10 most cursed TV and movie sets where things went wrong

The making of a show or a movie is a difficult affair. A million things have to be kept in mind for everything to go right. However, things become worse when a film or a show is struck by incomprehensible tragedy and mysterious occurrences. From the death of the cast members, to freaky accidents on sets, here is a list of ten most cursed TV and movie sets, where things went wrong.

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Poltergeist, Glee, and other most cursed TV and movie sets

1. The Exorcist

If there is any movie that created a huge hullabaloo over its release, then it was this one. Based on a novel by William Peter Blatty, this iconic horror movie released in 1973 and has remained one of the most influential horror movies since. The movie is famous for causing people to run out of the theatre out of fear and even faint in cinemas upon viewing. The reason being that it is one of the first movies of its time to involve a graphic viewing of a young child being possessed. However, the movie was also a menace when it was filmed. Reportedly, many believe that the sets of the movie were cursed and a demonic presence actually hoovered over the sets. Many of the cast and crew members tragically passed away after the movie was released and many others suffered life-long injuries like actress Ellen Burstyn, who suffered from permanent spinal damage due to a faulty harness. Further, the MacNeil house was struck by a fire and the set had to be built again. People still believe that there is something evil attached to the movie.

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2. Twilight Zone: The Movie

Based on a television series, this sci-fi and horror anthology movie was produced and co-directed by Steven Spielberg. The movie stars John Lithgow, Vic Morrow, and others. The film has four short stories that cover themes like science, technology, space, and more. The movie received mixed reviews but what makes it so popular is its notoriety for being one of the cursed TV and movie sets in film history. In one of the segments directed by John Landis, two child actors, were killed in a helicopter crash that went wrong. Even actor Vic Morrow, was killed and horribly decapitated. What makes it even worse is that the two children were hired illegally and they never received justice. Plus, Landis decided to keep the scene without the accident footage, which enraged Spielberg so much that he never spoke to Landis again.

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3. Poltergeist

Another horror movie that was a raging success but also had a dark past is this one, which had a screenplay by Steven Spielberg and released in 1982. The movie was about a suburban family that began to be haunted by evil ghosts, which took special interest in their youngest daughter. The movie was distressing for many people and is an iconic horror movie. However, it is also one of those movies that is tainted by tragedy and is therefore one of the cursed TV and movies sets in movie history. The film is famous for using real skeletons in a scene where the mother falls into a pool full of corpses. This has led many viewers to believe that the use of real skeletons therefore led to a curse being out upon the movie production. Tragically, the talented young actress, O’Rourke, who played the youngest daughter in the movie, died due to a bowl obstruction a few years after the movie’s release and Dominique Dunne, who played the older sister, was murdered by her boyfriend in the same year as the movie’s release.

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4. Apocalypse Now

One of the most highly regarded war movies, this one is directed by Francis Ford Coppola and features Marlon Brando, Robert Duvall, and others. The movie is inspired by the novella, Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad, and is set around the Vietnam war. The movie is basically about a rogue officer, Colonel Kurtz, who has caused great destruction and has to be assassinated by Captain Willard, who undertakes a treacherous trip from Vietnam into Cambodia. The movie is known for its psychological elements and beautiful cinematography. But it was also a difficult movie to shoot. The testament to this fact is that there was a whole documentary that captured the difficulties faced while making the movie. There were many tragedies that struck the production, which included monsoons destroying expensive sets, the lead actor Sheen suffering from a heart attack, and Marlon Brando being unprepared and being overweight for his role as Kurtz. Therefore, this one was rightly one of the most cursed TV and movie sets in the history of movie production.

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5. Glee

One of the most cheerful shows of the late 2000s, this jukebox musical and comedy drama series was the creation of Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk, and Ian Brennan. The show had a simple premise that revolved around a glee club in a high school, where the members had to juggle with family, relationships, and adolescent issues like sexuality, gender, and career. However, it is surprising to note that even this light-hearted show had its own set of tragic occurrences. Worse, the tragedies struck in the form of the deaths of its cast members. Firstly, main star Cory Monteith passed way due to a drug overdose at the age of 31 in 2013. Then in 2018, Mark Salling committed suicide after he pleaded guilty to downloading thousands of images of children. Finally, Naya Rivera died by drowning at the age of 33 in 2020. Further, Lea Michele was canceled due to accusations of racially motivated bullying.

