What are the most terrifying movies of all time? For many, the obvious answer is either The Exorcist or some other film featuring demons and possession. However, when it comes to being truly frightening, we’re not talking about ghosts or zombies or whatever other fantastical things Hollywood wants you to be afraid of – we’re talking about what could happen in real life . . . with some creative liberties taken here and there, of course. Read on to learn the dark secrets about scary movies that the studios probably never wanted anyone to know.
1) Child actors were traumatized during the making of The Exorcist
This is one of the most shocking stories about frightening films that the studio likely never wanted to see the light of day. Several child actors were traumatized during the making of The Exorcist when they had to act out scenes where a boy was being raped by an animal. And there are also stories about people being hit and cut on set. Plus, many people involved with the movie went through some sort of mental trauma from their involvement with it.
The writers for these films were so disturbed that they either left or died: Stephen King has said he will never write anything like IT again because it gave him nightmares;
And Shirley Jackson suffered from depression after writing her famous novel, The Haunting of Hill House.
2) The Conjuring is based on a true story that is even more disturbing than the movie
The Conjuring is based on a true story that is even more disturbing than the movie. Lorraine Warren and her husband Ed were paranormal investigators who specialized in hauntings. When the Perron family asked for their help with a case of haunting, they couldn’t have anticipated the terrifying things that happened to them. This is one of those stories where you hope it’s not real, but it’s too scary to be a lie! They moved into the house in 1971. At first, nothing really seemed out of the ordinary except for some unexplained noises from time to time and what appeared to be a living presence. It wasn’t until Christmas Eve when two figures dressed as nuns were seen outside the window that something started going wrong – very wrong.
3) The Omen was plagued by accidents and tragedies during production
Author and researcher David J. Skal’s book, The Omen: Story of a Curse, contains many disturbing stories about the production of The Omen. One story is about how an engineer on the set was killed when he fell from a crane while setting up equipment. Another concerns the film’s director, Richard Donner, who fell off a horse and was injured during filming. The cast and crew were plagued by accidents and tragedies during production that the studios probably never wanted anyone to know. This is just one example of how scary movies can be more than just fiction.
4) The Texas Chainsaw Massacre was shot in an actual abandoned slaughterhouse
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre tells the story of five teenagers in 1974 who are on their way to visit their grandfather’s grave. After being attacked by a man dressed as a scarecrow and then running out of gas, they stumble across a house. What they find is not only grisly but one of the most disturbing films ever made. When Tobe Hooper first began writing the screenplay, he was unaware that there really was an abandoned slaughterhouse not far from his home in Kaufman County, Texas. Knowing this location would be perfect for his film, he contacted meat-packing company JBS Swift and told them about his idea for the movie.
5) A Nightmare on Elm Street was inspired by a real-life stalker
A Nightmare on Elm Street was inspired by a real-life stalker. Wes Craven, the creator of the iconic film series, has said that he was inspired by a guy who used to stalk him and his friends in their teens. He would show up at our house when my parents were out of town and just walk in the door and we wouldn’t know he was there, Craven told Scream magazine in 1991. It was scary. But what’s even more disturbing is that Robert Englund, who played Freddy Krueger in the original films, thinks it’s all fun and games – as if getting into character isn’t disturbing enough for us! I think it’s great, Englund told Entertainment Weekly. A little depth is added by it.
6) Friday the 13th was almost cancelled due to budget problems
Friday the 13th is among the most recognizable horror movie series ever. Between 1980 and 1984, Friday the 13th saw four installments released in theaters. It even spawned a television show on CBS, which aired from 1987 to 1990. But there was a time when plans were in place to cancel Friday the 13th altogether. In fact, it wasn’t until Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives that director Tom McLoughlin was able to make his mark on the series, and the final installment before Pamela Vorhees’ death had been filmed with actress Betsy Palmer reprising her role as Mrs. Voorhees for one last time.
7) Halloween was made on a shoestring budget and only had 3 days of shooting
Halloween was made on a shoestring budget and only had 3 days of shooting. The film was shot during the summer, so the cast and crew were suffering in unbearable heat. Michael Myers’s mask was a Captain Kirk mask from William Shatner’s 1968 album The Transformed Man. There are rumors that the director initially planned for Myers to be unmasked at the end of the film, but he scrapped it in order to make it scarier. A lot of people are scared of clowns because John Wayne Gacy raped and murdered 33 teenage boys before being executed in 1994.
The producers behind An American Werewolf In London didn’t want to put out a sequel until they could work out how they wanted it to end.
