10 Eerie Behind-The-Scenes Details Of Iconic Movies That Will Give You Chills
Who said making movies is easy (and safe)?
Annabelle didn’t just scare audiences, it apparently scared the crew too. During production, director John R. Leonetti said the apartment set had a window that showed up with marks nobody had put there, and they matched the script so perfectly it felt like the story was writing itself.
Picture the scene: they’re filming in that living room, and in the transom window above it, there’s a full moon drawn in dust. Then come the three fingers, dragged through the grime like a message, and Leonetti’s explanation makes it worse, because he connected the marks directly to the demon’s signature three fingers and talons.
And once you see how specific those scratches were, it’s hard not to wonder what else on these sets was “planned.”
1. Mysterious Marks On A Window On The Set Of Annabelle
The horror film Annabelle had an unexpected issue arise during production. John R. Leonetti, the director, told The Hollywood Reporter that the set window had mysterious marks that nobody had put there. However, the strange markings were found to match those written into the script perfectly.
“We went into the apartment where we were shooting, and in the transom window above the living room window, it was a full moon, and there were three fingers drawn through the dust along the window. Our demon has three fingers and three talons,” he recalled.
United International Pictures2. The Simpsons Predicted 9/11
To round out this list, it is important to note that The Simpsons have been known to accurately anticipate future events. In 1997, the show ran an episode featuring a brochure that had two towers in the background, forming the appearance of an eleven—a chilling premonition of the 9/11 tragedy.
Whether this was a coincidence or not is yet to be determined. Nevertheless, it is undoubtedly an eerie reminder of the show's power.
United International Pictures3. Jennifer Carpenter’s Radio Would Turn On By Itself
The Exorcism of Emily Rose is another movie that deals with strange events that occurred after an exorcism was captured on film. Jennifer Carpenter's radio reportedly turned on all by itself while they were shooting. Additionally, Laura Linney's TV set is said to have done the same thing.
Lionsgate
4. Vera Farmiga Had Mysterious Marks On Her Body After The Conjuring
Vera Farmiga's performance as the psychic Lorraine Warren in The Conjuring was remarkable and so realistic that it caused her difficulty off the set. In an interview, Farmiga revealed she had three distinct scratches on her thigh that looked as if they had been made with long nails or thin fingertips.
"It was these three very distinct marks that looked like claw marks," Farmiga said.
Lionsgate
5. The Set Of The Exorcist Was Haunted
One of the most iconic horror stories of all time, The Exorcist, was known not only for its frightening storyline but also for its eerie tales from behind the scenes. Rumor has it that the set was highly cursed, and the cast and crew experienced a great deal of difficulty both during and after the production of the film.
The story of Regan and her mother's home from the movie becoming engulfed in flames is well-known, but not all was destroyed in the fire. Regan's bedroom, which was supposed to portray her possession, was left completely unscathed.
The director suggested that the fire might have been caused by pigeons flying into a lightbox. However, the crew still opted to bring a priest to bless the set as a precaution.
Lionsgate
6. Three Crew Members Of The Omen Were Almost Struck By Lightning
When discussing classic Hollywood horror films, The Omen certainly has some eerie facts behind the scenes. Shockingly, three members of the crew were almost hit by lightning during production.
Gregory Peck's plane was struck during his flight to begin shooting, and executive producer Mace Neufeld's plane was hit by lightning only a few weeks later. Even producer Harvey Bernhard narrowly escaped being struck by lightning while filming in Rome.
All of these uncanny occurrences would make one question if some malicious forces were at play.
20th Century Fox
This echoes the researchers’ findings about numerous unexplained tremors near a classified US nuclear weapons testing facility, see the report.
7. Shark Used The Death Of Their Employee As A Promotion
Speaking of underwater accidents, Shark was originally named Caine. The decision to change the name came after a shark killed a stunt person during the shooting of the movie.
The shark broke through the protective netting and attacked the poor guy. The photos of his death were later used for marketing the film.
20th Century Fox
8. The Water Tank Scene In Now You See Me
The water tank scene in Now You See Me almost killed the actress Isla Fisher, as her release chain got stuck while she was wearing her costume. Fisher was frantically trying to escape, while everyone on the set thought she was just executing her role to perfection.
It was a close call for the actress, but thankfully she made it out in one piece.
“I was actually drowning,” she shared on Chelsea Lately. “Everyone thought I was acting fabulously… no one realized I was actually struggling.”
20th Century Fox
9. The Omen’s Special Effects Artist Also Had A Car Crash That Mirrored A Death In The Film
John Richardson, a special effects artist, has become another victim of the "cursed" movie, The Omen. He was responsible for the makeup in the film's decapitation scene.
On Friday the 13th, a horrific car accident occurred involving Richardson and his assistant—a crash that Richardson amazingly survived.
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10. The Strangling Scene In Poltergeist Was Real
The actor in the iconic clown scene in Poltergeist recalls how frightened he was, stating, "I was in a tight, confined space beneath the bed, and it was almost like being in a car accident. It happened so fast that I don't remember it, but if Steven hadn't pulled me away, who knows what might have happened?" In reality, he was being strangled for real.
20th Century Fox
That same kind of “we didn’t do it” energy shows up again in The Conjuring when Vera Farmiga says she later found three claw-like marks on her thigh.</p>
Before anyone could chalk it up to coincidence, the Exorcism of Emily Rose crew dealt with Jennifer Carpenter’s radio turning on by itself while they were shooting.</p>
Even The Exorcist got a reputation for being haunted, because the set wasn’t just eerie on camera, it was eerie off it too.</p>
And if you want to feel extra uneasy, The Simpsons were out there doing their own creepy thing with that 1997 9/11 “brochure” image, like the universe loves spoilers.</p>
Well, this was scary. However, there may be a logical explanation.
Making a movie about unexplained eerie events can certainly be an unnerving experience. As we become more engrossed in the film, we become more susceptible to events around us.
Our minds become more alert, and our senses heightened, allowing us to pick up on even the slightest noises or movements in our environment.
The scary part isn’t that these movies had eerie moments, it’s that they kept matching the story like something was trying to get in.
Those “objects causing sparks and flames” in Amazon’s UAE data center make this feel even creepier, read what happened next here.
