The amount of deaths on set of THE LAST LION.
The serial killer who was an actor in THE EXORCIST.
Saw a video over the weekend about the tragedy on the set of Twilight Zone: The Movie.....
Quote from: LilCerberus on March 18, 2026, 09:46:03 AMSaw a video over the weekend about the tragedy on the set of Twilight Zone: The Movie.....
That was horrible. 😳
It still amazes me that John Landis got away with murder and worse: that his career continued successfully thereafter 😳😳
Who was the serial killer in THE EXORCIST?
Quote from: M.10rda on March 18, 2026, 02:23:26 PMWho was the serial killer in THE EXORCIST?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Bateson
Quote from: Trevor on March 18, 2026, 10:56:16 AMQuote from: LilCerberus on March 18, 2026, 09:46:03 AMSaw a video over the weekend about the tragedy on the set of Twilight Zone: The Movie.....
That was horrible. 😳
It still amazes me that John Landis got away with murder and worse: that his career continued successfully thereafter 😳😳
A couple of years ago, just after the pandemic, I went to an exhibition of Ray Harryhausen's work. I found myself unable to listen to the narrated tour as it was John Landis who had recorded it.
Quote from: Alex on March 19, 2026, 12:19:12 AMQuote from: Trevor on March 18, 2026, 10:56:16 AMQuote from: LilCerberus on March 18, 2026, 09:46:03 AMSaw a video over the weekend about the tragedy on the set of Twilight Zone: The Movie.....
That was horrible. 😳
It still amazes me that John Landis got away with murder and worse: that his career continued successfully thereafter 😳😳
A couple of years ago, just after the pandemic, I went to an exhibition of Ray Harryhausen's work. I found myself unable to listen to the narrated tour as it was John Landis who had recorded it.
😳😳 I don't blame you for feeling that way.
Quote from: LilCerberus on March 18, 2026, 02:27:03 PMQuote from: M.10rda on March 18, 2026, 02:23:26 PMWho was the serial killer in THE EXORCIST?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Bateson
The second scariest fact about THE EXORCIST.
Quote from: LilCerberus on March 18, 2026, 02:27:03 PMQuote from: M.10rda on March 18, 2026, 02:23:26 PMWho was the serial killer in THE EXORCIST?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Bateson
Thanks. What a story. IMHO, the Wiki alone fails to provide any persuasive evidence that Bateson was actually a "serial killer" as opposed to just a convicted murderer (of one victim). I tend to think the prosecutor was trying to railroad him for the other, distinct and unrelated murders - not an unheard of strategy per law enforcement during the era. The serial murders are totally dissimilar from the crime of passion Bateson definitely committed, and as Batesom himself stated (and as his behavior w/ cops would reflect) - he was a serious alcoholic drinking a liter of vodka a night, which made him (as it generally would make me) pretty docile and unmotivated to do much but sleep. One night of cocaine, poppers, and rejection drove Bateson to hit a guy over the head and then stab him - which doesn't remotely match the methodical work of the Bag guy.
Besides the halfhearted allegations of law enforcement :lookingup: all we've got to go on is William Freidkin's claim that Bateson told him he committed the serial murders, as well... but Friedkin (who was still promoting CRUISING) got all the details wrong about the murder that Bateson
did commit, so... :bluesad: not too persuasive.
On the upside - this made me spiral down an RH that included a suggestion from last year (!) that David Fincher planned to revive the engrossing, sadly truncated "Mindhunters" as a trilogy of movies... so that's :thumbup: .
Quote from: LilCerberus on March 18, 2026, 02:27:03 PMQuote from: M.10rda on March 18, 2026, 02:23:26 PMWho was the serial killer in THE EXORCIST?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Bateson
Wow, I didn't know that before. I am surprised to read that all.
What happened on the set of THE CONQUEROR and later is even more scarier. 😳
Oh sure. Something like THE CONQUEROR goes way beyond Landis' negligence on his TWILIGHT ZONE installment, in my book. But Landis is still alive whereas everyone involved in THE CONQUEROR is dead, so I guess it would make little sense to be screaming for accountability on that one.
I mentioned the South African film THE LAST LION (1972)
It is known as South Africa's cursed film and with good reason.
Its star Jack Hawkins died before the film was released.
The film's composer Con Lamprecht died during post production.
The film's female lead Karen Spies quit acting not long after.
The film's sound man James Chapman was mauled to death by a lion.
The lions trainer Ossie Bristow was arrested for murder.
A nice film to watch - screenplay by Wilbur Smith, no less - if you don't know the backstory. 😳😳
It is on YouTube if you want to see it.
Okay, on the TWILIGHT ZONE/CONQUEROR riff, if perhaps somehow less [sic] prolific in its horrible impact:
CLOWNHOUSE (1989)
........One of those Hollywood-adjacent productions that, sadly, lends the tiniest bit of credence to wild/mostly illusory claims that the industry is merely some kind of front for child predation. The perpetrator - writer/director Victor Salva - was charged, convicted, and imprisoned, then released, paroled, and went on to make several more films (many of which have creepy themes of pederasty or pedovorism) and to apparently creep out future collaborators to the extent that he hasn't made a new film in nearly a decade.
