Superstitious or not, some of these rumored Hollywood Curses are creepy and make you question what is just coincidence and what could be more…
5. The ‘Dark Knight’ Curse
This one is a stretch, but it is still a rumored “curse” according to die-hard believers. Things started with the death of a crew member. A truck carrying the technician and a camera platform crashed into a tree while following a stunt vehicle. Heath Ledger’s death followed after filming had finished, but many blamed his insomnia and troubled mental state on delving too deep into his character. He mixed a lethal blend of sleep aids and pain killers and died before the film hit theaters. Christian Bale also faced some troubles just before the film’s London premiere. He went crazy and had a violent outburst that resulted in assault charges filed by his mother and sister. Morgan Freeman nearly died in a car crash. His vehicle flipped twice and he was said to be in serious condition, but survived.
4. Billy Bob Thornton Co-Star Curse
Billy Bob has 70 titles on his resume and hundreds of costars, but he has a list of co-stars who all died before they could order from the senior citizen’s menu. (As I approach 30…50-something is looking younger and younger.) It’s more like a sad version of 6 Degrees of Kevin Bacon and has more to do with working with slew of great talent that was taken too soon, but some say it’s a curse.
1998 – ‘Slingblade’ – J.T. Walsh had a heart attack less than 2 years after co-starring with Billy.
2000 – ‘Daddy and Them’ – Jim Varney lost his battle with lung cancer before the film even hit theaters. (Obviously this death was a long time development, that started while he was filming, ‘Treehouse Hostage.’)
2003-’Bad Santa’ and ‘Slingblade’ – John Ritter was 55 and starring in a delightful tv show, ‘8 Simple Rules.’ An undetected heart defect claimed his life.
2003 – ‘Dirty Life and Times…’ –Warren Zevon and Billy Bob filmed a “slice of life” documentary that featured their efforts in making his record. Zevon succumbed to mesothelioma a year later.
2008 – ‘Monster Ball’ – Heath Ledger gave a performance that showed off his versatility as Billy Bob’s troubled son in 2001. In 2008 Heath died after mixing a toxic blend of oxycodone, hydrocodone, diazepam, temazepam, alprazolam and doxylamine.
2008 – ‘Bad Santa’ – Bernie Mac was also in Bad Santa with Thornton and Ritter. Mac had been battling sarcoidosis, but was said to have had it under control. Unfortunately, contrary to reports by reps that Bernie was going to make a full recovery…he died on August 8th.
2009 – ‘Waking Up in Reno’ – Natasha Richardson played Billy’s wife in ‘Waking Up in Reno.’ Sadly, she died in a tragic skiing accident after suffering an epidural hematoma.
2009 – ‘Waking Up in Reno’ – Patrick Swayze also starred in ‘Waking Up in Reno’ with Billy Bob in 2002. He passed away of pancreatic cancer despite a hopeful year long struggle.
3. The ‘Poltergeist’ Films Curse
This is what happens when you have a pool party with dead people. Actual skeletons were used to create the scene in which Diane Freeling (played by JoBeth Williams) is in a swimming pool with a bunch of dead bodies. The use of the real thing is where the curse began. Accidents, fires and other mishaps began to be a reoccurring issue on set. JoBeth even reported that pictures on her walls were always moved or askew after she came home from filming each day. Dominique Dunne was murdered by her boyfriend just after the movie was released. Heather O’Rourke, who played little Carol Ann, died after a freak infection (that was thought to be the flu) took its toll. Julian Beck was 60 years old and had stomach cancer, but curse believers blame the movies. Will Sampson died in 1987 after complications from a heart and lung transplant claimed his life.
2. The Exorcist Curse
This one is creepy thanks to the fact it was based on incident that occurred in Georgetwon involving a 13 year boy. After filming began the set burned down, a carpenter cut off his thumb, Linda Blair had a mental breakdown and nine deaths occurred while the film was in production. Linda’s grandpa died along with Jack McGowen, Max Von Sydow’s brother, a night watchman, a special effects expert, a cameraman’s newborn and the sequel’s original director (John Frankenhiemer). Other rumors state that fax machines would turn on by themselves and print out pages filled with the number 6.
1. The ‘Atuk’ Script Curse
‘Atuk’ is a script that is still out there, but never made it past day 1 of production. The script surfaced in the 80’s centering on the plot of a plus sized Eskimo fulfilling his dream of living in New York City. John Belushi was originally intended to star in the movie. He reportedly read the script and was “enthusiastic” about playing the part. Soon after, he was found dead of a drug overdose. Next, Sam Kinison accepted the role and even filmed a few scenes before he had a breakdown, locked himself in his dressing room and refused to continue filming unless the script underwent some rewrites. In 1992 he died in a car crash. Michael O’Donoghue had read the script and recommended it to Belushi and Kinison died of a cerebral hemorrhage. In 1994 the ‘Atuk’ script surfaced again in John Candy’s hands. The day before the 12th anniversary of Belushi’s death, Candy suffered a fatal heart attack. Finally Chris Farley was the last to read the script and was about to accept the role when he, like John, died of a drug overdose. It is also rumored that Chris showed the script to Phil Hartman and was encouraging him to take a co-starring role in the movie. Phil was shot and killed by his wife six months after Farley’s death. The film was then damned and shelved. A rumor circulated that it was up for auction on eBay, but it was never confirmed as legit.
