Haunted Hollywood: The 10 Most Cursed Movies of all Time
The only thing scarier than the classic movie The Exorcist is the curse that followed it and its cast.

Bad things happen; that’s just a reality of life. 2016, for instance, was a terrible year to be in the public eye as celebrities seemed to be dropping everywhere you turn. When deaths or accidents all have something in common, though, people start connecting the dots. Many accidents happen while filming, stunts are dangerous and accidents happen. However, when one film has seen an unusually high number of deaths and freak accidents, it can lead you to believe something bigger must be going on.

Read on for the terrifying true-life stories behind the most cursed movies and haunted films ever to come out of Hollywood.

1. Poltergeist

Haunted Hollywood: The 10 Most Cursed Movies of all Time
Poltergeist (1982)

Poltergeist is considered one of the most cursed film franchises of all time, as several deaths were related to the cast of the films. Dominique Dunne, who appeared in the first film, was murdered by her boyfriend at age 22. Julian Beck, who played Henry Kane, died of stomach cancer in 1985. Will Sampson, who played Taylor in Poltergeist II also died in 1985 of post-operative kidney failure. Perhaps the most bizarre of all these deaths was that of Heather O’Rourke, who played Carol Anne in all three films.

During the production of Poltergeist III, 12-year-old Heather O’Rourke died whilst filming the end scenes of the movie. After developing stomach cramps on set, she soon took a turn for the worse and went into cardiac arrest where she was immediately rushed into surgery. She suffered from septic shock and died on the operating table. The films ending had to be shot with a body double.

2. The Omen

Haunted Hollywood: The 10 Most Cursed Movies of all Time
The Omen (1976)

The Omen may take the cake as the most cursed films in recent memory due to all of the bizarre events and tragedies that took place while filming. Actor Gregory Peck and producer Mace Neufeld were on separate planes that were both struck by lightning. To make matters worse, Peck’s son committed suicide just before filming began. Neufeld was also in a hotel that was bombed by the IRA, who later, also bombed a restaurant where some of the cast of The Omen were eating. A plane that was filming a scene from the air crashed, killing everyone on board, and a tiger handler died accidentally. Perhaps the spookiest death of all was what happened to designer John Richardson, who suffered a head-on collision that took the life of his assistant. The road sign near the crash said: Ommen, 66.6 km.

Related: 9 Creepy Cursed Objects You Won’t Believe Actually Exist

3. The Exorcist

Haunted Hollywood: The 10 Most Cursed Movies of all Time
The Exorcist (1974)

There were at least eight deaths that were associated with the filming of The Exorcist, including Jack MacGowran, the actor who played the role of Burke Dennings and Valsiliki Maliaros who played Father Karras’s mother, who both died shortly before the film’s release. The connected deaths were not limited to the cast, the man responsible for refrigerating the set also died during the production, as did a night watchman on the set. The MacNeil home was burned to the ground in a freak fire, but what may be the strangest incident connected to the film happened when the film premiered.

At the Italian premiere at the Metropolitan Theatre in Rome; a lightning strike hit a church nearby and destroyed the 400-year-old cross – which fell to the ground in the center of the piazza. It appears that the devil was indeed onset during the making of this film.

4. Rosemary’s Baby

Haunted Hollywood: The 10 Most Cursed Movies of all Time
Rosemary’s Baby (1968)

The film Rosemary’s Baby brought with it a disturbing amount of horror to those who worked behind the camera. The film’s composer died of an accidental fall and William Castle, the producer, suffered from gallstones as soon as the film wrapped, which required surgery. Most infamous of all was what happened to Roman Polanski, the film’s director. His wife, Sharon Tate, was murdered by the Manson family. She was eight months pregnant with their first child.

5. The Crow

Haunted Hollywood: The 10 Most Cursed Movies of all Time
The Crow (1994)

The Crow was a martial arts film starring Brandon Lee, who was the son of the famous Bruce Lee. One of the last scenes to be shot for the film involved Brandon being shot with a rubber bullet. There was a metal shard lodged in the chamber, and when the bullet hit Brandon in the abdomen killing him. He was only 28. This could be considered a freak accident, but when coupled with Bruce Lee’s death at 32, and the superstition surrounding the family, Brandon’s death takes on a spooky form. His father, Bruce, supposedly had multiple premonitions of his death, including one that told him he would only live half the time of his father (64 years). Brandon himself admitted to believing that there was a curse on the family, which may result in his early death.