But the big (and queasy) picture of how crimes during CLOWNHOUSE were allowed to happen - and initially seemed to have been obscured - has remained opaque, in spite of the ongoing efforts of the victim (CLOWNHOUSE's lead actor, who was 7 or 8 at the time) to keep the story alive.
College age Sam Rockwell co-starred (his debut) and has claimed in retrospect that he had no idea what was happening on set. (I've met Rockwell briefly and know folks who've worked w/ him, and he seems like a nice and genuine guy, but Rockwell's own character in the film is subject to some creepy/sexualized treatment.)
I'm more uncomfortable (vis-a-vis Landis on TZ) by the role that CLOWNHOUSE's producer Francis Ford Coppola played or failed to play during and/or after the lead actor's abuse. It seems like FFC was dismissive of the allegations and more concerned about the impact of the victim's allegations on the film's completion and success. That kind of behavior is to be (sadly) expected of the investor class :lookingup: in my experience....... but this isn't an anonymous money man, it's one of the most esteemed filmmakers of the 20th century. Coppola should've done better in this case, to the say the least. (Of course, his misadventures making APOCALYPSE NOW would imply that his judgment, historically, has been at times impaired.......)
I keep meaning to mention the helicopter crash in Hands Of Steel
Quote from: M.10rda on March 19, 2026, 10:47:54 AMOkay, on the TWILIGHT ZONE/CONQUEROR riff, if perhaps somehow less [sic] prolific in its horrible impact:
CLOWNHOUSE (1989)
........One of those Hollywood-adjacent productions that, sadly, lends the tiniest bit of credence to wild/mostly illusory claims that the industry is merely some kind of front for child predation. The perpetrator - writer/director Victor Salva - was charged, convicted, and imprisoned, then released, paroled, and went on to make several more films (many of which have creepy themes of pederasty or pedovorism) and to apparently creep out future collaborators to the extent that he hasn't made a new film in nearly a decade.
But the big (and queasy) picture of how crimes during CLOWNHOUSE were allowed to happen - and initially seemed to have been obscured - has remained opaque, in spite of the ongoing efforts of the victim (CLOWNHOUSE's lead actor, who was 7 or 8 at the time) to keep the story alive.
College age Sam Rockwell co-starred (his debut) and has claimed in retrospect that he had no idea what was happening on set. (I've met Rockwell briefly and know folks who've worked w/ him, and he seems like a nice and genuine guy, but Rockwell's own character in the film is subject to some creepy/sexualized treatment.)
I'm more uncomfortable (vis-a-vis Landis on TZ) by the role that CLOWNHOUSE's producer Francis Ford Coppola played or failed to play during and/or after the lead actor's abuse. It seems like FFC was dismissive of the allegations and more concerned about the impact of the victim's allegations on the film's completion and success. That kind of behavior is to be (sadly) expected of the investor class :lookingup: in my experience....... but this isn't an anonymous money man, it's one of the most esteemed filmmakers of the 20th century. Coppola should've done better in this case, to the say the least. (Of course, his misadventures making APOCALYPSE NOW would imply that his judgment, historically, has been at times impaired.......)
Speaking as a child abuse survivor, Salva should have been jailed for life. 😖
Quote from: LilCerberus on March 19, 2026, 10:59:09 AMI keep meaning to mention the helicopter crash in Hands Of Steel
That was terrible indeed.
The crashes which killed several crew members on the set of TIGER JOE and DELTA FORCE 2 were also horrible 😔😔
Quote from: Trevor on March 19, 2026, 11:12:26 AMQuote from: LilCerberus on March 19, 2026, 10:59:09 AMI keep meaning to mention the helicopter crash in Hands Of Steel
That was terrible indeed.
The crashes which killed several crew members on the set of TIGER JOE and DELTA FORCE 2 were also horrible 😔😔
The irony of Hands Of Steel, was that John Saxon was was supposed to be on that helicopter, but he refused to film scenes in the USA because of union rules....
Rest in Peace Claudio Cassinelli, but I'm relieved that Saxon survived.
there's a bit in the HANDS OF STEEL blu ray extras dedicated to that incident...
I'm pretty sure it was a case of they already had the scene in the bag but for some reason the guy wanted to do it again, and the director even tried to dissuade him? (if that's wrong I'll edit later, but I think that's correct)
love that film!
Roar, an early 80s adventure comedy, had an insane amount of live animals used in it's production, including an elephant and over 130 big cats (as in lions and such), and a huge assortment of large birds.
Because no other male movie star wanted to work with that many animals, the director and producer ended up starring as the male lead, with his wife and her daughter in supporting roles. It took five years to film, another 11 for production, somewhere between 70 and 100 cast and crew members were injured by untrained animals. A flood destroyed most of the set and equipment at one point.
14 lions and tigers (but no bears) also died due to illness.
