Mini-Countdown: Cursed Movies

There's something about certain types of films that elicit a lot of talk about "curses". Movies which have seen turbulent productions, unexplained on- or off-set happenings, even sudden deaths. As human beings, we seek order and reason, even in the face of seemingly random coincidences. Sometimes, in order to find meaning in chaos, we attribute a supernatural/otherworldly reason. Hence why certain films have been called "cursed". 

This Halloween, here's a countdown of five such movies - including one so cursed, the film has never seen the light of day...

1. The Exorcist (1973)
dir. William Friedkin, starring Ellen Burstyn, Linda Blair, Jason Miller, Lee J. Cobb, Max Von Sydow, and Mercedes McCambridge

There are so many stories of bad fortune attached to the making of this seminal horror film that it could be a full article in itself. It got to the point where William Friedkin asked technical advisor Reverend Thomas Bermingham S.J. (who played the President of the University) to exorcise the set! [Rev. Bermingham did not perform an exorcism, but did give the set a blessing]. But to give you some of the highlights: 

• Ellen Burstyn received a permanent spinal injury, during a scene where she is thrown away from the possessed Regan; the harness was jerked hard and the fall damaged her coccyx. Rumours persist that her scream of genuine pain, as she hits the floor, is in the final cut

• Linda Blair was similarly injured as she was thrown about on her bed in an early scene, when part of the rig broke.

• Vasiliki Maliaros (Karras' mother) and Jack MacGowran (Burke Dennings) both died shortly before the film's release. There were several deaths of crew members as well, including the man who was responsible for refrigerating the set, and a nightwatchman. 

• Paul Bateson, who assists the doctor during the medical scenes, was convicted of the murder of a film critic in 1979, and also confessed to the gruesome murders of six gay men whose dismembered bodies were found in plastic bags throughout (this would inspire the 1980 film Cruising, which was also directed by William Friedkin)

• A mysterious fire razed the MacNeil home set to the ground, apart from Regan's bedroom

• 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 centre of the piazza. 

Maybe televangelist Billy Graham was right when he claimed “there is a power of evil in that film, in the fabric of the film itself”?

2. The Omen (1976)
dir. Richard Donner, starring Gregory Peck, Lee Remick, David Warner, Billie Whitelaw, Patrick Troughton, and Harvey Stephens

According to producer Harvey Bernhard, the original idea for The Omen came from an advertising executive named Robert Munger who suggested that a movie about the Antichrist would be cool, but that no one should actually make it because “the devil was at work and he didn’t want that film made.”

The amount of tragedies and bizarre occurrences that took place before, during, and after the film might make even the most rational and level-headed person take pause.  

Prior to filming starting, Gregory Peck's son sadly took his own life. As Peck flew to the UK to begin filming, his plane was struck by lightning. Screenwriter David Seltzer's plane was similarly struck by lightning when he travelled to the set. During filming, the hotel at which director Richard Donner and executive producer Mace Neufeld were staying at was bombed by the IRA. The first day of filming saw two separate car-crashes involving members of the crew (luckily, no fatalities). Terry Walsh, David Warner's stunt double, had to be hospitalised after being badly injured while filming the dog attack scene in the cemetery- despite being properly prepared for the stunt. 

However, one of the most poignant tragedies associated with The Omen didn't happen on set of that film. After working on The Omen- and providing one of the most impressive visual effects with the decapitation of Keith Jennings (David Warner)- special effects designer John Richardson went on to film A Bridge Too Far in the Netherlands. Richardson and his assistant, Liz Moore, were involved in a head-on collision in which Moore sadly died. She was decapitated in the crash. 

3. The Poltergeist trilogy (1982-1988)
dir. Tobe Hooper, Brian Gibson, and Gary Sherman, starring JoBeth Williams, Craig T. Nelson, Zelda Rubinstein, Oliver Robins, Tom Skerritt, and Heather O'Rourke

Mention "cursed films" and the Poltergeist franchise will be soon quickly mentioned. Much like the other films in this countdown so far, the tragedies associated with these films are well-known and (sadly) numerous. 

During the filming of the first film, Oliver Robins (Robbie Freeling) was nearly strangled into unconsciousness when the clown arm that was choking him became extremely tight. Both JoBeth Williams (Diane Freeling) and Zelda Rubinstein (Tangina Barrons) experienced supernatural happenings

There have been a number of tragic deaths associated with this film franchise:

• Dominique Dunne: the 22-year old actress who plays Dana Freeling in the original film was murdered by her abusive, jealous ex-boyfriend in November 1982, less than three weeks before her 23rd birthday

• Julian Beck: the gaunt, imposing Reverend Henry Kane is the major antagonist in Poltergeist II, and the actor who played him- Julian Beck- passed away due to stomach cancer in September 1985

• Will Sampson: the actor who played Native American shaman Taylor in Poltergeist II passed away in June 1987 after complications from heart and lung transplant surgery

• Heather O'Rourke: the actress, who played Carol Anne Freeling in all three Poltergeist films, died in February 1988 at the age of 12 due to complications arising from intestinal stenosis, which was originally misdiagnosed as Crohn's disease

• Lou Perryman: the actor who plays construction worker "Pugsley" in the original Poltergeist was murdered in April 2009

But what could be the cause of such tragedy? Well, one theory is that the franchise was cursed due to the use of real human skeletons in both Poltergeist and Poltergeist II. 

