10 Movie Scenes with Disturbing Backstories

10-Movie-Scenes-with-Disturbing-Backstories

Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re looking at some of the most famous movie scenes that suffered some type of tragedy during production.

Parasailing Behind the Boat

“XXX” (2002)
In the climactic sequence of this action flick, Xander Cage parasails behind a boat in Prague. Realizing that the string is about to hit a bridge, Cage lets go and ziplines down to the boat, barely missing the bridge himself. It’s a fantastic stunt, and it looks brilliant on film. Unfortunately, it cost stuntman Harry O’Connor his life. While filming the second take, O’Connor slammed into Palacký Bridge, breaking his neck and tragically passing away. Out of respect for his work, director Rob Cohen dedicated the final product to his memory. The wide shot of Cage disappearing behind the bridge is the real shot of O’Connor, though there’s conflicting information on whether it’s from the first or second take.

The Skeleton Pool

“Poltergeist” (1982)
Another climactic sequence, another bit of horrifying movie trivia. Diane Freeling slips into her swimming pool, and she is met by a number of skeletons that appear out of the water. Well, you can probably see where this is going. Yep, those are real. Makeup artist Craig Reardon reportedly purchased a number of surgical skeletons and made them up to appear more ghoulish. Actress JoBeth Williams had no idea that the skeletons were real, assuming, quite understandably, that they were props made by the special effects team. And at least one apparent reason for using real human bodies instead of making their own? You probably know the answer to that too - it was cheaper.

Falling into the Canal

“Summertime” (1955)
One of David Lean’s more grounded films, “Summertime” tells of a budding relationship in Venice between secretary Jane Hudson and antiques dealer Renato de Rossi. Katharine Hepburn plays Jane and received her sixth Oscar nomination for the performance. She also received a permanent eye infection. In one scene, Jane is filming de Rossi’s shop when she ends up in the canal. Despite having doubts about the safety of the water, Hepburn performed the fall herself after much prodding from Lean. Shortly after executing the stunt, she began experiencing pain in her eyes and was diagnosed with pink eye. It was an uncommon form of the ailment, and became a chronic issue that stayed with Hepburn.

“Man Overboard!”

“Das Boot” (1981)
A very popular German war film, “Das Boot” follows submarine U-96 and its experiences during the Battle of the Atlantic. In one terrific sequence, U-96 gets caught in a nasty storm and Pilgrim gets swept away by the water. According to movie lore, actor Jan Fedder was actually swept off the prop boat. A co-star, seeing the accident, apparently yelled “Man overboard!” Fedder was injured in the fall, with some sources claiming that he suffered a concussion and others that he broke ribs. As the movie was filmed chronologically, Pilgrim was reportedly rewritten in order to accommodate Fedder, who spent much of his time recovering in bed.

Pretty Much the Whole Movie

“The Conqueror” (1956)
This is one of the most legendary films in movie history, for more reasons than one. First, it’s terrible and problematic. Second, it was one giant health and safety disaster. Any time you see them in the desert, they’re filming downwind from a nuclear test site. And when production moved back to Hollywood, Howard Hughes had tons of radioactive dirt shipped to the studio in order to keep continuity. About 40% of the crew eventually developed cancer, which many have attributed to the hazardous filming site. However, these numbers also match the rates found in the general population, and tobacco use was extremely heavy at the time, leading some to question if the nuclear fallout was the true cause. Well, it certainly couldn’t have helped…

Attacked by Real Birds

“The Birds” (1963)
Alfred Hitchcock had a murky relationship with actors, once even claiming that they “should be treated like cattle.” And few got it worse than Tippi Hedren. Hitchcock was reportedly obsessed with Hedren and often acted in a problematic manner towards her. This extended to her physical safety, which he threatened during the climactic sequence of “The Birds.” To film the attack in the attic, Hitchcock had live birds thrown at Hedren - live birds that were physically attached to her at a point to prevent them from flying away. Eventually, one of the birds scratched Hedren’s face, and a doctor ordered that filming be stopped.

The Horse Head

“The Godfather” (1972)
It’s one of the most famous scenes in cinema - Jack Woltz wakes up and finds blood in his bed. Peeling away the blankets, he finds more and more blood until finally coming to the source - the decapitated head of his prized horse, courtesy of Vito Corleone. Francis Ford Coppola is known for his extreme style of directing, not to mention his penchant for showing real animal violence on screen. Turns out, this was a real horse head, which was acquired from a company that manufactured dog food. The studio asked Coppola to use a prop head. However, he didn’t like the way it looked. So, he acquired a real one. They put it in the bed, added a little prop blood, and made movie history.

The Long Takes

“The Shining” (1980)
This classic film contains a number of complicated long shots, like the one where Wendy backs up the stairs and when she and Jack walk through the hotel with Stuart Ullman. The former scene is particularly infamous, with the Guinness Book of Records claiming it was shot 127 times. According to Lee Unkrich, who wrote a massive book on “The Shining,” this is not true. However, the dolly shot of Wendy and Jack walking through the hotel apparently took 66 takes to complete - the most in the film, per Unkrich. Regardless, Kubrick’s methodical style slowly eroded at Shelley Duvall, who reportedly started losing her hair from the constant stress. She later told Roger Ebert that making the movie was “almost unbearable.”

Willard’s Breakdown

“Apocalypse Now” (1979)
We return to Francis Ford Coppola for “Apocalypse Now,” which might as well describe the making of the film. Its production is as famous and notorious as the movie itself, and that includes the near-death and mental health struggles of star Martin Sheen. By the late 1970s, Sheen was dealing with alcohol use disorder and was in poor health, even suffering a heart attack on the set of the film, despite being just 36. The scene depicting Willard’s breakdown was real, with Sheen claiming that he was “[wrestling] with some demons.” Coppola tried stopping him, but he was adamant that they continue filming. So Coppola kept the cameras rolling, capturing an actor at a difficult point in his life.

The Murder Flashback

“The Crow” (1994)
One of the most notorious movie accidents occurred on March 31, 1993. Brandon Lee was filming the scene where Eric is shot and thrown from his apartment window. Unfortunately, this moment, and the entire film, for that matter - have forever been tarnished by Lee’s tragic death. The scene required him to be shot at with blank rounds. But thanks to some grossly negligent actions by the production, a real .44 Magnum bullet was fired into his abdomen, killing him. The remaining scenes were reworked to accommodate Lee’s death, and his face was notably superimposed onto the body of a stunt double.


Can you think of any more scenes with disturbing backstories? Let us know in the comments below!