Related: Cursed by Spirits: The Strange Tale of the Winchester Mystery House

6. The Conqueror

Haunted Hollywood: The 10 Most Cursed Movies of all Time
The Conqueror (1956)

The curse of The Conqueror began with a flash flood that nearly killed the entire crew. Having survived that, lead actress Susan Hayward was attacked by a black panther. However, it was the productions loose regard for health and safety that really garnered its cursed reputation. The actors and crew were exposed to nuclear fallout for the 13 weeks they filmed in Snow Canyon, downwind from the Yucca Flats were the US Army tested 11 atomic bombs. Some of the principal members who worked on the film were diagnosed and died of cancer in the years following filming. Director Dick Powel, actor Pedro Armendáriz, actress Agnes Moorehead and stars John Wayne and Susan Hayward were all diagnosed and died of cancer, save for Pedro Armendáriz. He filmed one more movie before taking his own life.

7. Superman

Haunted Hollywood: The 10 Most Cursed Movies of all Time
Superman (1978)

The comic book hero Superman is perhaps best known for his invincibility. Unfortunately, the actor who played him during the 70’s and 80’s run of the franchise was not. It is well known that Christopher Reeve became paralyzed when he was thrown from his horse in 1995. The actor later died in 2004 of heart failure related to his paralysis, but he was not the only one to be affected by the Superman curse. The actress who played Lois Lane, Margot Kidder, suffered from mental illness in the years following the films, and was once found wandering the streets of Los Angelis, dirty and disheveled. Richard Pryor, who made an appearance in Superman III, died of multiple sclerosis not long after his appearance, and George Reeves, the original 1950’s Superman, died at the early age of 45 in 1959.

8. Wizard of Oz

Haunted Hollywood: The 10 Most Cursed Movies of all Time
Wizard of Oz (1939)

This staple of American culture came at the cost of quite a few lives. There were several accidents while filming, including Margaret Hamilton getting badly burned while filming a stunt, and several flying monkeys falling from their harnesses. The star of the show, Judy Garland who played Dorothy, had a troubled life after the film’s release. She struggled with addiction and eventually died of an overdose aged 47. Frank Morgan, who played the Wizard, got into a serious car accident that claimed the life of his chauffeur and left his wife permanently crippled in her right leg. Lastly, both Uncle Henry and Auntie Em died before the film enjoyed the commercial success from its TV debut.

Related: Stranger Than Fiction: The True Origins Behind 9 Famous Horror Movies

9. Rebel Without a Cause

Haunted Hollywood: The 10 Most Cursed Movies of all Time
Rebel Without a Cause (1956)

Rebel Without a Cause brought actor James Dean to the forefront of American cinema, though it would be the last role of his career and life. Dean was killed at 24 when he crashed his Porsche. He never lived to see the film released. Sal Mineo was also killed when he was stabbed in an alley aged 37. Co-star of the film, Natalie Wood, also met her demise in the years following the film, when she drowned to death under suspicious circumstances while on her husband’s yacht. The creepiest of all was what happened to Troy McHenry, an orthopedic surgeon out of Beverly Hills. He outfitted his car with some parts from James Dean’s Porsche, soon after he too crashed and died in the wreckage.

10. Passion of Christ

Haunted Hollywood: The 10 Most Cursed Movies of all Time
Passion of Christ (2004)

The Passion of the Christ was already under a lot of scrutiny when it was released, but it appears its biggest critic was God himself. Without getting into Mel Gibson’s bizarre past, the film had multiple onsite accidents that make you think the big guy up there wasn’t too pleased. Jim Caviezel, who played Jesus, was struck by lightning during filming. He also dislocated his shoulder carrying the crucifix and had flesh ripped off his back whilst he was getting whipped. The assistant director, Jan Michelini, was also struck by lightning two separate times during the course of filming. There’s little that evokes “you’ve angered God” better than three lightning strikes during the filming of a movie about the life of Jesus.

Read more on the Supernatural

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