Yeah, I reviewed ROAR last year, I think - it's a real $#!tshow. Melanie Griffith (who was legitimately very pretty as a teenager) was clawed badly in the face and required reconstructive surgery... she still returned to production months later. I know this isn't very nice to express but I never thought Griffith was all that hot-looking as an adult nor a terribly expressive actress... well, maybe we can chalk that up to the emergency plastic surgery. :bluesad:
Her mom Tippi Hedren was also injured on-set... she eventually divorced her husband (the director/star) though only several years after. He lost most of his fortune making ROAR (he had co-produced THE EXORCIST) as well as their Hollywood home. And, of course, a lot of the cats that he ostensibly cared about/for got hurt or killed. :bluesad: :hatred:
All that said - if you can forget about all that stuff, somehow :bouncegiggle: - I think the film itself is a uniquely thrilling horror movie experience. (Of course it's intended as a family comedy.) It plays like TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE if Leatherface was dozens of big furry adorable kitties. The director is pretty entertaining in the lead, as well - like if Will Ferrell played a Kurt Russell action hero. In several shots huge cats leap on him and wrestle him to the ground (clearly impromptu), claw him up accidentally, then he's all bloody and his clothes are shredded. It's insane.
yes, ROAR is like a fairly standard movie except all the actors are getting constantly mauled and roughed up by lions throughout, for real. while delivering their lines.
edit, Michael Bay should adopt this approach
On the set of the Lugosi film SUCH MEN ARE DANGEROUS (1930)- On January 2, 1930, during aerial filming, a short distance off the Californian coast near Santa Monica, two Stinson Detroiter aircraft employed as camera platforms collided whilst filming the parachute jump scene.
one actor who appears briefly in GOODFELLAS (Louis Eppolito) was an actual crooked NYPD cop who was later convicted of 8 mob related murders :buggedout:
Not a movie, but a TV episode....
"The Twilight Zone" A Hundred Yards Over the Rim (1961)
Quote from: LilCerberus on March 31, 2026, 07:54:35 PMNot a movie, but a TV episode....
"The Twilight Zone" A Hundred Yards Over the Rim (1961)
Sorry, I meant "The Dummy" (1962)
This isn't exactly BACK story but I think it fits the topic close enough.
The actor who played Random Task in Austin Powers ("Who throws a shoe?") is serving a life sentence plus 27 years in jail.
He kidnapped, raped, and tortured a woman, and then after being placed in jail, he murdered his cell mate and got additional time added.
Should have just stuck to throwing shoes.
Elmer McCurdy, who was killed in 1911, and his body was found on set while filming an episode of The Six Million Dollar Man........
Quote from: chainsaw midget on April 03, 2026, 08:13:48 PMThis isn't exactly BACK story but I think it fits the topic close enough.
The actor who played Random Task in Austin Powers ("Who throws a shoe?") is serving a life sentence plus 27 years in jail.
He kidnapped, raped, and tortured a woman, and then after being placed in jail, he murdered his cell mate and got additional time added.
Should have just stuck to throwing shoes.
I just googled him: OMG 😳😳😳
The Exorcist (1973) - A massive fire destroyed the entire set of the MacNeil home—except for Regan's bedroom, where the exorcism takes place. The cause of the fire was never officially determined, but it delayed production by six weeks.
The Wizard of Oz (1939) - To create the falling snow that wakes Dorothy, the production used 100% pure industrial grade chrysotile asbestos.
I wanted to post more, but realized I already did those for Trevor's same thread in January :tongueout: :smile:
https://www.badmovies.org/forum/index.php?topic=160449.0
Oh boy. I just came across this one... I daren't even attempt to encapsulate the facts behind this bizarre semi-lost film. Check it out yourself, if you dare. Trigger Warning for (ex-ten-sive!) discussion of/reference to sexual assault and obv NSFW:
https://lostmediawiki.com/Nice_To_Meet_You,_Please_Don%27t_Rape_Me!_(partially_lost_South_African_musical_satire_film;_1994)
If it existed in any form to sufficiently adjudicate its quality, it might've been one of history's great political satires. Or... just horrifyingly insensitive exploitation.
not a movie (and dunno if this counts as 'backstory' exactly), but...
on the very first episode of the tv comedy series FATHER TED, a travelling fair comes to town and main character Ted (Dermot Morgan) visits the tarot reader, where she gives him the grim reaper 'death' card.
one day after completing filming on the last episode of the final series, Dermot Morgan suddenly collapsed and died, age 45.
Quote from: M.10rda on April 07, 2026, 01:36:04 PMOh boy. I just came across this one... I daren't even attempt to encapsulate the facts behind this bizarre semi-lost film. Check it out yourself, if you dare. Trigger Warning for (ex-ten-sive!) discussion of/reference to sexual assault and obv NSFW:
https://lostmediawiki.com/Nice_To_Meet_You,_Please_Don%27t_Rape_Me!_(partially_lost_South_African_musical_satire_film;_1994)
If it existed in any form to sufficiently adjudicate its quality, it might've been one of history's great political satires. Or... just horrifyingly insensitive exploitation.
I've never heard of that movie until right now.
Well, it is "partially lost".
THE MAN WHO HAUNTED HIMSELF (1970) starring Sir Roger Moore has a theme where a driver survives a near fatal accident only to find that there are now two of him.
The films director Basil Dearden died in a car accident a year later 😳😳