It stands to reason that when you make a horror movie based on a dark entity or malevolent spirits that some of that dark energy may be drawn to you or the movie set. It’s a risk that horror movie producers take especially when the horror film is based on a true story. These haunting tales come directly from actors, directors, and staff working on the movies themselves. It’s not just bad luck that cursed these movies it was everything from murder and near-death experiences to just plain creepy events – here are the top 5 cursed horror movies of all time.
This film is probably the most well-known cursed film in the world. Loosely based on a true story, the events that happened behind the scenes are just as strange as the movie itself. Death seemed to follow not just the actors that played in the first movie but also in Poltergeist 2 and 3 as well. Dominque Dunne, who played the older sister, was killed by her boyfriend. Julian Beck, who played Henry Kane, died of stomach cancer. The actress who played Carol Anne died when she was 12 from a mysterious illness before Poltergeist 3 was released. Will Sampson, who played the Shaman, died 3 years after the film was released. Then in 2009 Lou Perryman, who was in the first film, was killed in his home by an ex-convict wielding an ax. Lastly, Richard Lawson barely survived a plane crash in 1992. These deaths could be a coincidence but that’s a lot of disaster for such a small group of people. If the true story was not enough rumor also has it the director Steve Spielberg used real skeletons in the muddy pool from the first movie.
Based on real events experienced by the Lutz family. With the horrors the Lutz family went through it is no wonder the movie crew had some strange experiences. A dead body washed up on shore near the home that was used in the movie. Allegedly the cast and crew were awakened at 3:15 every morning while working on the movie. 3:15 was the time that the murders took place.
The Exorcism of Emily Rose follows the trial of a priest who conducted an exorcism and the girl(Emily) who died. It is based on the real exorcism of Anneliese Michel, who died of dehydration and malnutrition. Jennifer Carpenter, who played Emily, said during filming her radio would turn on by itself, in the middle of the night. It only played the song Alive by Pearl Jam. In fact, it only played a specific part over and over. “I’m still alive.” But it wasn’t just her. It happened to other cast members so often that they removed their radios from their rooms.
The Possession is based on the true story of a Dybbuk box. During filming, they used a fake dybbuk box but strange things still happened. There was a constant creepy, eerie feeling on set. Light bulbs exploded and props caught fire for some unknown reason. So many strange things happened that when the current owners of the box asked if the film would like to use the real box, everyone vehemently declined.
Based on a true story, The Conjuring is about a farmhouse that was haunted by a witch. Cast and crew members felt like they were being watched by a dark force. A crew member’s dog was often found growling at nothing but when filming was done, he stopped. A strange fire started on set for no reason. Actress Ver Farmiga said there were claw marks on the cover of her laptop after filming finished.
June – Motorists see Sasquatch at Nighttime Near Boring
In CLACKAMAS COUNTY near the town of Boring, a witness was driving in the wood when a large bipedal creature ran up onto the road from the right.
First-Hand Experience
After seeing the car, the creature ran away from the car on the road approximately thirty to forty feet before it ran up the small embankment to the left and out of eyesight. The driver and their companion jumped out of their car to investigate, but couldn’t see anything else—they estimated that it was at least six feet, covered in hair, and they also reported that the creature ran as if flat-footed. It reportedly paused to look at their car when it first came up onto the road, before it turned and ran—it was dark, so they only witnessed what could be seen with the headlights of the car.
1974
June – Sighting From a Hunting Platform Behind Skyline Mobile Park
In CLACKAMAS COUNTY two brothers witnessed a cinnamon-colored creature walk by them while sitting on a hunting platform in the woods behind Skyline Mobile Park off of Sandy Heights Road.
First-Hand Experience
Behind the Skyline Mobile Park are woods, with a small stream at the bottom of the hill called Tickle Creek—an area that these two witnesses used to frequent, but noticed after having been absent from the area directly before the sighting, that the area had grown immensely. Just six feet up on a platform in the crook of a tree, the two brothers, both in their teens at the time, were using their BB gun to shoot a stump down the hill from where they were sitting in their tree. Just as one of the brothers was about to shoot the BB gun, something passed right in front of the tall stump, but everything except the creatures head was obscured by the surrounding trees and brush. The witness got a good look at the head though, as it had short cinnamon-brown fur covering the head, and a flat nose.
The view of the creature was quick, as it disappeared into the brush without making a sound due to the bed of fir needles that covered the ground. While there were two boys there, only one of them actually witnessed the creature, the other only having seen the disturbed brush that the creature had disappeared into. Once they were sure the creature had gone they decided to investigate what they believed they had seen and estimated that the creature must have been approximately 7 1/2 feet tall. The witnesses went to an adult and related their story, but weren’t taken seriously. Later that same day, during the evening, they looked up to where the tree platform was and they saw a silhouette of a bipedal creature—they were unable to make out any facial features.