In Poltergeist, JoBeth Williams was not informed that the skeletons that emerge in the swimming pool scene were real until after the scene was finished. When cast and crew members of Poltergeist II realised that several of the cadavers were real skeletons, they insisted on an exorcism which was performed by Will Sampson (who was a shaman in real life).

4. The Conjuring (2013)
dir. James Wan, starring Patrick Wilson, Vera Farmiga, Lili Taylor, Ron Livingston, Shanley Caswell, and Mackenzie Foy

Who says that curses and bad luck can only happen to classic movies? There were more than enough spooky happenings on the set of The Conjuring that even they called for an exorcism on set. 

Based on the real-life paranormal investigation conducted by Ed and Lorraine Warren into the Perron farmhouse in the 1970s, Lorraine Warren acted as advisor to screenwriters Chad and Carey Hayes. Their phone-calls were repeatedly interrupted by strange sounds and static before the line would abruptly cut dead.

This is the film that introduced the creepy doll Annabelle. The "real" Annabelle was known for leaving notes on parchment when there was no parchment around but also attacked someone by mysteriously leaving claw marks on his chest. Vera Farmiga, who plays Lorraine Warren, claims she woke up one morning to find three slashes on her laptop screen.

When the Perron family visited the set in North Carolina, they claimed to have been followed by a sudden, intense gust of wind which did not move or shake the trees. 

5. Atuk

Our final film in this countdown is so cursed... it's never been made. Moreover, it's not a horror film. It's meant to be a fish-out-of-water comedy.

The Incomparable Atuk is a 1963 satirical novel by Canadian author Mordecai Richler in which an Inuit poet travels to the big city (Toronto) and has all sorts of shenanigans. The screenplay makes Atuk Alaskan and the big city New York, but otherwise keeps to the original story. Nothing supernatural, nothing paranormal. 

Here's where things start to get a bit freaky. The lead role was offered to four different actors. All four actors died shortly after entering negotiations to star in the film. 

First up, John Belushi. The Blues Brothers and Animal House star was due to take the lead role, but died of a drug overdose in March 1982. The production entered what may be generously described as "production hell" afterwards but a second attempt to make the film saw Sam Kinison (Savage Dawn, Back To School) offered the role. In April 1992, he died in a drink-driving accident.

After Belushi and Kinison, the role was offered to John Candy. The star of Uncle Buck and Cool Runnings entered negotiations - but had a heart attack and sadly passed away in March 1994. Producers then approached Chris Farley (Tommy Boy, Wayne's World 2) to play Atuk - but he passed away in December 1997 (also of a drug overdose). 

Were not all of this tragic enough, there's an added poignancy to this story. Allegedly, Chris Farley gave a copy of the script to a friend who may have been interested in the role. That friend? Phil Hartman (The Simpsons). In May 1998, Hartman was shot and killed by his wife, who went on to take her own life hours later. 



Are such things as curses real? Who knows... but perhaps we would do well to remember this piece of advice from Hamlet:

There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio,

Than are dreamt of in your philosophy.

Happy Halloween, everyone.

The Watchers Film Show: Halloween Movie Chat 2020

 

Our latest Film Show podcast is here!

It's October, the nights are drawing in, the veil between worlds is thinning... so it's time to talk Halloween movies.

We discuss our favourite scary movies, both classic and new, and also discuss some spooky family-friendly films that the whole family can enjoy... Matt gives an interesting choice for that section, which provokes a difference of opinion!

Let us know your favourite scary movies below - and have a spine-chilling Halloween! 

Review: Midsommar (UK Cert 18)

Ari Aster's second film (after the gutwrenching Hereditary) ventures into Wicker Man territory with a nasty but guiltily pleasurable folk horror. 

Dani (Florence Pugh) and Christian's (Jack Reynor) relationship is foundering, but- just as Christian gets the nerve to end it- Dani suffers a horrific family tragedy. Lost and grieving, Dani goes with Christian and two of his friends- Josh (William Jackson Harper) and Mark (Will Poulter)- to Sweden, along with their friend Pelle (Vilhelm Blomgren) for his home village's once-in-a-lifetime midsummer festival. But what should be a summer of fun soon descends into a nightmare as the festivities reveal a darker motive...

