Top 10 Classic Movies That Were HELL to Shoot
#10: “The Exorcist” (1973)
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The 1973 supernatural horror classic was plagued by issues, such as mysterious fires and the deaths of several people related to the film’s production. Many attributed the movie’s many misfortunes to demonic forces. But a lot of these events have a less supernatural explanation: William Friedkin’s zealous filmmaking methods. His direction to a stunt man to get a believable reaction from actress Ellen Burstyn resulted in a permanent back injury. He also hit actor Father William O’Malley in the face to make him more emotional for the climax. 12-year-old Linda Blair probably underwent the most. She also suffered a back injury from the harness used in some of her possession scenes, and developed a lifelong aversion to the cold due to the refrigerated set.
#9: “Sorcerer” (1977)
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William Friedkin makes another appearance on this list, this time with an underrated thriller about four men transporting a load of unstable dynamite across Colombia. Along the way, they are besieged by thunderstorms, impassable roads, and bandits. The location shoot in South America took almost a year, and left the director and several others sick with malaria. Friedkin and his crew were at odds from the start, with several key production staff being fired and replaced. The movie’s most memorable, costly, and dangerous scene to shoot involves the truck of dynamite crossing a wavering and precarious rope bridge. At one point, the bridge had to be completely rebuilt and the scene reshot at a cost of three million dollars.
#8: “The Evil Dead” (1981)
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Given that writer-director Sam Raimi and his crew had a miniscule budget, the people behind this cult classic had to do without comforts like heat, plumbing, or adequate medical treatment. The cabin featured in the movie was not only the primary shooting location, but it was also where all thirteen crew members stayed during the shoot. Due to the remoteness of the filming location, injuries had to be treated on site and let’s just say no one was a medical professional. As it was shot in the winter in a cabin with no heat, the cast and crew began burning furniture to stay warm. Honestly, making “The Evil Dead” sounds more like a season of “Survivor” than a movie shoot.
#7: “The Shining” (1980)
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Honestly, the behind-the-scenes of “The Shining” would make a good Stephen King story all its own. Stanley Kubrick reportedly worked everyone to the bone to make the horrors of the Overlook Hotel come to life. Kubrick clearly didn’t believe in keeping things simple. Excessive rewrites frustrated his actors. Complex and expensive set pieces, such as the blood elevator scene, made retakes costly. While actor Jack Nicholson was not exactly the director’s biggest fan, Kubrick’s most notorious behavior was leveled at actress Shelley Duvall. The actress was subjected to numerous, increasingly exhausting retakes and arguments about her approach to the role. Much of her performance required frayed nerves and near-hysteria. Her very real stress-induced hair loss seems to suggest some of it was real.
#6: “Deliverance” (1972)
This controversial 1972 adventure-thriller was not a priority for Warner Bros. In fact, it’s alleged the studio refused to fully fund it in order to kill its chances of being made. Undeterred and uninsured, director John Boorman responded to this cost-cutting by having his four lead actors do many of their own stunts. These included potentially dangerous river rafting and cliff scaling. Sequences that took place on the raging Chattooga River put the actors at risk of drowning several times. Not even one of the biggest stars of his day, Burt Reynolds, was exempt from the hellish experience of “Deliverance.” He was almost killed when he insisted on performing a stunt where he sailed his canoe over a waterfall.
#5: “Cleopatra” (1963)
Few movies capture the grandeur and folly of Old Hollywood epics like “Cleopatra.” Originally envisioned as a more modest production, the budget ballooned once Elizabeth Taylor signed on. Progress was slow and expensive, with several hold ups caused by labor issues, actors dropping out, and Taylor’s various illnesses. In the middle of the shoot, the original director, Rouben Mamoulian was fired, and Joseph L. Mankiewicz was brought on to direct and rewrite the script. It would go on to become the highest grossing movie of 1963. Despite this, the box office grosses couldn’t overcome the massive budget. It was a big loss for 20th Century Fox and its replacement director, whose career stalled in its aftermath.
#4: “Hell’s Angels” (1930)
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Hollywood producer and impresario Howard Hughes’ dogmatic approach to moviemaking made this 1930 war epic as innovative as it was dangerous. Originally conceived as a silent film, Hughes’ three year shoot dovetailed with the emergence of talkies. He was forced to replace his leading actress, Greta Nissen, due to her Norwegian accent. But the most taxing part of production were the dogfights staged for the film. These scenes, capturing fighter planes in combat, led to the deaths of four people, and numerous crashes. Hughes himself piloted one of the planes in the finale sequence, and was nearly killed in a crash that left him with a fractured skull.
#3: “The Birds” (1963)
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When Alfred Hitchcock saw Tippi Hedren in a TV commercial, he thought he had found his replacement for Grace Kelly, the epitome of the cool blondes he clearly idolized. However, Hedren later revealed that working under Hitchcock was torturous. Hedren alleges the director was incredibly possessive, signing her to a restrictive seven-year contract and making numerous sexual advances on her. When she refused him, he took revenge from his director’s chair. This culminated in the movie’s attic climax, which sees Hedren’s character assailed by a horde of savage birds. Hedren alleges that Hitchcock switched out mechanical birds for real ones at the last minute, and she suffered numerous injuries.
#2: “Apocalypse Now” (1979)
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When Francis Ford Coppola and his crew disappeared into the jungles of the Philippines to shoot their Vietnam War-set epic, few could predict how unhinged the production would be. Typhoons and a major casting shakeup early in the process were the least of their problems. Reshoots and lead actor Martin Sheen’s heart attack led to more delays and increasing costs. Actor Marlon Brando, who had enjoyed a career resurgence due to Coppola’s “The Godfather,” was another problem. His fluctuating weight and friction with co-star Dennis Hopper made shooting their scenes nearly impossible. After missing several release dates, the movie wouldn’t premiere until 1979, but its making became the stuff of Hollywood legend.
#1: “The Wizard of Oz” (1939)
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Just days into shooting, Tin Man actor Buddy Ebsen had to be recast after the aluminum dust in his makeup suffocated him. Wicked Witch of the West actress Margaret Hamilton had to eat through a straw to avoid ingesting her toxic green face paint. Also, remember that snow in the poppy field scene? That’s not snow, it’s asbestos. Changing directors at least three times, the movie’s set was just as toxic as the makeup. On top of her highly addictive, studio-ordered pill regimen, Judy Garland was subject to abuse from the director and even the actors playing the Munchkins. It may be a joyous, family-friendly classic, but bringing the wonderful world of Oz to the screen was pure hell from start to finish.
