10 Cursed Movie Productions

If there’s any film likely to incur the wrath of dark forces, it’s The Exorcist. The set was a difficult place to work, and while some of this was down to the unconventional techniques of director William Friedkin, there may have been more sinister powers at work.

Actors Ellen Burnstyn and Linda Blair were injured during the shooting, with the rigours of demonic possession proving difficult to capture onscreen without seriously painful stunts. Blair, then a mere teenager, perhaps suffered the most, receiving death threats for her all-too-real portrayal as the Satanically afflicted Regan.

The production was lucky to get that far, though: filming was delayed early on when the shooting location caught ablaze - with the only untarnished spot being Regan’s bedroom. Naturally things were tense from there. Friedkin was known to fire a gun on set to keep the actors sufficiently edgy, though it’s like that was a superfluous effort.

Two actors died during post production, and the spirit evidently affected the physical film itself: the premier was blighted by a thunder and lightning storm, and attendees reported demonic voices outside the cinema.