Fatal movies: 12 films where people died on the set
The film sets of action films become life-threatening places. Explosions, weapons and fast cars pose a deadly threat to everyone involved in the film process. The tragedy that recently happened to the cameraman Halyna Hutchins, who was shot by Alec Baldwin, confirms this once again. Unfortunately, this accident is far from the only one in the history of world cinema. During the filming of famous films, both actors and stuntmen, as well as people who worked behind the scenes, died and were injured.
During the filming of the film "Rust" Alec Baldwin accidentally killed the director of photography Galina Hutchins. The director-screenwriter Joel Souza, who is now in critical condition, also suffered from the shot. How a firearm with live ammunition ended up on the set, and why Baldwin directed it at the cameraman and director, the police will have to find out.
Unfortunately, tragic incidents on film sets happen from time to time. Actors and ordinary people die from improper use of weapons, careless behavior with explosives and other reasons. Here are the films, the shooting of which ended in death for their participants.
In March 2021, an employee on the set of Anne Hathaway's film "Witches" was found guilty of stabbing a colleague during an altercation over a cup of tea.
56-year-old Johnny Walker attacked Daren Langford after he wanted to take the last cup of tea, despite the fact that he had already drunk one. Walker stabbed Langford in the throat with a knife, causing a deep wound. Fortunately, the victim remained alive, and the attacker received a well-deserved punishment.
What happened on the first day of filming the movie "Midnight Rider" became one of the worst accidents in the history of modern cinema. In a biographical tape about the life of musician Gregg Allman, a scene was filmed where actor William Hurt lies in a hospital bed on a railway bridge. Later it became known that the producers were forbidden to shoot on the railway tracks, but they decided to realize their plan, no matter what.
During the filming of the ill-fated scene, a freight train was traveling at a speed of 90 km/h on actors and workers. People had only one way out — to run. A huge machine crashed into a hospital bed, which was immediately blown apart.
One of the pieces hit the assistant Sarah Jones and knocked her down. A woman died under the wheels of a train.
Seven other members of the film crew were injured. Director Randall Miller has pleaded guilty to manslaughter and trespassing. He received 10 years in prison and served one year.
The movie "The Raven" was supposed to be a big breakthrough for Bruce Lee's son, Brandon. But, unfortunately, the 28-year-old actor said goodbye to life on the set. Just a week before the end of filming, Brandon participated in a scene where another actor shoots him with a revolver.
The blank bullet from the filming of the previous episode for some reason got stuck in the muzzle, and no one noticed it. When Brandon was shot, the blank cartridge flew into him, almost with the same force as the combat one. The actor was shot in the stomach. Despite all the efforts of surgeons, it was not possible to save Brandon Lee: he died on the operating table.
During the filming of Steven Spielberg and John Landis, a real disaster occurred. In one scene, actor Vic Morrow had to rescue two children from a burning village, and a helicopter was descending over their heads.
Suddenly, the flames from the burning zone spread to the helicopter, and the pilot lost control over it. An out-of-control car fell on an actor and two children in front of a huge film crew. Vic Morrow and a seven-year-old boy were decapitated by the rotor blades, and a six-year-old girl was crushed by a fallen helicopter.
The terrible tragedy became the subject of legal proceedings that dragged on for almost 10 years. In the end, all members of the film crew, including director Landis, were acquitted.
The film "The Conqueror" was recognized as one of the worst in the history of world cinema, not only because of the bad plot, but also because of the danger to which the actors and crew members were exposed. John Wayne as Genghis Khan was filmed in the Nevada Desert, in a place where nuclear tests and atomic bombs were detonated for many years. The filmmakers knew about this, but the state authorities constantly assured local residents that there was no radioactive danger.
As a result, 91 out of 220 crew members developed cancer within 25 years. 46 people, including John Wayne, died from this terrible disease. There is no confirmation that radiation was the cause of cancer, but some experts continue to associate the disease with the filming locations of the film.
Eddie Murphy's Gothic comedy is remembered in connection with the tragedy that happened while performing a stunt by a stuntman. The understudy of Angela Bassett, who played the role of a vampire, 32-year-old Sonja Davis, died after falling from a 13-meter height. Everything happened in front of the girl's mother and brother, who were present at the shooting.
The terrible incident remained on the video footage: the girl falls on the airbag, which was supposed to soften the blow. But, instead, the stuntman bounced off the pillow and hit the wall of the building. Sonya suffered numerous injuries and died after spending 19 days in a coma.
In the blockbuster "The Expendables 2" almost everything explodes, so the shooting was very dangerous. The second part of the film was shot in Bulgaria. Stuntman Kun Liu died on Lake Ognyanovo, where the scene of an explosion on a boat was filmed. His colleague, Nuo Sun, was also injured during this explosion, but survived after a successful 5-hour operation.
Heath Ledger was posthumously awarded an Oscar for his performance as the Joker. Unfortunately, this is not the only death associated with the movie "The Dark Knight".
41-year-old Conway Wickliffe, a special effects specialist, died while conducting a test explosion of the batmobile. He was leaning out of the window and setting up the camera when the accident occurred. The car could not turn sharply at the end of the run, flew off the road and crashed into a tree. Wycliffe suffered serious injuries, from which he later died.
One of the most terrible accidents during filming was a stunt stunt in the thriller "Three X". The footage of Vin Diesel's understudy, Harry O'Connor, dying during an unsuccessful parachute jump, remained in the film.
The tragedy occurred near the Palatsky Bridge in Prague. The first time everything went well, but when the stuntman started to descend for the final shot, something went wrong. A former special forces soldier died after hitting his head on a bridge.
Professional motorcycle racer Joey Harris (Joi Harris) died while performing a stunt stunt in the movie "Deadpool 2". She first tried herself as a stuntwoman, working as a stand-in for Zazie Bitz. The girl had almost completed the trick, performing it without a helmet, when the tragedy occurred.
While filming in Vancouver, Joey suddenly lost control of her motorcycle, drove onto the sidewalk and flew into a glass display case. Doctors tried to save her, but the woman died at the scene of the accident. She was only 40 years old.
A similar disaster occurred with stuntman Olivia Jackson (Olivia Jackson) from South Africa. She also crashed on a motorcycle during the filming of the movie "Resident Evil: The Last Chapter." Olivia did not wear a helmet while performing the trick, at the request of the directors. The girl developed speed in front of the camera, which was mounted on a lifting crane in front of her to create spectacular shots. But, during the third attempt, the camera was not raised high enough, and the stuntwoman crashed right into it.
The injuries were so severe that Olivia had to have her arm amputated. Half of the face was torn so much that teeth were visible. The girl was put into a medical coma for 17 days, and several operations were performed. The stuntwoman continues to fight for her rights in court sessions and is working on a documentary about her recovery.
Even more Hollywood actors suffered from various injuries on the set. Spectacular shots are achieved at the cost of bruises and bruises, and sometimes serious damage.