10 deaths on film sets

Real accidents happen on the set of big-budget movies, but most don't cost the lives of the actors or crew. The film industry follows a number of rules to ensure the safety of performers and crew members, but when shooting scenes with artificially created danger, actors and staff sometimes find themselves in situations where the slightest miscalculation can quickly become fatal.

10 PHOTOS

1. Raven.

Alex Proyas' acclaimed and cult-inspired adaptation of James O'Barr's The Raven tells the story of a man who rises from his grave for revenge. A year after his death, rock musician Eric Draven was given life and strength by a mysterious crow; Eric uses his powers to hunt down and kill the people who killed him and his fiancée. The role was meant to elevate actor Brandon Lee to superstardom. Instead, a series of incidents and one bullet cost the star his life. For the scene in which the character loads the gun, where blank bullets are commonly used in the film, the crew used real bullets instead, believing they removed the possibility of danger by removing the gunpowder. Unfortunately, the primer remained attached, so when the trigger was pulled, the bullet's head provoked a shot. So, when it came time for the villains to shoot Lee with blanks, the live bullet was already in the barrel. The bullet flew out and hit Lee in the stomach, hitting his spine. Lee was taken to the hospital, but it was too late, and Bruce Lee's son died on the set of the film that made him famous.

2. The Twilight Zone: The Movie

The Twilight Zone by Rod Serling is widely regarded as the greatest science fiction anthology of all time. Together with co-directors George Miller and Joe Dante, Spielberg and Landis adapted three of the series' most famous episodes and created one semi-original story. The Landis segment was a loose update of an episode of the series in which actor Vic Morrow played a fanatic forced to spend the night in the shoes of his favorite whipping boys. During the scene in which Morrow is being attacked by American soldiers in Vietnam, a helicopter crash occurs due to some unknown error. The main rotor of the helicopter decapitated Vic Morrow, along with child actors Mai-ka Dinh Le and Rene Shin-Yi Chen. John Landis and four others were later charged with two counts of manslaughter for illegally employing children. After a public trial in which footage of the accident was shown to the court, the jury decided that Landis did not expect the scene to be dangerous, and all defendants were found not guilty.

3. The best shooter.

Top Gun is a romantic action movie about macho pilots of a naval aviation squadron. This film became one of the biggest hits of the 80s and helped Tom Cruise become the most famous movie star in the world at the time. Obviously, the dogfights in the movie between all the badass fighters weren't real, but there was no way to simulate shots of American fighters taking off, flying side by side, and doing rolls and other stunts without resorting to lame miniature stunts. Experienced pilots were involved in performing aerial acrobatics. Even though the pilots were trained professionals and every precaution was taken to ensure the maximum safety of the crew, there are inherent dangers in flying that the artists face every day. Pilot Art Scholl, performing a stunt, was unable to get the plane out and eventually crashed.

4. Rust.

Actor Alex Baldwin fired a gun, resulting in the death of cameraman Galina Hutchins on the set of Rust in New Mexico on October 21, 2021. Director Joel Souza was injured. Santa Fe County officials said they are investigating the incident and trying to determine "what type of round was fired." No charges have been filed in this incident, and Baldwin, both star and producer of the film, is cooperating with authorities.

5. Teleport.

The 2008 sci-fi thriller Teleport follows a young man with the amazing ability to teleport and his adventures as he escapes from a group of religious zealots who inexplicably believe the power to be evil. The film, directed by Doug Lyman (Mr. and Mrs. Smith), contains many action scenes and stunts, but the production's lone fatality occurred during one of the safest acts: the set collapse. Artist David Ritchie was helping to dismantle a fake wall of sand and stone when a large piece collapsed on it. Richie was killed instantly and another member of the team was injured in a horrific accident.

6. The Adventures of Milo and Otis.

Known as The Adventures of Milo and Otis, the delightful and upbeat tale of boundless friendship is fondly remembered by many. Milo the cat and Otis the dog are the best of friends who help each other out of difficult situations to deliciously cheerful music that fills every heart with glee. But there are some things you might not know about the film. Disturbing information is unconfirmed but widespread rumors. Animal rights activists in the United States and Japan strongly protested the film, arguing that the filmmakers deliberately endangered animals, possibly even deliberately injuring them. In one story, a team member breaks a kitten's legs to film it stumbling. It may be strange to see this film in the list of films in which people died, but the numbers here are simply staggering. According to animal societies, up to 30 Milo and Otis died during filming, including more than 20 kittens. Although the film was approved by the SPCA, none of its officials were present during filming. They tried to investigate what happened, but could not confirm whether it was a lie.

7. Conqueror.

The Conqueror, a massive 1956 biopic about Genghis Khan, is often ranked among the worst films of all time. Aside from the era-approved casting of John Wayne as Genghis Khan, the production suffered far worse consequences due to a different decision. The exteriors were filmed near St. George, Utah, a barren, secluded area that might have been suitable for South Asia, if not considered at the time. Sadly, St. George is downwind of one of the desert locations where the US military conducted nuclear weapons tests just two years earlier. Over the next few years, 91 of the 220 cast and crew members developed some form of cancer. 46 people died, including John Wayne. There have been no lawsuits, but experts agree that the percentage was high enough to show a clear causal relationship between illness and the remaining radiation. Producer Howard Hughes felt so guilty about what had happened that for almost 18 years he withheld all copies of the film from the public.

8. Return of the Musketeers.

W. S. Fields famously advised against working with animals or children. No child actor has ever caused the death of a beloved actor character, but any film that has cast and crew working alongside large, strong animals like bears, elephants, and horses carries an added element of danger. 1989's The Return of the Musketeers, a loose adaptation of Alexandre Dumas' novel Twenty Years Later, contained many insane standards of action, including swordsmanship, shooting, and horseback riding. During the episode on horseback, English actor Roy Kinnear, best known for playing Veruca Salt's father in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, fell while filming the scene. The 54-year-old actor suffered a pelvic fracture and died the next day in a Spanish hospital from complications. Film director Richard Lester was so shocked by the incident that he made the final decision. He never made any more films.

9. Expendables 2.

The Expendables 2 stars a group of aging former action stars including Sylvester Stallone and Chuck Norris. However, the 2012 big-budget sequel was marred by tragedy when Chinese stuntman Kung Liu was killed during a scene that took place on a boat that exploded. The scene was filmed on Lake Ognyanovo, Bulgaria. Another crew member, Nuo Song, was also critically injured during the incident. In July 2012, Liu's parents filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Millenium/Nu Image Studios as well as the film's stunt coordinator Chad Stahelski. Despite the tragic events, the film was completed and released in 2012.

10. The Dark Knight.

It's doubtful that Christopher Nolan's 2008 Oscar-winning sequel led Heath Ledger to an accidental fatal overdose. But what is certain is that special effects technician Conway Wycliffe was killed while filming a stunt for the film. The New Zealand native was riding in the back seat of a four-wheel-drive car when it crashed into a tree. During the accident, he leaned out of the window because he was holding a camera filming another car. He suffered fatal injuries after the driver of the car failed to make a 90-degree turn and instead crashed into a tree at 30 kilometers per hour.