Top 20 Creepiest Paranormal Events On Movie Shoots
#20: Night Terrors
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“The Innkeepers” (2011) This little known but wonderfully spooky horror movie from 2011 was also filmed in a real location, in this case the historic Yankee Pedlar Inn. The inn has a reputation for being haunted by the ghost of a former owner, who died in room 353 of the historic building. Director Ti West began the production as a bonafide skeptic, but started rethinking his beliefs when bad dreams and strange happenings began to plague the crew. Speaking with Indiewire, West described doors opening and closing by themselves, lights burning out and strange dreams experienced by many on the crew, including actress Sara Paxton, who felt a presence in her room several times.
#19: The Haunted Touch
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“Behind the Candelabra” (2013) This biopic of the legendary performer Liberace flew under the radar for a lot of folks, but is still worth checking out if you get the chance. Directed by Steven Soderberg and starring Michael Douglas as the famous piano prodigy, the film set allegedly had a visit or two from the ghost of the man himself. Apparently, Douglas and co-star Matt Damon felt unseen hands touching them, and the smell of a strong cologne haunted the set. We should point out, however, that this story comes courtesy of the notable tabloid The National Enquirer, and as such should be treated with a healthy degree of skepticism.
#18: The Haunted Basement
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“Lords of Salem” (2012) You’d be hard-pressed to find a spookier location than an old abandoned hospital. After all, hospitals wig a lot of people out even when they haven’t been laying in ruin for years. LA’s Linda Vista Community Hospital, originally built in 1904, stood abandoned for years after its closure in 1991, and the stories of hauntings grew faster than the weeds. The site was even the subject of an episode of “Ghost Adventures.” The cast and crew of Rob Zombie’s 2012 movie “Lords of Salem” allegedly had some spooky encounters when filming there, with many cast members claiming to feel sick after filming in the basement. Probably just a lot of mold down there, but who knows?
#17: Ghosts on Film
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“Return to Babylon” (2013) While tales of hauntings on film sets are somewhat common, this supposed intersection between the supernatural and celluloid is unique. This little known movie was allegedly made using a mysterious box of 16mm film reels that were found on the sidewalk by director Alex Monty Canawati. After deciding to use the film to create a movie in the style of 1920s silent films, Canawati and his crew were astonished to find the footage they had shot plagued by ghostly figures and strange distortions, prompting claims that the film itself is haunted. It’s definitely an intriguing story, even if you’re inclined toward skepticism, and the story would probably make for a good movie itself!
#16: Hearing Whispers
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“Ghost Whisperer” (2005-10) We know this is a movie list, but we just had to mention this one. This dearly departed series starred 90s it girl Jennifer Love-Hewitt as an antique store owner with the ability to see and communicate with ghosts. For the most part, the spirits that Love-Hewitt encountered on the show were brought to life (or should that be afterlife) with plain old actors and special effects, but that wasn’t always the case. According to the former “Party of Five” star, both she and several members of the cast and crew felt an unseen force tugging at their clothes while filming in one location.
#15: Haunted Hotel
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“Journey 2: The Mysterious Island” (2012) Filming a movie frankly sounds exhausting at the best of times, and having a ghost in your hotel keeping you awake probably doesn’t make the experience any easier. Actress Vanessa Hudgens told People Magazine that she spent ten minutes chasing the sound of footsteps around her hotel while filming the “Journey to the Center of the Earth” sequel in North Wilmington. Hudgens even claimed to have an idea of the ghost’s nature, saying “I feel like she might have lost a husband at war and she’s waiting for her man to come back to her. It was definitely a female spirit. I could tell.” Hey, who are we to argue?
#14: Divine Intervention
“The Passion of the Christ” (2004) Playing Jesus Christ himself probably comes with a whole ton of pressure, for what are hopefully obvious reasons. Any actor who takes on this role is going to face some harsh criticism and scrutiny, but normally that comes from more, shall we say, terrestrial sources. While filming Mel Gibson’s controversial film about the final days of Christ, actor Jim Caviezel was struck by lightning while filming a scene. Caviezel wasn’t the only one, as assistant director Jan Michelini was also struck while on set earlier during filming. If we were so inclined, we might be tempted to call this a case of divine criticism. Maybe the big “G” thought Caviezel was miscast?
#13 : An Appropriate Haunting
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“Ghost” (1990) Movies featuring ghosts and spooky stuff sure do have a tendency towards supposed real-life hauntings, huh? While there’s no definitive account of a haunting on the set of this aptly titled film, it bears noting that much of its filming took place on Paramount’s infamous sound stage #19, nicknamed ‘Paranormal Paramount’ for its history of creepy goings-on. Stories have included ghostly figures briefly encountering night watchmen before vanishing into walls, and other stories even claim that the spirit of Heather O’Rourke, the young star of ‘“Poltergeist,” still haunts the sound stage.
#12 :Sinister Figures
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“The Nun” (2018) The filming for this entry in the “Conjuring” franchise pulled out all the stops by eschewing conventional sets for many key locations, instead filming in a genuine Transylvanian castle. With that in mind, is it any wonder the crew had a strange encounter or two? While filming a scene, director Corin Hardy claims to have seen two figures standing in the shadows of an old cell. He initially dismissed the sighting, believing the figures to be members of the crew. But upon turning back, the director was shocked to see the figures had vanished without a trace. Could his imagination have been running wild, or did a pair of spectral entities get curious about the filming?