September 1 – Foul Odor and Unusual Sounds Near the Northfork Bridge on the Collawash River
In CLACKAMAS COUNTY while camping, a witness reported a foul odor and unusual sounds at 2:30 am, then found tracks the next morning.
First-Hand Experience
A short distance off of a sandy shore, a family was camping in a small bushy clearing. Right before the encounter, the family’s dogs woke suddenly and frantically began to bark for several minutes—after a short while their barks stifled into whines and then whimpers. Eventually the dogs were so frightened that they lay there silent and trembling—this of course awoke the witness who reached for the gun he had resting under his pillow. He began to hear something wading through the water, which he noticed smelled utterly foul—this witness reported it smelled as if it were urine-soaked fur. The witness pretended to sleep, hoping that it would pass by without attacking and said that the encounter lasted approximately four minutes. He also reported that it brushed against his head which greatly frightened him. The next morning, he investigated the shoreline in which he found very large foot prints in the dryer sand, as well as all around their campsite.
1978
August – Nighttime Sighting by Motorist Between Barton and Carver
In CLACKAMAS COUNTY a motorist driving between Barton and Carver encountered at nighttime.
First-Hand Experience
A motorist and their roommate were driving along Highway 224 between Carver and Barton around 10 pm when they saw a pair of eyes reflecting the car’s headlights on the side of the road nearest to the river. The two frequently traveled up to Estacada at night in order to visit a friend who was working at the Safari Club. As they got closer to where the owner of the reflective eyes, they began to see the creature they were attached to standing near a maple tree. The creature enormous, dark brown and hairy—and simply stared at them as they drove past. After driving another mile, the driver finally asked their roommate if they had seen the creature on the side of the highway, which they had.
1984
August – Molalla River Sighting by Tree-line
In CLACKAMAS COUNTY past Molalla in Dickey Prairie, there is a small store that sits alongside the river–just three miles further is a bridge that crosses the river where some girls viewed an unidentified bipedal creature that happened to be retreating back into the tree-line.
First-Hand Experience
In 1984, a fifteen-year-old who lived just outside the town of Molalla in Dickey Prairie where her home sat just on the river. One evening before dusk, she and her friend were hanging out near the bottom of the bridge where they swam regularly during the warm summer nights. Something–perhaps a sound or just a feeling–made the two girls look across the river where they saw a flash of a man-like creature running between the trees. She described it as being dark brown or black and covered in hair, she also estimated that it had to have been at least 7 1/2 feet tall.
Having been a resident tomboy, this young girl had roamed all over the woods, the abandoned logging roads, and knew the forest well. She reported having never been more scared than that evening, where she and her friend promptly ran all the way back to her home. It wasn’t until they reached the safety of the house did they even try to talk about what they had both seen, but when they tried to tell her parents they weren’t taken seriously. They noticed that the creature had wanted to get away from them as much as they wanted to get away from it.
1987
June 20 – Couple Hears Strange Vocalizations on Troon Drive
In CLACKAMAS COUNTY a couple hears what sounds like a woman screaming.
First-Hand Experience
During a construction development of homes, a couple had just moved into the first completed house—after two weeks of living in their new home, they left their windows open overnight and began to hear strange sounds. They couldn’t identify them at first because it was a low rumbling sound, which eventually got louder and louder—very soon they believed it to be a woman screaming or yelling. At first they believed that it may have been a woman or teenage girl being attacked by a potential rapist and the wife was told to call the police. The husband threw on clothes and ran down into the newly paved cul-de-sac and as soon as he got outside he realized there were no cars or teenagers that he could see, but the vocalizations got much clearer. After about five minutes the screams stopped and the police arrived, they checked it out but found nothing.
1991
July – Sounds Heard at Skookum Lake
In CLACKAMAS COUNTY a group of friends went camping near Skookum lake when they had a strange encounter and heard unusual sounds.
First-Hand Experience
Four friends went camping near Skookum Lake, one of whom had a father who worked for the Forest Service and set up their camp as soon as they arrived near the lake. They decided to go on a long hike up Thunder Mountain and upon returning, the sun had already begun to set. The four friends were exhausted after such a long hike and all decided to go to sleep right away. Sometime during the night, one of the campers woke up to strange sounds—not the type of forest sounds that they were used to hearing. They heard rocks being thrown down from the ridge above them, and heard them banging off the other rocks on the way down.
