So we arrive to the entry that is the most shocking and horrible of all. Actor Vic Marrow and one of the Vietnamese children he was carrying were instantly decapitated by helicopter rotor blades whilst an on set accident occured during the filming of a segment for 'Twilight Zone: The Movie' directed by John Landis. The second child he was carrying was crushed to death by the helicopter which crash-landed after having some difficulty navigating the Vietnam war-torn set. All scenes of the children were deleted after the accident, but Marrow's role largely remains intact expect for the Vietnam scenes which were of course omitted. Footage of the accident was presented as evidence and can easily be found on YouTube. If you are of a nervous disposition, I would very much recommend against watching this thankfully grainy footage. The horrific accident damaged Landis' career and personal life as the trial for manslaughter (he paid the children under the table to bypass Californian child labour laws, meaning they were on-set at night and near explosions, which they shouldn't have been) went on for nearly 10 years, eventually not finding anyone on set as culpable. Re-watching the film and seeing Marrow play out his scenes before his shocking and abrupt death makes for very uncomfortable viewing of the highest order, despite the entire film being very good. Being part of the Twilight Zone saga and considering the rooster of directors involved (Steven Spielberg, John Landis, Joe Dante and George Miller) this film should have been one of the best. Instead, thanks to horrific accident and the ugly, decade-long legal battle, the film is very much overshadowed by the tragic loss of life of the actors involved in the first segment.