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6. The Omen

The 1970s and 1980s were a peak time for horror and tragedies, it seems. Another horror movie that is a classic but also has a haunting backstory is this one, directed by Richard Donner. Starring Gregory Peck, the movie is about a couple who deliver a stillborn child, which forces the father to swap the child with an orphan, without letting his wife know the same. However, the child, known as Damien, begins to have morbid interests and wreaks havoc upon his family and others, which makes his father believe that he is in fact, the Antichrist. One of the most influential movies in the horror genre, the film is considered a classic, but it also has some strange events that occurred while the movie was being made. A lightning strike struck the aircraft that was carrying the cast and the crew, some fatal accidents, and animal handlers were mauled by their charges. One of the creepiest occurrences is when Liz Moore died in a car accident, and the accident resembled a scene that her husband, John Richarson, had created for the movie.

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7. Return to Babylon

Directed by Alex Monty Canawati and starring Jennifer Tilly, this black-and-white silent movie is about the silent film era and the lives of the actors who used to work during this era of movies. The film has an old world feel as it is shot with an old hand-crank camera and has 1920s era music. While the movie does not belong to the horror genre, it did have some creepy and occurrence during the production, which makes it one of the most cursed TV and movie sets. Many of the actors and crew members reportedly felt unease during the filming. Some of the locations where the movie was filmed, gave off such a negative feeling, that many actors wanted to leave. Even Jennifer Tilly claimed that she once felt a pair of ghostly hands touch her while filming. However, one of the most terrifying fact is that the director Alex himself, claimed that while he was editing the movie, the faces of the actors would sometimes morph into demon-like faces.

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8. Leo and Me

This Canadian sitcom from the 1980s featured a young Michael J. Fox, and was about a carefree Italian adventurer, who won a large but decrepit yacht in a poker game. He then decides to live in the yacht along with his orphaned nephew and the two have multiple adventures but are always able to get out of any tricky situations. It is therefore a mystery that such a light-hearted show could be struck by something evil and make it an example of cursed TV and movie sets. In 2002, an investigation was launched into the show when several of its cast and crew members developed Parkinson’s disease mysteriously. The fact that a 29-year-old Michael J. Fox was diagnosed with the disease in 1991, which typically ailed older people, became a point of discussion. However, the fact that four other people were also diagnosed with the same disease, became a big mystery. Director Don Williams was also one of those who got diagnosed. Eerily, all the people who were diagnosed, began to show symptoms at the same time.

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9. The Conjuring

An example of modern horror classic, this James Wan directorial stars Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga, who play the real-life paranormal investigators, Ed and Lorraine Warren. The movie is about a family that moves into an isolated house and begins to be haunted by increasingly malevolent evil presence. Finally, they have to take the help of the Warrens. The movie was a critical and commercial hit and spawned an entire franchise. The film is another one of those examples where something cursed used to happen while production. One of the child actors, Joey King, used to find herself covered with mysterious bruises, while the movie was filmed. Vera Farmiga, claimed that she used to wake up every night between 3 and 4 am, which is the unholy hour. She also got three scratch marks on her thigh once, and had three digital scratch marks on her laptop screen, which appeared mysteriously. Further, the set that was the Warren’s storeroom, also suffered from shifting and moving objects. Therefore, the movie is an example of cursed TV and movie sets.

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10. Diff’rent Strokes

Another sitcom that should not have been struck by curses and tragedy, this old show from the late 1970s and early 1980s, was a hit and revolved around two kids from Harlem, who are taken in by a rich businessman and his daughter. The show aired for multiple seasons and the two child actors grew in front of the viewers. One of them, Todd Bridges, began smoking pot while starring in the show and spiraled into meth and cocaine addiction. He was further charged wrongfully over attempted murder and was then arrested for possessing meth and a gun in his car. Another actress, Plato, could not find work after the show and robbed a video store and died of suicide and drug overdose, though some people don’t believe that. Further, actor Gary Coleman, suffered from kidney disease, was charged with assaulting a fan, became bankrupt, had a heart surgery and a brain hemorrhage, and ultimately died while being on life support.