10 Horror Movie Moments More Terrifying When You Know The Truth
5. The Helicopter Crash Was A Genuine Accident - Attack Of The Killer Tomatoes!
Now, Attack Of The Killer Tomatoes! may be a deeply silly horror-comedy, but there's a moment early in the film that's genuinely anxious to watch once you know the behind-the-scenes hoopla.
In the opening minutes of the movie, we see the police doing battle with the titular killer tomatoes in a field, all while a helicopter loses control in the air, crashes to the ground, and flips over.
But as it turns out, this was a genuine accident and not at all something that was intended to be part of the movie. The pilot legitimately lost control of the chopper, crashed it, rolled it over, and it indeed burst into flames.
The pilot was thankfully able to evacuate the vehicle without harm, and so quick-thinking director John DeBello decided to work the unexpected incident into the story.
DeBello used the footage of the crash and even filmed extra clips of the burning wreckage, while adding in dialogue about a tomato jumping into the chopper.
Releasing five years before the ill-fated Twilight Zone: The Movie, health and safety surrounding helicopters wasn't exactly first-rate at the time.
And though nobody was ultimately harmed, knowing how easily disaster could've struck makes watching this otherwise amusing scene rather queasy.