During the hike earlier in the day, they had noticed a large pile of boulders near the top of the ridge where the rocks were tumbling down and speculated that it sounded as if there was someone hunting for something. The witness sat up in their tent and realized that they weren’t dreaming and then they tried to wake up their friends, but no one else would wake up. The noises of the rocks falling stopped and the camper fell back only to be woken up to the sound of foot steps outside of their camp. The camper didn’t believe it was a bear, because they heard that the foot steps were too spaced out to be a four-legged animal. None of the other campers friends heard anything that night.
1993
June – A Family is Approached Near Cabin in the Forest
In CLACKAMAS COUNTY a family was approached near their forest cabin outside of Rhododendron.
First-Hand Experience
A woman’s fiancé had a cabin on Mt. Hood near Rhododendron and while visiting their cabin, she had their Rottweiler tied to a tree. While she was outside doing some work, the Rottweiler started growling towards the forest, which is when she looked up and saw a big and hairy creature stepping between the trees. She didn’t register what was happening at first, so she yelled at the thing to leave the property, or else she would let the Rottweiler loose.
When the hairy creature continued to step behind and between trees, she called out her kids and told them to keep an eye on whatever it was while she got her work done. All the while, the creature continued to move closer and closer, before her fiancé pulled up to the cabin and the creature disappeared. This was when she realized that what she had seen was not actually an intruder or a bear.
1995
May – Campers Hear Vocalizations Near Timberline Lodge
In CLACKAMAS COUNTY a group was camping within walking distance of Timberline Lodge near Mt. Hood when they heard strange unidentifiable sounds.
First-Hand Experience
Three friends were invited to go camping, just below Timberline Lodge on Mount Hood, by mutual friends who worked at the ski resort. They had gotten there on a Friday afternoon, but on the following evening while sitting around a campfire they began to hear strange sounds coming from the woods directly below them. One of the campers, who was less knowledgeable than some of the others asked if any of them knew what had made the sounds, but after listening for several minutes, none of them could identify what could have been making the noise. They all agreed it sounded like a scream or a yell that could not have been coming from a human due to the volume of the sound. The sounds lasted for approximately a half-hour, but they could also hear the sounds of something large walking through the brush where the vocalizations were coming from. They jokingly discussed the possibility of it being a Bigfoot, but after returning home from camping, they heard audio from a Discovery Channel program where they were researching the legend of Bigfoot and the sounds presented as evidence in the show were identical to the ones that they had all heard while camping.
July – Camp Counselor Has Daylight Sighting Near Molalla River
In CLACKAMAS COUNTY a camp counselor was doing trail work near the Molalla River when they sighted a Bigfoot during the daytime.
First-Hand Experience
A sixteen-year-old was volunteering as a day camp counselor when they took a friend for a walk on the trails within the camps—they were cleaning the trails and brought their lunches to eat while on a break. A half-mile away from the main camp, on the outskirts, the two friends were near a swampy area when they stopped to eat lunch, one of them realized they had left something back at camp and left while the other ate their lunch.
Expecting only to be alone for around ten minutes, the volunteer counselor heard something in the woods to their left and stood up to get a better look at what it could be. What they saw was a massive hairy man-like creature that was standing next to a large cedar tree approximately fifty feet away. They estimated that it was about eight feet tall, very wide, and bulky. They perceived the creature as having long thick fur that was approximately six inches long and medium brown in color. The creature looked at them for a few seconds of solid eye contact before it immediately ran away. The witness knew it was not their friend pranking them, due to the fact that they ran into their friend on their way back to the camp after their disturbing encounter.
November – A Dusk Encounter in the Woods Off of Hunter Road
In CLACKAMAS COUNTY a bow-hunter reported having an encounter around dusk in the woods off Hunter Road.
First-Hand Experience
A witness was bow-hunting between two deer trails, facing west into the wind at around dusk—he noticed that the night was eerily quiet considering it was usually a hot-zone for deer activity. By the time it became too dark for the bow-hunter to see through his aiming sights, he heard footsteps crunching along the forest floor behind him—at first he believed it to be a buck and that it seemed to be following his scent to where he was hidden in some blackberry bushes. That’s when the witness realized that the creature was actually what looked like a Bigfoot standing approximately 75 feet behind him; the Bigfoot looked to be approximately 7 1/2 feet tall and around 600 lb. Eventually after staring at each other for what seemed like forever, before the Bigfoot turned around and walked in the direction that it had come from. When the hunter went to look for tracks the next day, there were no tracks due to the thick layer of leaves on the ground.
