Horror films attract audiences for many different reasons. Whether you are looking to get your pants scared off, getting shocked by a twist that will stay with you for weeks, or celebrating the spooky season, everyone can expect at least one good scare when sitting down to watch a horror film. Something that many people might not know is that many horror films are shrouded in the shadows of curses, unethical treatment of actors, and just all-around strangeness. I did my best to avoid spoilers, but there may be a few sprinkled throughout the list!

I have compiled a list of 10 terrifying behind the scenes horror film facts to get you in the mood for Halloween!

10. E. T. The Extra-Terrestrial Was Almost A Horror Film (1982)

After the massive success of Steven Spielberg’s Close Encounters of the Third Kind, he planned to make a horror film called Night Skies with Texas Chainsaw Massacre director Tobe Hooper. After reading Melissa Mathison’s family-friendly script, he chose to create E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial instead. Night Skies would become the basis for Poltergeist with the change of aliens into ghosts.

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9. Accident On The Set Of Scream (1996)

In the climactic scene at the end of Wes Craven’s Scream, Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) stabbed one of the Ghost Face killers (Skeet Ulrich) with an umbrella. The actor was wearing a protective vest under his clothing, and the umbrella had a retractable tip to ensure the safety of the actors. Unfortunately, something went wrong, and Ulrich ended up being stabbed for real. Worst of all, the umbrella hit a wound from an open heart surgery the actor had when he was 10 years old. Craven decided to use this footage in the final cut of the film because it was more realistic.

8. The Curse Of The Omen (1976)

The filming and production of The Omen were cursed from the start. The son of one of the film’s stars, Gregory Peck, took his own life six months prior to the start of production. When filming did start, Gregory Peck and screenwriter David Seltzer both had their planes struck by lightning at different times. Executive producer Mace Neufeld also had his plane struck by lightning shortly after. In another plane-related incident, Gregory Peck canceled his flight plans last minute only to learn later that the plane had crashed and killed everyone on board. A hotel that Richard Donner was staying at during production was bombed by the IRA, and he was later hit by a car. Thankfully, he survived both incidents. In another car-related incident, on day one of filming a head-on collision injured multiple crew members.

This is just the tip of the iceberg since there is not enough room in this article to list all of the injuries, deaths, and near-death experiences that occurred during the production of this film.

7. Burning down the Overlook Hotel - The Shining (1980)

In the final days of filming for The Shining, a massive fire broke out and destroyed multiple sets. According to one of the set photographers, the fire happened overnight, and no cause was determined even after a thorough investigation into the fire. What makes this strange fire even spookier is the fact that the Overlook Hotel also burns down at the end of Stephen King’s novel.

6. The Curse Of The Exorcist (1973)

The Exorcist is a classic and one that terrified audiences worldwide upon its theatrical release. What fans might not know is that the film did not only terrify its audience, but also the cast and crew that worked on the film. First were the back injuries sustained by Linda Blair (Regan) and Ellen Burstyn (Regan’s mother) and then a fire that burned down most of the set except for Regan’s bedroom. It was also said that many audience members became physically ill while watching the film in theaters – one woman even blamed a miscarriage on the film. Lastly, there were nine deaths that are reportedly linked to the film. The cast and crew were so concerned with what was happening on set that they brought in a priest to bless the set each day.

5. Candyman’s Mouth Of Live Bees (1992)

In the cult-classic Candyman, there was a scene in which the titular character opened his mouth to show a swarm of bees flying out that quickly engulfed two of the characters. The shocking twist? All of the bees were real, and they were actually in the actor’s mouth! According to director Bernard Rose and actor Tony Todd, they used a dental dam to keep the bees from going down the actor’s throat. The actor agreed to have the bees put into his mouth on one condition: he would get $1,000 every time he was stung by one of the bees. By the time filming had ended, he had been stung a total of 23 times.

4. The Realism Of Last House On The Left (1972)

Last House on the Left is not a film that was well-received by fans when it was first released, and it has not aged well with audiences over the last four decades. One reason for this is how the violence against women in the film made it difficult to sit through. It turns out that this was a complete accident. Prior to this, Wes Craven had no filmmaking experience as he had only worked in post-production on documentaries and pseudo-documentaries. Because of this, he had no idea that he needed special cameras, so he used hand-held, documentary-style cameras, and shooting angles which gave the film an all-too-real feel.

3. The Curse Of Poltergeist (1982)

Poltegeist — Image Source: Bloody Disgusting

Another film whose set is said to have been cursed is Spielberg’s Poltergeist. The curse is believed to have been caused by Spielberg’s decision to use real skeletons in the climax of the film as opposed to fake ones because they apparently cost less in the 80s. What would follow would be a slew of deaths and near-deaths that have been attributed to the cursed film. A few months after the release of the film it would suffer its first tragedy when one of the young stars, Dominique Dunne, was murdered by her ex-boyfriend. A few years after the film’s sequel was released, two more actors, Julian Beck, and Will Sampson, would die of stomach cancer and kidney failure, respectively. A few months before the release of the third film the star of the film, Heather O’Rourke, would die at the young age of 12. Ten years after he played Ryan in the first film, actor Richard Lawson would narrowly escape death after his plane crashed, killing 27 of the 51 people on board. Lastly, in 2009, Lou Perryman, who played the minor role of Pugsley in the first film would be murdered in his home.

2. The Real Annabelle Doll- The Conjuring (2013)

The Annabelle doll made her debut in The Conjuring and has since gotten her own line of films. In the movies, Annabelle was a porcelain doll with braids, but fans might be surprised to learn that the real Annabelle doll was actually a Raggedy Ann doll. The story told in the films about Annabelle’s history is true for the most part. She was gifted to a nurse who noticed soon after receiving her that the doll was moving throughout the apartment while she and her roommate were working at the hospital. They also began to find little notes saying “help me” written in crayons around the house. After speaking to a psychic, the nurses were told that the spirit in the doll was a young girl named Annabelle who had died in front of the apartment building. The nurses allowed Annabelle to stay until the fiance of one of the nurses, after disrespecting Annabelle, found seven slashes on his body. After this, the nurses contacted Ed and Lorraine Warren who took the doll and locked it behind glass in their museum of the occult. Annabelle is rumored to have caused car crashes, bad luck, and even death to anyone dumb enough to touch or disrespect her.

1. Wes Craven’s Inspiration For A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)

In an interview, Craven said that he read an article in the L. A. Times about a family that had managed to escape the Killing Fields of Cambodia and create a nice life in the United States. Their son began having disturbing nightmares and would try to stay up for days at a time out of fear of the thing in his nightmares. One night, he fell asleep and began screaming shortly after. By the time his parents got to him, he was dead. This became the central story for A Nightmare on Elm Street.

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Source(s): Screen Rant [1], [2], Vulture, Bloody Disgusting, Mental Floss [1], [2], HollywoodReporter, PopSugar, CBS News, The Guardian

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10 Terrifying Behind The Scenes Horror Film Facts