(Credit: Moviestore/Universal/Shutterstock)
I love horror, and I love trivia, so I figured, why not share some interesting horror film facts that I've come across over the years. Some of these you may know, some you may not, but I hope you enjoy these ten horror tidbits either way!
| Robert Englund was not the first choice to play Freddy Krueger. Wes Craven planned to have a stuntman play the dream stalker, but (wisely) decided to go with an established actor instead. His first choice was British actor David Warner ("Time Bandits", "Titanic", "Time After Time"). Warner had to pass due to other commitments, which paved the way for Robert Englund in his iconic role. |  |
 (Credit: Sunset Boulevard/Corbis/Getty Images) | "Psycho" is not only the first American film to feature the sound of a toilet being flushed, but also the first to actually show a toilet on-screen. (Yes, we really were that repressed in the 1950's. |
Fay Wray thought she would be starring with Cary Grant in "King Kong". While trying to convince her to star in the film, director Merian C. Cooper promised Wray "You're going to have the tallest, darkest leading man in Hollywood". Wray later recalled, "While my thoughts were flying towards the hope that Cooper might be waiting for Cary's arrival just as I was, Cooper went on to point at the giant ape and say, again, 'The tallest, darkest leading man in Hollywood.'"
(Credit: Warner Home Video)
(Credit: Rolling Stone) Sissy Spacek was not the first choice to play "Carrie". Brian De Palma was a fan of Sissy Spacek’s work, but already had actress Betty Slade in mind as his Carrie. His decision to let Spacek audition at all was mostly out of courtesy to her husband, Jack Fisk, the film’s art director. Spacek showed up at her audition in with her hair slicked back with Vaseline and wearing an old sailor dress her mother had made for her. When she was done, she waited in the parking lot while her husband reviewed her audition with the rest of the production team. After Fisk came out to tell her that the part was hers, “We sped off before anybody could change his mind,” Spacek later told Rolling Stone magazine. (Side note: Pamela Sue Martin, Jill Clayburgh, Linda Blair and Glenn Close also auditioned for the role.)
| Damien originally had a different name in "The Omen". Screenwriter David Seltzer had originally planned to name the Antichrist Domlin, after the child of a friend who he called a "total obnoxious brat". Seltzer's wife convinced him that this would be an awful thing to do to a child, so he decided on Damien, after Father Damien who started the first leper colony in the Hawaiian Islands. |  (Credit: 20th Century Fox) |
(Credit: Universal Studios) The Creature From the Black Lagoon was modeled after the Oscar statuette. Universal had managed to snag up and coming filmmaker Jack Arnold to direct. Arnold's documentary "With These Hands" had received an Academy Award nomination and Arnold kept the souvenir certificate that the Academy sent to all nominees. Arnold told Cinefantastique magazine in 1975, "There was a picture of the Oscar statuette on it and I said, 'If we put a gilled hand on the figurine, plus fins and scales, that would look pretty much like the kind of creature we're trying to get.'" They made a mold out of rubber. Gradually the costume took shape, and the rest is cinema history!
An actual witch was hired to make "The Craft" more authentic. To ensure that the depiction of Wicca in the film was as realistic as possible, Sony hired Pat Devin as a consultant. Devin is a member of Covenant of the Goddess, one of the oldest and largest Wiccan religious organizations in the United States. At the time, she was First Officer of the group's Southern California Local Council. Devin played a big part in the production process and, at time, worked directly with the actresses. She later recalled, "A lot of my suggestions were acted upon and virtually all of my suggestions were given careful consideration, even if they didn't all end up in the final version of the film." (Source: An interview with John Brightshadow Yohalem, CoG, 1998).
(Credit: SONY pictures)
 (Credit: Columbia Pictures) | The original ending of "Fright Night" was quite different from the ending in the final release. The film's original ending saw Peter Vincent (Roddy McDowall) transform into a vampire, while hosting "Fright Night" in front of a live television audience. He taunts the audience over knowing what a vampire looks like, and he even calls out to Charley specifically, which freaks the boy out even more. (Source: ScreenRant) |
(Credit: Key West Martello Museum) Child's Play was inspired by (allegedly) real events. Robert the doll, which was once owned by a Florida painter named Robert Eugene Otto, was supposedly cursed by a female servant who worked for Robert's parents. Apparently, the servant was the victim of abuse by the parents which led her to place a Voodoo curse on the doll. Like Chucky, Robert the Doll supposedly had the ability to speak, and the parents would hear there child having conversations with someone who would answer in a different voice. According to various other reports, the doll would sometimes blink and move on its own. Today, the doll is on display at the Key West Martello Museum.
(Credit: Lionsgate Entertainment)
When filming "The Blair Witch Project", the actors received their instructions each day via way points, directed by GPS. Each of them had to locate their respective canister, read notes on where their character's story was going, and jump into filming. They were also instructed not to reveal their notes to the other actors.
Oh, and the bundle of sticks that Heather finds contained real hair and teeth. The hair came from co-star Joshua Leonard and the teeth were provided by Eduardo Sanchez's dentist.
Finally, because the actors were kept away from the press, and the marketing tactics used by the filmmakers, people actually thought that actress Heather Donahue was dead. Her mother even received sympathy cards!
Oh, and the bundle of sticks that Heather finds contained real hair and teeth. The hair came from co-star Joshua Leonard and the teeth were provided by Eduardo Sanchez's dentist.
Finally, because the actors were kept away from the press, and the marketing tactics used by the filmmakers, people actually thought that actress Heather Donahue was dead. Her mother even received sympathy cards!
There you go! Ten creepy trivia tidbits about some of your favorite horror films. I hoped you enjoyed these. I'll be back with more!
RSS Feed