Photography by Harrison Broadbent
2000
June – Strange Sounds Heard on a Property Outside of Molalla
In CLACKAMAS COUNTY a sixteen-year-old experienced something strange while walking home.
First-Hand Experience
A teenager who had lived in a wooded area all of their life, had been accustomed to walking alone in the woods in the dark without worrying about their safety or being anxious about creatures being in the forest with them. This particular night, they had been using the computer at their grandmother’s home before they walked to their own home which was less than a football field away. For some reason that night they had a a strange feeling that they weren’t alone in the forest and adrenaline rushed through them as they walked home, terrified. Thirty feet to their right they heard a loud thumping and crashing sound. They broke out into a run and believed they could hear bipedal movement quickly following after—the teen got to their house and threw the door closed behind them and locked the door.
July 22 – Vocalizations in the Morning Near Sandy
In CLACKAMAS COUNTY a visitor to the area heard unusual vocalizations in the early morning near Sandy.
First-Hand Experience
While looking out of a second-story window of the Sandy Inn Hotel, a witness in a room on the north side of the building was looking upon the woods and the Columbia River in the distance. During his three day stay, on the night of the 21st, this particular witness couldn’t sleep. The rest of his family was sound asleep; it was a humid night a few hours after a thunderstorm and was awake around 3 am on the 22nd when he heard the strange sounds. The witness was attempting to cool off and had their head out of the second-story window, enjoying the breeze while looking off into the woods. Otherwise a silent night, they suddenly heard a sound that they could not quite describe—it was too long for it to be the sound of tires screeching, but then thought it might be a man screaming or wailing—but it was definitely a high pitched and inhuman sound. Admittedly the witness emphasized that they had never heard a Bigfoot sound previously, but from later research, they believed them to be a match to what was heard.
2001
March 18 – Tracks in Table Rock Creek
In CLACKAMAS COUNTY within the wilderness of Table Rock, once again near Molalla and Dickey Prairie, nearest to the town of Glen Avon. Two Hikers came across tracks during their hike near the Table Rock Wilderness.
First-Hand Experience
While hiking near Table Rock Wilderness, near the end of the winter season in March, two brothers came across footprints in the snow. They were surprised to find that their size 12 and 13 boots were dwarfed by these veru large, bare, human-like footprints. The men took pictures using a digital camera, where they used a dollar bill as a size reference of not just the track, but also the length of the stride, the latter of which they measured to be approximately four feet.
November 29 – Sighting in Neighborhood Near Mt. Hood
In CLACKAMAS COUNTY an Oregon resident near Mount Hood caught a glimpse of a Bigfoot in his neighborhood.
First-Hand Experience
This sighting was approximately forty feet from a small outhouse building in an area near Rhododendron off Highway 26. The witness who submitted this report said that they saw the creature from a distance of about 130 feet, from a window in their home. Although this sighting was at night, a car’s headlights backlit the creature as it ran from the left side of the road to the right side from this witness’s perspective. The here unidentified occupants of the car also sighted this creature, all witnesses stated that it was around seven-feet-tall hairy bipedal creature, running quickly. The neighborhood dogs were apparently all barking excitedly, which is what initially caused the witness to look through his window. A limited search for footprints with a flashlight were unsuccessful, despite a moist evening with light precipitation. Upon going out to investigate what he had seen, the witness also reported noticing a bad odor where the sighted creature had been.
2003
November – Bigfoot Experience in Salmon Huckleberry Wilderness
In CLACKAMAS COUNTY on the property that bordered the Salmon Huckleberry Wilderness—a witness that was living off of Elk Park Road in Welches believes they experienced a Bigfoot attempting to come into their residence, as well as having witnessed several vocalizations.
First-Hand Experiences
A forty-year-old had an experience with what they believed was a run-in with Bigfoot. This person was living in an apartment just above a garage that overlooked the Salmon River. That particular night at 6 pm, there was a loud bang on their (thankfully) locked front door, which prompted them to call 911 and report being alone and scared after something hand banged on their door. After calling 911, they heard grunting on their deck, and looked out to see if they could see anything. When the witness came face-to-face with a set of eyes from what would have had to be a huge creature. They made eye-contact and just watched each other for a moment—it was described as having been furry.
2004
June 19-22 – Off of Highway 211 Northeast of Colton
In CLACKAMAS COUNTY just off of Highway 211 Northeast of the Colton area, around midnight, the witness heard strange vocalizations and discovered footprints.