This isn't a traditional horror movie. There are several shocking moments of gore and intense violence, but if you're looking for a more jump-scary film, this might not be for you. The film is also slow, deliberate, and takes a long time to get going (which sounds like a criticism, but it isn't). We spend a long time with the characters before they get transplanted into Sweden, which is good- it establishes the characters effectively so, when they do get to Pelle's village and things really start to kick off, the audience has got a sense of who they are and- more crucially- what they may do. 

Florence Pugh's performance is visceral, authentic, and intense. She bears the emotional heavy lifting of the piece, if you will, and is utterly compelling. As tragedy piles on tragedy, she is undoubtedly the one character you're meant to root for and her emotional arc (whilst somewhat predictable) is still satisfying. By the utterly batshit bonkers finale (which again, sounds like a criticism but isn't), Dani isn't the same girl who entered the village at the start and you can't help but have a little twinge of pleasure seeing her change. I believe the word I'm looking for is schadenfreude...

Christian could easily have just come across as an unfeeling douchebag, so it's to Reynor's credit that the character isn't just an absolute tool (which could easily have been the case). True, he's emotionally distant and there are times you wonder how the hell this relationship ever got as far as it did (it's telling that there's no scenes of intimacy between the two; not even a kiss). But in a hamfisted and desultory way, he's trying to be there for Dani. It's just not enough. Again, there's a perverse kind of pleasure seeing what happens to Christian: even if it does involve one of the most bizarre and- frankly- unerotic sex scenes I've seen in a while.

Will Poulter plays Mark as an abrasive asshole who totally disrespects the village, and does it well; such is the performance that you're just waiting for Mark to get his comeuppance (which, of course, does come). If you're used to seeing William Jackson Harper as the nervy Chidi in the frankly brilliant The Good Place, you'll see a different side to him here: Josh is much more laidback, although even he can't resist crossing some lines (for which he duly pays the price). Blomgren's nice-guy Pelle is a lovely contrast to the Americans and never comes off as creepy or deranged. He also seems to genuinely care for Dani, although there's never a hint of impropriety. Whilst the outsiders see barbarity in the festival, he sees it as natural, what they do. There's also some strong performances by Henrik Norlén and Gunnel Fred as village elders Ulf and Siv, who lead the festivities. 

The cinematography by Pawel Pogorzelski is sublime. The village and its environs look beautiful and it's interesting to have events that (in traditional horror) would take place in dark places out in the bright sunshine. The script also does something that I like; when the villagers are speaking Swedish to one another, it's not subtitled. We, like the outside characters, are left to intuit what's being said. 

I think I've said more than once on the blog that The Wicker Man (1973) is one of my favourite films, and there's a definite vibe of that film in Midsommar. Outsiders to an otherwise insular community who have their own ways of doing things which seem unusual to those not from there, charismatic leaders, seductive maidens, and a striking ending where things go up in flames... but Midsommar has a style of its own and isn't just a pale rip-off of a superior film. Yes, there are moments where the plot gets predictable but that doesn't really matter as the performances carry those moments. 

A cerebral and visceral horror film, perfect for Halloween. 

Rating: 4 out of 5

Tez

The Watchers Review of 2018

Our annual review of the year is here!

In this bumper-sized podcast, we discuss what we liked in the year... and what we didn't. 

In addition to Matt's usual round-up of the best horror films of 2018, Rhys discusses some of his favourite sci-fi and fantasy films of this year, whilst Tez looks back at his best films of the 2018 awards season.

We also look forward to the films of 2019.

So, sit back and enjoy!

Review: Get Out (UK Cert 15)

Meeting your girlfriend's family for the first time is nerve-wracking enough, but for Chris Washington, it literally becomes a matter of life and death. Welcomed warmly (maybe a bit too warmly) by Rose's liberal parents, the truth behind Chris' visit soon becomes apparent- and he's forced into a desperate battle for survival... 

Released in 2017, I missed Get Out during its cinema release, but it's now available on DVD/BluRay, so I've been able to catch up with it, and I'm glad that I have. I'm not a massive horror fan, as I've said before, but I thoroughly enjoyed the film (as did Matt, who spoke highly of it in our Review Of The Year). It's not a horror in the traditional sense; it's much more of a thriller in the style of something like Rosemary's Baby or the 1970s version of The Stepford Wives. There's the occasional jump-scare but they're few and far between. The final 20 minutes or so do descend into typical 'horror movie' final act tropes (with Chris as the Final Girl) but, such is the skill that's gone before in making Chris a sympathetic character, you're really behind him and you want him to escape. 

Londoner Daniel Kaluuya absolutely nails the American accent and plays Chris with a wonderful balance of nervousness and steel. Becoming slowly exasperated by everyone's niceness (which he attributes to political correctness), he soon finds out there's a much more sinister plot brewing beneath the bonhomie. You could write a whole thesis on the racial politics and representations in the film; Chris is asked several times to comment on 'the Black Experience' (as if he's some kind of spokesman) and there's a sly reference to the fetishisation of black men as sexual objects which comes out of left-field. It's an impressive central performance which has been rightly lauded throughout this awards season.

