Little known facts of horror!

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Makes for some interesting reading, these small bits of trivia associated with our favorite genre :-


1. Betsy Palmer initially passed on the role of Pamela Voorhees but took the job after her Mercedes died and she needed a new car.

2. Clint Eastwood's very first film shot was the horror movie Tarantula. He depicted a pilot with a face mask.

3. Boris Karloff was the initial inspiration for the face of Marvels early INCREDIBLE HULK character.

4. It's been rumored that Writer/Director Wes Craven got the inspiration for the name 'Freddy Krueger' from a childhood bully, when in fact, the inspiration for the name comes from a string of stories run in the Los Angeles Times about a series of mysterious deaths: All the victims had reported recurring nightmares beforehand about a man named Mr. K.; the character itself however was inspired by a childhood bully of Craven's.

5. Per request, Bela Lugosi was buried in the original costume cape of his iconic Universal Monster, Dracula.

6. Actor Michael Berryman who starred in the original 'Hills Have Eyes' was born with a staggering 12 different birth defects which accounts for his malformed head.

7. Do you know Chucky's full name?? Charles Lee Ray...easy one you say. But do you know what names their derived from? Hint. There all serial killers. if you guessed Charles Manson, Lee Harvey Oswald, and James Earl Ray then give yourself a big old pat on the back. The working title of the movie was "Bloody Buddy." Can you imagine if the studio went with that. We'd have sequels titled "The Bride of Blood Buddy", and "The Seed of Bloody Buddy". To me it just doesn't have the same ring to it. Currently the franchise consists of 5 movies that featured the Chucky character. A reboot or remake or re-imagining to the series is rumored.

8. Ken Kirzinger, the actor who played Jason in Freddy vs Jason played the cook tossed into the mirror in the diner in Jason takes Manhattan.

9. Children of the Corn is technically a remake. The Stephen King Short Story made its first film appearance as a short film in King's Nightshift Collection Volume 2, under the title, Disciples of the Crow.

10. At the very beginning of Friday the 13th 2, the legs and feet of Jason walking after the child that sings 'row row row your boat' are those of a woman.

11. Kane Hodder has the word "kill" tattoo'd on the inside of his lower lip.

12. In "Halloween," Jamie Lee Curtis' entire wardrobe was purchased for roughly $100, at J.C. Penney of all places.

13. One time actor Warrington Gilette who played Jason in 'Friday the 13th Part 2' is the heir to the Gilette razor empire handed down to him by his father who inherited it from HIS father.

14. Fear of Friday the 13th is very real. In medical lingo, the technical term for this specific phobia is 'paraskevidekatriaphobia '.

15. "Alien" was initially going to be titled "Star Beast".

16. In the film "28 Days Later", the abandoned streets of London were cleared by slowing traffic with a roadblock. The scenes were then shot very quickly with a digital camera while the streets were empty for a few moments.

17. At one point in time, revered evangelist Billy Graham claimed that a real demon resided in the celluloid reels of the movie, "The Exorcist."

18. In the 2007 film, "Hostel II", the woman who bathes in virgin blood is based on mass murderer Elizabeth Bathory (called the Blood Countess of Hungary or, the Blood Queen). It was rumored that Bathory killed more than 600 peasant girls, though her guilt still remains in question to this day.

19. During the auditions for the part of Cole Sear in M. Night Shyamalan's, "The Sixth Sense", actor Haley Joel Osment was the only boy to wear a tie; it is alleged that this is one of the reasons he was ultimately offered the part.

20. Laurence Fishburne's space suit in "Event Horizon" weighed 65 pounds.

21. In 1974's "The Texas Chain Saw Massacre" a real human skeleton from India was used toward the end of the movie because it actually cost less than a false plastic one.

22. Famed director Takashi Miike can be seen in a cameo role in 2005's "Hostel."; he is the businessman who speaks to Paxton outside the warehouse.

23. Popular comedian Dana Carvey got his movie debut in 1981's "Halloween II"; a blond reporter is speaking to him in front of the Doyle house.

24. While filming, "Session 9" actor David Caruso claims to have seen "something pass his window" inside the Danvers mental hospital where shooting was done. He was hesitant to tell anyone because he didn't want people to "look at him strangely."

25. In the film "Stir of Echoes" Kevin Bacon's hypnosis sequences are followed by a musical note so that susceptible viewers are not left in a hypnotized state.

26. When Hatchet III was announced, creator Adam Green hinted that he wasn't going to be involved as the directer. Horror fans from around the world soon flooded his twitter page with pleas of passion not to let anyone else touch the directorial duties.

27. Scream 4 is landmarked as one of the only horror franchises in which its main characters return in all of its installments.

28. According to CNBC.com, If you adjusted the earnings for The Exorcist to today's costs, it would have earned a whopping $2,170,120,000. This would rank the film written by William Peter Blatty as the #1 Highest Grossing Horror Movie of All-Time.

29. Eli Roth's 5 all time favorite horror movies are as follows:
5) Sleepaway Camp
4) Troll 2
3) Creepshow
2) Zombie 2
1) Pieces

30. Not only was Kane Hodder the only actor ever to reprise his role as Jason Vorhees, he was also the only actor to ever portray three of the top horror movie icons of all time. Aside from playing Jason four times, Kane also played the gloved hand of Freddy Krueger at the end of Jason Goes To Hell: The Final Friday and he also did the stunts for Leatherface in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 3.