First-Hand Experience
While visiting a friend in the Colton area at the base of Goat Mountain in a reportedly known Bigfoot area; a witness reported that around midnight, they began to hear strange noises in the tree-line which was approximately 100 yards from the friend’s house. These noises also seemed to be coming from three different locations, as if communicating back and forth, but it was clear that these calls were coming from something very large. After listening for around thirty minutes, when the witness finally had everyone else at the house come outside to bear witness to what the original person had been hearing. Not a single one of them could identify what the noise was and all agreed that the noises were strange.
They decided to shine a light at which point the noises ceased until the flashlight was shut off—they couldn’t identify anything due to heavy brush. The calls back and forth lasted until about a half an hour before dawn. The witness was an experienced outdoorsman, as was the owner of the property and neither could identify anything other than a Bigfoot that the creature could have been. That morning after day broke, they went and were able to discover two possible tracks that were also unidentifiable after comparing them to other animal tracks from the same area. They also noticed that the grass was pushed down in what looked to be heavy three to four foot strides. The property owner has heard the same noises ever since that night, as well as thrashing sounds from within the brush. There is a speculated link between the sudden frequency of the sounds and logging that may have pushed them out of their habitat.
September 26 – Tree-shaking Display near Molalla River
In CLACKAMAS COUNTY campers were greeted by an unexpected tree-shaking display near Molalla River.
First-Hand Experience
Thirteen miles south of the Glen Avon Bridge on the Molalla River, two friends and their two large dogs took a trip to check up on a campsite that they were planning on using during the summer. They had only walked approximately twenty-five feet from the gravel road and a huge sound of bushes and trees crackling and breaking came from their left. One of the witnesses saw the disturbance out of the corner of their eye and looked over where they saw brush moving violently ten feet off of the path. No creature was visible, but it was clear there was something large moving the trees—they could all feel the vibration of footsteps under their own feet and the distinct sounds of heavy thumping strides. They felt as if they had been startled by something that was enormous, close, and very fast.
If you happen to live in Clackamas County and you have encountered a Bigfoot or Sasquatch, let us know below!
Georgia-based author and artist, Mary has been a horror aficionado since the mid-2000s. Originally a hobby artist and writer, she found her niche in the horror industry in late 2019 and hasn’t looked back since. Mary’s evolution into a horror expert allowed her to express herself truly for the first time in her life. Now, she prides herself on indulging in the stuff of nightmares.
Mary also moonlights as a content creator across multiple social media platforms—breaking down horror tropes on YouTube, as well as playing horror games and broadcasting live digital art sessions on Twitch.
The Saw movies are incredibly innovative and realistic in presentation. The death scenes may be insanely cruel, but they are also super scary as the audience is able to imagine these traps existing in real life. As sophisticated as the traps may be, their designs are crude and the audience can usually relate to the components and parts within the contraptions, making them much scarier. But what is the truth about the Saw movie deaths? Would people actually die in the Saw traps if they suffered them in real life? Would the Saw traps hold up in a real torture house and could the Saw movie deaths actually happen in real life? Were the scenes based on a real life Jigsaw like killer?
Would the Saw Traps Work in Real Life?
Would Jigsaw’s traps actually work in real life? Horror Enthusiast has decided to investigate the traps a little more closely in order to find any plot holes or weak links which may have allowed the victims to easily escape their fate without losing their lives so quickly.
The Timer
A lot of Jigsaw’s traps are timed. In the Saw movies, it is important to time the traps, as the movie only lasts but so long. In real life, a timer would not always be necessary. However, following the same basic foundation of involving a timer that activates a trap’s killing feature if the victim does not overcome the situation, is possible. Timers are notoriously used by really bad people for really bad things (i.e. bombs), but also for really great people for really great things (i.e. Mom’s good old Thanksgiving turkey).
Wiring a timer into a trap is most certainly possible. Unfortunately it would require a MacGyver or a special agent to be able to stop the timer, and even then the chances would likely be slim due to the restrains and anti-tamper mechanisms which could be present.
Body Mutilation
A lot of Jigsaw’s traps involve body mutilation. Sometimes Jigsaw has cut into someone, hid an item inside and sewn them back up. Other times the victim is required to chop off parts of themselves in order to “make weight” to survive. Regardless of how its done, body mutilation is a regular theme throughout the Saw franchise. The idea of requiring weight on a scale and only having your own body and a saw present is a chilling concept.
Requiring body mutilation and/or mutilating a victims body before or during a Saw trap is absolutely possible. In the event there is a scale that is accessible, it may be possible to trick it, though the traps typically ensure no tomfoolery goes down. If a key has been implanted behind your eye…you’re pretty much in trouble.
