Welcome to a spooky journey through the world of horror movies! Did you know that Steven Spielberg once thought a DVD of “Paranormal Activity” was haunted? After watching it, the doors to his bedroom mysteriously locked by themselves. Spielberg was so freaked out that he returned the DVD to DreamWorks Studios in a trash bag! The movie’s director, Oren Peli, confirmed the story, adding a chilling touch to the film’s legend.
The first horror movie ever made was a silent French film from the 1890s called “La Manoir du Diable” or “The Haunted Castle.” It was only three minutes long but set the stage for the horror genre. Fast forward to the 1990s, and we have “I Know What You Did Last Summer,” where the characters visit Dawson’s Beach. This was an inside joke by the writer, Kevin Williamson, who also created “Dawson’s Creek.” Williamson is also known for writing “Scream,” a movie that was almost called “Scary Movie” until Harvey Weinstein suggested the title “Scream” after hearing the Michael Jackson song.
Did you know that “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” was originally titled “Headcheese”? And the classic “Halloween” was first called “The Babysitter Murders.” The screenplay for “Halloween” was written in just ten days, and filming took only 20 days!
Joel Coen, of the famous Coen Brothers, got his start working as an assistant editor on “The Evil Dead.” Another interesting fact is that “The Conjuring” is based on real-life paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren. The creepy doll Annabelle from the movie is inspired by a real Raggedy Ann doll.
Stephen King wrote a screenplay for “The Shining,” but director Stanley Kubrick didn’t even read it. Instead, Kubrick worked with author Diane Johnson on the script. Another horror classic, “Rosemary’s Baby,” was produced by William Castle, who bought the rights to the story before the book was even published.
“Child’s Play” started as a satire about how advertising affects children. Writer Don Mancini was inspired by his father’s work in advertising and the Cabbage Patch doll craze. In “Psycho,” the car driven by Marion was borrowed from the set of “Leave It to Beaver.” The high school in “Carrie” is named Bates High, a nod to Norman Bates from “Psycho.”
The American version of “The Grudge” was directed by Takashi Shimizu, who also directed the original Japanese version. Despite not speaking English, he communicated with actress Sarah Michelle Gellar through body language and tone, creating a unique connection.
When “The Blair Witch Project” was released, many people thought it was a real documentary. Actress Heather Donahue’s mom even received sympathy cards because people believed her daughter was dead. This was all part of the movie’s clever marketing strategy.
For “The Omen,” Harvey Stephens won the role of Damien after an intense audition where he had to act out a tantrum. Over 1,000 girls auditioned for the role of Regan in “The Exorcist.” Director William Friedkin wanted a young actress who could handle the scary scenes without being traumatized. The set of “The Exorcist” was rumored to be haunted, with several mysterious deaths and a fire that destroyed the set.
During the filming of “The Amityville Horror” remake, actor Ryan Reynolds reported waking up at the same time every night, just like his character. Even more eerie, a body washed up on the shore where they were filming. On the set of “The Omen” remake, a camera displayed an error message reading “666,” which baffled the crew since no such error code existed.
Thanks for joining this spooky exploration of horror movie facts! What’s your favorite scary movie? Share your thoughts and have a fantastic Halloween!
Research and create a timeline of significant horror movies from the 1890s to the present. Include key facts, such as the original titles, directors, and any interesting behind-the-scenes stories. Present your timeline to the class and explain why each movie is important to the horror genre.
Using inspiration from the article, write a short script for a horror movie scene. Focus on creating suspense and incorporating unique elements from famous horror films. Share your script with a partner and provide feedback to each other on how to enhance the suspense and storytelling.
Choose one of the horror movies mentioned in the article and design a modern poster for it. Use elements that reflect the movie’s themes and iconic scenes. Present your poster to the class and explain your design choices and how they relate to the movie’s story.
Investigate the real-life events or figures that inspired horror movies, such as Ed and Lorraine Warren from “The Conjuring.” Create a presentation that compares the real-life stories with their movie adaptations, highlighting any differences and discussing why filmmakers might have made these changes.
Examine the marketing strategies used for horror movies like “The Blair Witch Project.” Discuss how these strategies contributed to the movie’s success and public perception. Create a marketing plan for a new horror movie, incorporating innovative ideas to engage and intrigue potential audiences.
Here’s a sanitized version of the provided YouTube transcript:
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Hello, I’m Cat—just kidding, I was Craig all along! Welcome to the salon. This is a Mental Floss video, and did you know that Steven Spielberg owned a DVD of “Paranormal Activity” that he thought was haunted? He tried to watch the movie at home, and then the doors to his bedroom locked on their own, according to Spielberg. So, he brought the DVD back to DreamWorks Studios in a trash bag. Paranormal’s director, Oren Peli, later commented on the whole story about how the doors got locked from the inside. Personally, I believe it; it’s not something the marketing department just came up with before releasing the movie.
And that’s the first of many fun facts behind the scenes of horror movies that I’m going to share with you today because it’s Halloween time!
Oh my God, how did the cat mask get back on the shelf? Oh no!
It’s believed that the first-ever horror movie was a silent French film from the 1890s called “La Manoir du Diable” or “The Haunted Castle,” and it was a three-minute short. In “I Know What You Did Last Summer,” the characters visit a place called Dawson’s Beach. This is an inside joke, as the film was written by Kevin Williamson, the creator of another ’90s favorite, “Dawson’s Creek,” which some would also call a horror show. Williamson also wrote “Scream,” starring Drew Barrymore, who was originally cast as Sidney Prescott, the lead, before deciding that she’d prefer to play Casey, the character in the opening scene.