#11: When Life Imitates Art
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“The Conjuring” (2013) This movie is based on the story of real life parapsychologists trying to deliver a haunted house from evil – nothing weird there. But when the real Perron family – the owners of the original home – came to visit the film set, strange things started happening. Upon their arrival, a huge breeze was felt, but the surrounding trees stood still. Even mother Perron, who wasn’t even on the set, said she felt a presence before fainting and being rushed to the hospital.
#10: The Haunted Alarm Clock
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“The Exorcism of Emily Rose” (2005) Ever think that, while playing the role of someone who’s possessed, we can somehow become possessed ourselves? In this case, that seems to be true. Jennifer Carpenter, who portrayed Emily Rose, says she felt a weird presence in her hotel room while filming the movie. Even her alarm clock seemed out of whack, randomly turning on during the night and playing Pearl Jam’s “Alive” each time – more specifically, the lyric “I’m still alive”. We know radio stations tend to overplay songs, but come on…
#9: A Haunted Studio
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“Ghost of Goodnight Lane” (2014) This film is the perfect example of a story within a story. In it, movie theatre employees find one of their coworkers stiff as a board, seemingly killed by a ghost – and the real story isn’t that far off. Back in the 1800s, five people were killed in the very building the movie was being shot in. Crewmembers said they often felt a presence, and lead actor Billy Zane was given the ultimate combo: ghosts screaming his name, flashing lights, and pieces of the ceiling almost collapsing on him.
#8: Rosemary’s Knife
“Rosemary’s Baby” (1968) One of the most acclaimed horror films of all time, Roman Polanski’s 1968 masterpiece has garnered a bit of a reputation as a cursed film, with tragedy seemingly following the cast and crew. Obviously we all know about the terrible fate that befell Polanski’s wife Sharon Tate, but what many don’t know is that composer Krzysztof Komeda died after being pushed off an escarpment and suffering a head injury. But even more creepy is the story of producer William Castle, himself a legend in the horror genre, who was rushed to hospital after developing kidney stones. According to legend, a hallucinating Castle shouted out “Rosemary, for God’s sake drop the knife!” during his surgery.
#7: From Skeptic to Believer
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“The Possession” (2012) Sometimes, even the biggest cynics can be converted. In this movie, Jeffrey Dean Morgan – known for his roles in The Walking Dead and Supernatural – plays the father of a little girl possessed by a dybbuk demon trapped in a box found at a garage sale. Though he wasn’t initially a believer in paranormal phenomena, he quickly changed his mind during the making of this film. He claims he saw lights exploding for no apparent reason, and felt ice-cold breezes during ghost scenes. Soon after production ended, the movie set caught fire; destroying all the props, including the dybbuk’s wooden box. Firemen were never able to determine the source of the fire.
#6: Demon On Set
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“Annabelle” (2014) A spinoff of The Conjuring, Annabelle is based on a real investigation conducted by Ed and Lorraine Warren… and the demon seemed to have left a trace on set! Just as they were about to start filming a scene, director John Leonetti noticed three markings on a dusty window, just like the three fingers of the demon in the film. Producer Peter Safran saw his movie become a little too real when a light fixture fell on the actor playing the janitor… in the exact spot where the demon kills the janitor in the film.
#5: The Curse Continues
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“The Amityville Horror” (2005) Since its debut in 1979, the Amityville saga has had many spinoffs, including a mini series. But it was during the remake of the original movie that the line between fiction and reality became blurred. From the start of production, many crewmembers began waking up at 3:15 a.m., just like Ryan Reynolds’ character. Even stranger than that is when Kathy Lutz – the woman who lived in the actual Amityville house – died of emphysema during production; closely followed by her husband George, who died of a heart attack after trying to sue the production team.
#4: Ghosts Destroying Cameras
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“The Omen” (2006) Ghosts can sometimes be pranksters. While filming the 2006 remake of “The Omen”, director John Moore claimed he had lost two days’ worth of footage thanks to a ghost. The interference caused by the spirit prompted the cameras to implode, and it even left a “666” error message on the camera screen. Not only that, but movie buffs say the original version of “The Omen” is one of the most cursed movies to ever be filmed. In fact, many crewmembers died from unexpected circumstances shortly after it was released.
#3: A String of Deaths
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“Poltergeist” franchise (1982-) Poltergeist is one of the most terrifying franchises in movie history, and the horror doesn’t simply take place on screen. Actress Dominique Dunne was killed by her ex-boyfriend the same year the first movie was released. Before the third instalment came out, young actress Heather O’Rourke died of septic shock after suffering an acute bowel obstruction. These deaths would haunt those who took part in the series. The blame was put on the props used, such as real skeletons, which are believed to have cursed the franchise.
#2: The Haunted Dress
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“Introducing Dorothy Dandridge” (1999) Be careful who you borrow clothes from. Halle Berry learned this lesson after filming this TV movie. To get into the groove of portraying Dorothy Dandridge, Halle Berry brought home a dress once owned by the real-life diva. While trying it on, she found it strange that the dress fit her perfectly, as if it were tailor-made for her. She claims to later have heard water boiling, and seeing a doll’s dress float in front of Dandridge’s.
#1: The Ultimate Obsession
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“The Exorcist” (1973) Known for being one of the most terrifying films of all time, The Exorcist has given nightmares to generations – including its entire film crew. Director William Friedkin had to have the set blessed by a priest many times, but the house it was filmed in still ended up burning down, delaying production by six weeks. The only room to survive the fire was that of the possessed little girl, Regan. And let’s not forget about the many injuries that occurred during the shooting, either. But given the major success that came afterward, it was probably well worth it.