Poison Gas
Many victims have been poisoned. Poison gas is quite simple to work into a trap and is extremely realistic. In fact, it would be very easy to create a toxic air within a confined space. Poison gas is essentially used as a timer throughout the entire second movie, Saw II (2005). Unfortunately, it most certainly is possible to find a real life Jigsaw trap house that is rigged up with poison gas.
Poison gas is a really hard adversary to beat. Firstly, it would have to be detectable and a lot of gas used for poisoning can be odorless. Secondly, it requires a chemical respirator. It is not possible to simply hold one’s shirtsleeve up to their mouth…as the poison particles will fit through the cloth fiber just as easily as oxygen. Finally, as time progresses, the body weakens when poisoned, so by the time a victim realizes what is happening their motor skills and reasoning ability is on the decline.
Trap Mechanics
A lot of the traps involve actually locking the victim into place, or locking the trap into place on the victim. These scenarios make it extremely hard for the victims to be able to fully comprehend their scenario, including who else is in the room or who could be involved. The traps are absolutely possible in real life, and the mechanics in the movie could definitely be replicated, thus, the horror is real (unlike say, a supernatural horror movie villain). It is very difficult to think about anything other than escaping and there is typically a scary doll or voice telling you that you are about to die because you are a bad person.
The likelihood of escaping a trap due to faulty mechanics, are poor. The mechanical capability of the trap would depend upon the trap designer, however, it is definitely possible to conceive both, simpler and more complicated traps of the similar sort seen in the Saw movies. In fact, the realistic nature of the traps, make the Saw movies some of the scariest of the horror movie franchises.
Final Words About the Saw Traps
No matter whether a victim could have survived a Saw trap in real life or not, all of the traps seen in the movies are most certainly dangerous. And they all appear to be very well designed, and quite realistic. The danger experienced in these traps is absolutely life threatening in almost all circumstances, the traps even appearing highly intellectual in design and being extremely functional in operation. Ultimately, the Saw traps are extremely dangerous and no one should tread lightly if attempting to survive a Saw movie.
Tritone’s love of horror and mystery began at a young age. Growing up in the 80’s he got to see some of the greatest horror movies play out in the best of venues, the drive-in theater. That’s when his obsession with the genre really began—but it wasn’t just the movies, it was the games, the books, the comics, and the lore behind it all that really ignited his obsession. Tritone is a published author and continues to write and write about horror whenever possible.
Are The Final Destination Movies About Real Stories?
The Final Destination movies are pretty insane in terms of “believability.” Some of the deaths are simply down-right unlikely and of course the supernatural nature of the movies make them feel safer. Still, a lot of similar deaths have been documented. People around the world, have (unfortunately) suffered some pretty horrible fates that sound both, unlikely and unbelievable in nature. Some deaths are more like the plot in Final Destination, where a tragedy is side skirted one day, only to return another. Some even involve actual plane crashes. There are also real life deaths which have been extremely graphic, while also complicated…much like the movies. In short, yes, Final Destination is possibly based on real events and many of these cases basically prove it!
Real Life Examples of Final Destination
There are some really crazy coincidences out there, and sometimes, they involve death! Like the popular Final Destination franchise, these deaths are very similar to the outrageous sequence of events many of the characters suffer throughout the movies.
Drowning in a Water Bowl
In 2001, a swimming coach tripped and fell on some concrete. The fall knocked him out and he slid down an icy sidewalk. His face landed in his cat’s water bowl, which was barely full at all. Still, the water was enough to cause him to asphyxiate and drown. Sadly, even a tiny bit of water is enough to take down the best of swimmers in the right conditions.
Wanted by Death
In 1977 Air Indiana Flight 216 crashed and there were no survivors. There was one single team member who was not on the flight, however, surviving the tragedy much like the Final Destination movie itself. Unfortunately, however, he would only survive a couple weeks longer, his life being taken by a drunk driver along with his younger brother.
Ejected And Run Over
In 2013, Asiana Airlines crashed a Boeing 777 into the San Francisco International Airport runway. The plane landing was bumpy, and exposed passengers to the open air, where 3 Chinese schoolgirls were thrown from the plane. They were some of the only passengers without their seatbelts on. While two of the girls died on impact, one survived only to be run over by one of the rescue vehicles rushing around the scene.
Destined to be Gunned Down
The interesting case of a famous sportscaster in 2012 showcases a woman who almost diverted death by bullet. Jessica Redfield is recorded noting that she received a strange, eerie feeling that caused her to leave Eaton Centre Mall in Toronto, Canada. The mall was then shot up, deaths in the same food court she was just enjoying. One month later, she died in the Aurora, Colorado movie theater shooting.
