10 Cursed Movie Productions

As a staunch man of God, you’d think Mel Gibson might have taken some of the on set incidents as a sign that The Passion Of The Christ wasn’t such a good idea. Perhaps it was the Lord testing him, or career pursuits took precedence over religious concerns - either way, Gibson was certainly tested during this production.

The startlingly violent depiction of Jesus’ final hours primarily sees actor Jim Caviezel getting knocked about brutally. Caviezel really lived the role here, suffering from respiratory illnesses due to the shirtless winter shooting schedule, and receiving the odd accidental thrash of a Roman’s whip, which is going to happen when your film is 90% whipping scenes.

The real peril came from up above, though, in the form of lightning. Caviezel and assistant director Jan Michelini were struck by a bolt from the sky while filming the Sermon on the Mound - you can chalk that one down to bad luck, but, proving the old adage wrong, it was the second tile Micheline had been zapped on set.

Gibson persevered, though, and was rewarded with a notable if frankly unwatchable film. Truly, the Lord works in mysterious ways.