This is the first thing I've seen Allison Williams in (I haven't ever seen Girls), but she is superb as Rose. Even after the twist is revealed, there's still a magnetism to her performance which is utterly beguiling- you can understand why Chris has fallen in love with her. Bradley Whitford and Catherine Keener play Rose's parents Dean and Missy as almost caricaturistally liberal (a common refrain is they would have voted for Obama for a third term if they could) but there's a definite hint of menace beneath both performances- Keener's in particular- which makes for a nicely ambiguous set-up at the beginning. Caleb Landry Jones is good as Rose's unpredictable brother Jeremy, a more ostensible threat than anything else going on at the house. 

Betty Gabriel deserves a mention for her role as housekeeper Georgina- in a pivotal scene which suggests all may not be as it seems in the Armitage household, Georgina becomes confused, starts to cry and then laugh uncontrollably all in the space of a few seconds- it's one of the most uncomfortable but powerful moments in the film. You can literally see every emotion play across Gabriel's face. It's astounding. Finally, Lil Rel Howery provides the majority of the laughs as Chris' fast-talking TSA friend Rod, providing welcome moments of levity amidst the encroaching tension. 

There's some interesting visual quirks to the film- the sequences in The Sunken Place are really trippy but nicely realised- as well as a good use of sound design; the sound of a silver spoon stirring a cup of tea might well take on a different meaning after seeing Get Out. Jordan Peele's direction is slick and his screenplay a nice balance of funny and scary. 

Get Out is a real hybrid- a blend of social commentary, family drama, comedy, horror, and even some high-concept sci-fi all mixed together to create something that starts out as Guess Who's Coming To Dinner and ends up as more of a Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Even if horror isn't really your thing, give Get Out a go. It's a fine piece of film-making. 

Rating: 5 out of 5

Tez

Review: Happy Death Day (UK Cert 15

The elevator pitch for Happy Death Day- written by Scott Lobdell (Man Of The House) and directed by Christopher Landon (Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones, Scouts Guide To The Zombie Apocalypse)- would be Scream meets Groundhog Day (and, yes, the Groundhog Day reference is made but thankfully right at the very end of the film). 

Sorority sister Teresa 'Tree' Gelbman (Jessica Rothe) wakes up in the dorm room of gawky but cute student Carter (Israel Broussard). It's Monday 18th, Tree's birthday, a day she doesn't like. She leaves Carter's room, gets back to her sorority house, sees her roommate, is late to class, then gets ready for a party but- on her way there- she's attacked by an unknown assailant is a very creepy baby mask and stabbed to death. She wakes up again in Carter's room. The day has reset. The same scenarios play out again. With Carter's help, Tree has to discover who wants her dead. 

For a teen slasher flick, it's high concept. Cannily, they don't stick to the same death every time, which leads to some inventive offings for the hapless Tree. The jump-scares are present and correct and the tension in several scenes (notably the first murder) is pretty good. And the baby mask is kinda freaky. What's also good is that there's character development- literally. As each Monday 18th passes, Tree gets to examine her life and her personality and makes changes to be a better person. Her relationship with Carter is sweet and develops nicely- although Tree remembers every Monday 18th, Carter (and anyone else she meets) doesn't. 

Rothe carries the lead role with aplomb- starting out as an obnoxious bitch who you can imaging several people wanting dead, she gets some great one-liners and a real character arc which is interesting. Broussard is an engaging co-lead as Carter, helping Tree out in her quest to discover the truth. There's a wonderfully catty supporting turn from Rachel Matthews as sorority president Danielle, a proper mean girl who out-Regina Georges Regina George. Ruby Modine is also good as Tree's roommate Lori, who has made Tree a cupcake (despite Tree's antipathy towards the whole birthday thing). Charles Aitken rounds the main cast off with a suitably sinister turn as Dr. Gregory Butler, Tree's teacher who may or may not be the man behind the mask. 

That said, the film's not perfect. My main complaint is that the killer's motivation is pretty lame when you consider it, which- after such a good build-up- is a let-down. But what comes before it is a delicious slice of black comedy spiced up with a few good jumpscares. Definitely worth watching if you like your horror with an interesting twist.

Rating: 4 out of 5

Tez

Matt's Horror Films of 2014

So Happy New Year one and all - here we have basically an item we had to drop from the Review of 2014 show, just for timing reasons. But we thought to get the new year going we would share with you Matt's thoughts on last years Horror movies - as Matt is the resident Horror Fanboy of us three!!

So enjoy this mini show.



Matt's Horror Films of 2014 from The Watchers Film Show on Vimeo.