)

A Scream Fan Film
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Another Creepy Spider Movie Hits Shudder This Month

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Good spider films are a theme this year. First, we had Sting and then there was Infested. The former is still in theaters and the latter is coming to Shudder starting April 26.

Infested has been getting some good reviews. People are saying that it’s not only a great creature feature but also a social commentary on racism in France.

According to IMDb: Writer/director Sébastien Vanicek was looking for ideas around the discrimination faced by black and Arab-looking people in France, and that led him to spiders, which are rarely welcome in homes; whenever they’re spotted, they’re swatted. As everyone in the story (people and spiders) is treated like vermin by society, the title came to him naturally.

Shudder has become the gold standard for streaming horror content. Since 2016, the service has been offering fans an expansive library of genre movies. in 2017, they began to stream exclusive content.

Since then Shudder has become a powerhouse in the film festival circuit, buying distribution rights to movies, or just producing some of their own. Just like Netflix, they give a film a short theatrical run before adding it to their library exclusively for subscribers.

Late Night With the Devil is a great example. It was released theatrically on March 22 and will begin streaming on the platform starting April 19.

While not getting the same buzz as Late Night, Infested is a festival favorite and many have said if you suffer from arachnophobia, you might want to take heed before watching it.

Infested

According to the synopsis, our main character, Kalib is turning 30 and dealing with some family issues. “He’s fighting with his sister over an inheritance and has cut ties with his best friend. Fascinated by exotic animals, he finds a venomous spider in a shop and brings it back to his apartment. It only takes a moment for the spider to escape and reproduce, turning the whole building into a dreadful web trap. The only option for Kaleb and his friends is to find a way out and survive.”

The film will be available to watch on Shudder starting April 26.

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