“Scream” was almost titled “Scary Movie,” by the way. Harvey Weinstein suggested the title “Scream” after hearing the Michael Jackson song of the same name. The “Texas Chainsaw Massacre” was originally titled “Headcheese.” Speaking of early titles, the original title of the movie “Halloween” was “The Babysitter Murders.” It took only ten days to write the screenplay and 20 days to shoot the film—exactly how long it takes to make a Mental Floss video, and it’s equally as scary!
Joel Coen of the Coen Brothers got his big break working as an assistant editor for Sam Raimi on “The Evil Dead.” The 2013 film “The Conjuring” is based on a supposedly real experience of two paranormal investigators, Ed and Lorraine Warren. They actually approached director James Wan about making the movie. The scary doll Annabelle from the film and spin-off is based on the Raggedy Ann doll in real life.
Stephen King wrote a screenplay for “The Shining,” but Stanley Kubrick refused to even read it. Instead, he collaborated with author Diane Johnson on the script, which backs up my theory that Stanley Kubrick can’t read. Another horror movie based on a book is “Rosemary’s Baby.” In fact, producer William Castle bought the movie rights before the book was even published because he got his hands on a smuggled galley copy.
“Child’s Play” started out as a satire rather than a true horror film. Writer Don Mancini has said he wanted to write a dark satire about how advertising and marketing affected children. His father worked in advertising, and he was always fascinated by it. It was interesting to see how the Cabbage Patch doll phase was affecting all of America.
In Alfred Hitchcock’s “Psycho,” Marion drives a 1954 Ford sedan. It’s believed that this car was a prop borrowed from the set of “Leave It to Beaver.” Speaking of “Psycho,” in the original “Carrie,” the high school is Bates High, referencing the Norman Bates character.
The American version of “The Grudge” was directed by Takashi Shimizu, who directed the original Japanese version. He didn’t speak any English, so he had to communicate with Sarah Michelle Gellar using things like body language and tone. Gellar later explained that you’d think it would be difficult when you don’t have the words to rely on, but you wind up connecting on a different level.
So many people believed that “The Blair Witch Project” was a real documentary that it even impacted the actors’ real lives. According to actress Heather Donahue, when “Blair Witch” first came out, her mom kept getting sympathy cards. It was all part of their marketing scheme; people thought she was dead.
Chris Cooper had a small part in “The Ring” as a criminal being interviewed by Naomi Watts’ character, Rachel. He only appeared in the first and last scenes, and test audiences were confused as to why he disappeared during the entire movie, so he was cut out.
Freddy Krueger of “A Nightmare on Elm Street” got his name because director Wes Craven knew a bully named Freddy in elementary school. Craven also gave Krueger his signature sweater for a reason; he had read a scientific study claiming those shades of red and green side-by-side make it hard for the human eye to distinguish them, so his outfit is unnerving to look at.
For the part of Damien in “The Omen,” there were two long days of casting in which four kids auditioned every ten minutes. Harvey Stephens got the role while acting out Damien’s church-induced tantrum. Director Richard Donner told him, “I’m going to fight with you; even though I say stop, don’t stop.” After a certain point, Stephens’ family had to burst into the room and pull him off Donner.
Similarly, over 1,000 girls auditioned for the role of Regan MacNeil in “The Exorcist.” According to director William Friedkin, it was important to find a young girl who could play the role well but also not be seriously affected by filming such a scary movie. His concern makes sense because the set was said to be haunted. The legend goes that nine people died and there were numerous other injuries while the film was in production, plus a huge fire broke out that destroyed the set.
And because it’s Halloween, let’s get spooky and finish up with a few other horror movie sets that were said to be haunted. Ryan Reynolds, who starred in “The Amityville Horror” remake, has said that during production, he consistently woke up in the middle of the night at the same time his character often does. Even creepier, a body washed up on the shore right where the film was to begin shooting.
Finally, I return to the salon to tell you that a camera broke on the set of the remake of “The Omen.” According to the director, John Moore, there was an error message—error 666—but a camera technician informed them that there was no such thing as error 666.
Thanks for watching Mental Floss video, which is made with the help of all of these scary people. Let me know your favorite scary movie in the comments, and have an awesome Halloween!
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This version removes informal language, clarifies some phrases, and maintains a more polished tone while preserving the content.
Horror – A genre of literature or film that seeks to elicit fear or disgust in its audience for entertainment purposes. – The horror novel kept the audience on the edge of their seats with its chilling plot and eerie atmosphere.
Movies – Motion pictures; films created for entertainment, education, or artistic expression. – The students were excited to watch movies based on the novels they had read in class.
Screenplay – A script for a film or television show, including dialogue and instructions for actors and crew. – The screenplay for the new drama was praised for its compelling dialogue and intricate plot.
Director – The person responsible for overseeing the artistic and dramatic aspects of a film or theater production. – The director worked tirelessly to bring the playwright’s vision to life on stage.
Author – A writer of a book, article, or other written work, especially one who creates fiction or non-fiction. – The author of the mystery novel visited the school to discuss her writing process with the students.
Classic – A work of art, literature, or music that is widely recognized as being of the highest quality and of enduring value. – Shakespeare’s plays are considered classics and are studied by students around the world.
Filming – The process of capturing moving images on film or digital media for movies or television. – The filming of the historical drama took place in several locations to accurately depict the era.
Marketing – The action or business of promoting and selling products or services, including market research and advertising. – The marketing team created a captivating trailer to generate excitement for the upcoming film release.
Characters – The individuals portrayed in a story, play, or film, each with distinct traits and roles. – The characters in the novel were so well-developed that readers felt as if they knew them personally.
Haunted – Occupied or visited by ghosts or spirits, often causing fear or unease. – The haunted theater was rumored to be the home of a ghostly performer who never left the stage.