Spear Through The Eye
The year is 1999 and the location is Liverpool. Unfortunately the rest of the story involves a physical education instructor and a javelin. As the story goes…the instructor loses his balance on a high jump and the javelin strikes the eye and pierced the actual brain. He died several days later after suffering both, a coma and a chest infection.
Surviving One Plane To Die On Another
One woman is recorded surviving the attacks of September 11th (on the World Trade Center in New York), only to suffer a strangly-related death shortly thereafter. Two months following the 9/11 attacks, Hilda Mayol died as a passenger of American Airlines Flight 587 when it crashed in New York.
The Exploding Lava Lamp
In the year 2004, in Washington state, a man in his mid-twenties decided to heat his lava lamp using the stove range, rather than the bulb it came with. The result was a high-pressure bomb-like effect that caused the lava lamp to explode, sending tons of glass shards splintering the air. Unfortunately, one of these shards punctured his heart and he died.
Death by Rescue
In 2013, Asiana Flight 214 crashed. It was a terrible disaster, leaving 3 people dead and many injured. Supposedly, one of the passengers who survived the incident was struck and killed by a rescue vehicle (fire truck), approaching the scene. It should be noted, however, that there are many conflicting stories and the official ruling several years later may argue she was already dead. Still, so many people were convinced of seeing her alive before the vehicle approached, and thus the death seems very “Final Destination-like.”
Fire Hydrant From Hell
There is a recorded case in Oakland, California involving a large SUV plowing into a fire hydrant and turning it into a rocket. This rocket was propelled by the insane water pressure in the hydrant finally being able to bust loose the hydrant. In this case, the hydrant shot off and impacted the back of a man’s head, killing him instantly. Supposedly, the fire hydrant still continued another 20 feet, even after striking the man’s skull.
Could Final Destination Happen In Real Life?
With the large number of strangely similar deaths, it is very obvious that something like Final Destination could most certainly happen in real life. While the movies themselves were not based on true stories directly, they were most certainly inspired by unbelievable tragedy…and that is seen all the time! These deaths, however, are so close to the “level of craziness” depicted in the Final Destination deaths, that there is more than enough evidence to support real-life Final Destination-style dangers. That said, it may be best to outfit your summer cottage with a few corks and fire extinguishers…because YOU JUST NEVER KNOW!
Tritone’s love of horror and mystery began at a young age. Growing up in the 80’s he got to see some of the greatest horror movies play out in the best of venues, the drive-in theater. That’s when his obsession with the genre really began—but it wasn’t just the movies, it was the games, the books, the comics, and the lore behind it all that really ignited his obsession. Tritone is a published author and continues to write and write about horror whenever possible.
The very interesting road to filming the haunted house horror movie Rose Red is a special one. The idea started out as a way to combine Stephen King and Steven Spielberg to make “the scariest haunted house movie ever made,” however, the two simply could not see eye-to-eye, and parted ways with King purchasing the full rights to the movie from Spielberg. It is a good thing he did (no offense to Spielberg), as King is better suited for the cerebral type of horror…which is exactly what Rose Red turned out to be: a psychological horror masterpiece. So how real is Rose Red? Is it truly based upon a real story, as its $200,000 promotional marketing campaign implied? And if so, where is the “real Rose Red”? Let’s break it down a little, as the mansion is pretty big after all!
Is Rose Red based upon a real story?
The short answer is: YES, Rose Red is based upon a true story, however, there are plenty of embellishments and Stephen King combined multiple inspirations to achieve the end product that is the Rose Red movie we all know and love.
Where is the Real Rose Red?
Rose Red was filmed in a house known as the Thornewood Castle in Tacoma, Washington. However, the film was inspired by the story of the Winchester Mansion in San Jose, California.
The Winchester Mystery House [aka Winchester Mansion]
While there are many horror movies about haunted houses, and many movies about ghosts, Rose Red still strikes a uniquely creepy vibe. This is probably because Stephen King’s primary inspiration for the film came from the Winchester Mystery House story. King first heard the story in a Ripley’s Believe It or Not comic book as a kid. The story goes a little something like this…
Sarah Winchester was the wife of William Wirt Winchester, one of the most important originals of the Winchester Repeating Arms Company. The Winchester company was responsible for developing the weapon that revolutionized weaponry. The Winchester rifles would kill so many people, that lore would ultimately spawn the tale behind the mansion itself. Sarah Wichester was a huge believer of the paranormal and life beyond living, thus naturally succumbing to a number of psychics and paranormal investigators in her area. The most notable of all spiritualists who would be hired by Sarah was Adam Coons…who supposedly explained to her that her family was cursed by the spirits of those killed by the family’s prominent invention. Furthermore, Coons suggested she should move west and construct a home for the spirits and herself to reside.
