8 Directors Who Admitted They Pushed Their Stars Too Far

5. John Landis

As abusive and potentially illegal as the actions of many of these filmmakers were, none of them caused the deaths of three cast members as John Landis did while shooting his segment for 1983's Twilight Zone: The Movie.

While filming a set-piece involving a helicopter, a series of pyrotechnics were detonated too close to the chopper, causing it to crash to the ground, instantly killing actor Vic Morrow - father of Jennifer Jason Leigh - along with two child actors who were working on the film illegally.

Though Landis and his co-defendants were acquitted of manslaughter in a court of law, when later asked if he felt responsible for the incident, he declared, "Of course. It was my set...I live with the 'Twilight Zone' every day of my life."

There's making your cast cry, making their feet bleed, and even sexually assaulting them, but then there's flagrantly ignoring child labour permits and getting three people killed. Jeez.