Located in San Jose California, the Winchester Mystery House started out a smaller mansion in 1884, being built up with the massive inheritance Sarah Winchester was left after her husbands death. In fact, it was only an eight room farm house at the time she purchased it. After she purchased the property, construction began nearly immediately, first starting with renovations and then the additions of rooms. It has been said that construction continued in the property from the time she purchased it, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year…for more than 38 years! By the time of her death, the Winchester House had grown to a massive 160 rooms making up 24,000 square feet. Much of her staff required a map in order to navigate the home, despite working there every single day. The sheer size of the mansion created a natural uneasiness which fostered the development of the best ghost stories!
Fun Fact: There are 47 fireplaces, 40 stairways, 6 kitchens and 3 elevators in the Winchester Mystery House. It is obvious as to why the Winchester Mansion was the perfect inspiration for Rose Red!
Is the Winchester Mansion Really Haunted Like Rose Red?
In real life, the Winchester Mansion does not expand indefinitely like the haunted mansion portrayed in Rose Red. The idea of an ever expanding house that was bigger on the inside than the outside did come from the Winchester Mansion story. And the house itself was believed to be haunted by Sarah Winchester, and many others (even still to this day). Additionally, the sound of hammers and construction being heard from within Rose Red does come from tales reported from within the Winchester Mansion…as many guests have reported such audible anomalies. The house currently serves as a historic tourist attraction at 525 South Winchester Blvd (and yes, it’s still located in San Jose, California!). Unfortunately there have been some exploits of the Winchester house, such as modifications to the home to include the number “13” more prominently to back up a suspected-false rumor that Sarah was obsessed with the number 13. There are scattered reports of several construction workers and laborers (carpenters, electricians, engineers, etc), who claim to have been paid to modify the property after her death (chandeliers, bathrooms, windows, etc) to increase the frequency of the number 13 throughout the house.
Stephen King and his crew did explore the Winchester Mystery House prior to selecting a filming location with the intention of possibly using the Winchester Mansion itself. Ultimately, however, the rooms proved to be too small for filming high quality footage, and Thornewood Castle was selected.
Additional Inspirations
The rest of the inspirations for Rose Red either came from Stephen King’s impressively twisted mind, or from the 1959 book “The Haunting.” The Haunting would be turned into a movie in itself in 1963 and showcased a professor with an interest in the supernatural recruiting a group of psychics specifically to investigate a haunted house for proof of paranormal activity. Stephen King wanted a hands-on type of professor, and portrayed Joyce Reardon as a more aggressive character, rather than simply an inquisitive one. Stephen King also turns to a variety of other horror tactics to put the character of the house, Rose Red itself, into physical terms. King gives Rose Red the ability to grow more powerful and manifest real, “in the flesh” types of anomalies…even summoning back its victims as zombies to haunt the rest of the living!
It turns out, additionally, that Thornewood Castle (the place Rose Red was filmed within, not based upon), also has its own sets of scares and ghost tales! While none of the crew or cast have reported any strange occurrences while filming, many guests and tourists most certainly have. Many staff members have reported seeing apparitions and other spiritual inhabitants…and guests report seeing the figure of a woman in a mirror throughout the castle. Thornewood Castle is an English Tudor in a gothic style built for Chester Thorne in 1911. Although no where near the size of the Winchester Mansion, it possesses a respectable 54 rooms, including 22 bedrooms and 22 bathrooms. And the castle itself was a most obvious choice for the film Rose Red, given the intense level of detail paid within the architecture. Even the famous red brick facing seen in the movie was imported straight from Wales!
Final Words About Rose Red
Rose Red is one of the most creative horror movies of all time, despite being about a cliché haunted house. There are psychological thrills to be found in nearly every scene, riddled among just the right amount of paranormal action and phenomena. Probably one of the most critical parts of the suspense buildup is the heavy peppering of the house’s creepy history. Unfortunately, most of the history of the actual house itself was made up, though we have to give Stephen King props where deserved…as its one hell of a story!
Huge Rose Red Fan? Check out some Rose Red Trivia, Behind the Scenes and Fun Facts!
Tritone’s love of horror and mystery began at a young age. Growing up in the 80’s he got to see some of the greatest horror movies play out in the best of venues, the drive-in theater. That’s when his obsession with the genre really began—but it wasn’t just the movies, it was the games, the books, the comics, and the lore behind it all that really ignited his obsession. Tritone is a published author and continues to write and write about horror whenever possible.
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