31. Type II caller I.D. was released in 1995, and its believed that its usage tripled after the 1996 movie Scream was released.
The movie has grossed a little over $160,000,000 to date. Currently the franchise has grossed over $450,000,000. Thats almost triple as well.

32. The "Ghost Face" mask was based on a painting by Edvard Munch.

33. Neil Affleck, star of the 1981 film My Bloody Valentine, stated in a recent interview that he still owns the miner's helmet which he wore in the movie. Neil also stated that the identity of the killer (him) was kept a mystery to all of the cast members at the time of filming.

34. Talk about cursed movies, did you know that the Omen which was original going to be called "The Antichrist", decided to change it's name to "The Birthmark" due to the all of the freakish set backs that they encountered while filming. (They eventually settled with "the Omen") Gregory Peck, whom played Robert Thorn, and screenwriter David Seltzer were both flying separately when the planes that they were both in got struck by lightning. Peck later cancelled a flight that he had to Israel, which turned out to be a smart decision, because the plane crashed...killing all on board. Producer Harvey Berhard just missed getting struck by lightning while he was in Rome. The hotel,in which director Richard Donner was staying, ended up getting bombed by the IRA; he was also hit by a car. Several members of the cast survived a head-on-crash on the day of the shoot. Even the Rottweiler's that were hired for the film seemed to be cursed, as they ended up attacking their trainers. Although the movie was completed these freakish events still seemed to occur. John Richardson, who was the special effects artist, suffered minor injuries on the set of A Bridge to Far, his girlfriend on the other hand wasn't as lucky, unfortunately she was beheaded. So, what's your verdict...Jinxed or not???

35. While filming the 2003 surprise hit "Wrong Turn", most of the cast and crew members were completely covered in poison ivy. It seems someone from the set mistook weeds for the poison oak, and decided to set up chairs smack dab in the middle of it.

36. Most of the maggots that were used in the first story of Creepshow ("Father's Day") were actually Rice Krispies. During his transformation into the plant-like creature in "The Lonesome Death of Jodi Verrill", Steven King had an allergic reaction to the make-up and had to be given shots and medication so he could continue filming. The little boy in the beginning of the movie, Joe Hill, is actually the son of Steven King.

37. Did you know Rob Zombie is a member of the Splat Pack? Other members include; Alexandre Aja, Darren Lynn Bousman, Neil Marshall, Greg Mclean, Eli Roth, James Wan & Leigh Whannell. It has been said that Sid "Captain Spaulding" Haig was coaxed out of his "self-imposed retirement" by Rob Zombie. Rob has an array of acheivements on his resume which includes; directing his own music videos, designing his own tattoos, acting, writing, directing and even producing for the big screen, a new "Woolite" commercial is currently being filmed. I'll bet you'll never guess by whom. Here's a hint. His initials are R.Z.

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38. "224" is the number of days that it took to film the Exorcist. Originally the shooting schedule was set for 85 days. Did you know that the bedroom set had to be refrigerated using four air conditioners in order to show the icy breath of the actors while preforming the exorcising scenes? Temperatures would easily drop to around 30-40 below zero. To this day Linda Blair, the actress who portrayed Regan, says she can't bear to be in the cold. When the Exorcist was first released, a filmgoer tried suing Warner Brothers because while he was watching it, he fainted and broke his jaw on one of the seats in the theater. His defense was that subliminal images were inserted into the movie, thus causing him to pass out. Believe it or not the studio settled out of court. The amount of money issued was undisclosed. Mercedes McCambridge had to sue WB as well; it seems that she nearly fainted also, but not because of any nonsense like subliminal images. Rather, she was never given credit for providing the voice of the Demon. One last tidbit regarding the Exorcist; it was the first horror film that was ever nominated for an Academy Award. The category for which it was nominated was "Best Picture." ("The Sting" won it).

39. Another horror movie that was nominated for "Best Picture" but didn't win was M. Night Shymalan's the Sixth Sense. To date it has grossed $672,806,292 worldwide, and the number of video rentals reached in the year 2000 was a staggering 80,000,000. The Sixth Sense was shot completely in sequence, which is very unusual by todays standards of film making. Red was a predominant color that was used in the film. It represented a crossover between the worlds of the living and the dead. So the next time you watch it, keep this in mind.

40. The original title for the 1988 classic "Cheerleader Camp" , was "Bloody Pompoms".

41. The body count for April Fools Day was actually zero.

42. Another famous cult classic was going to be called April Fools Day originally. Instead the name was changed to "Slaughter High".

43. The budget for Mother's Day was a stinking $150,000. The cost to make it was only $110,000. The house that was used for the filming of the movie, was an actual abandoned house which was located in Newton, New Jersey. Upon arriving at the location, a dead body was found inside of the house. It turns out that the owner was murdered there. Another famous movie that was being shot just across the lake at the same time that Mother's Day was being filmed was a small independent flick that you might not be that familiar with. It went by the name of "Friday the 13th".

44. For "The Toxic Avenger", the only hate mail that the movie ever really received was from the scene in which the dog gets killed in the restaurant, the effect was created by smearing spaghetti on a grey carpet. The sheep that Melvin kissed had lice unbeknown to him. The Toxic Avenger a.k.a as "the Atomic Hero"; was the first movie to be set in the fictitious town called Tromaville, it was also the Troma's first horror movie. Reportedly it took nearly four hours to apply the makeup that turned Mitch Cohen into Toxie. One final tidbit involving this low budget classic; the next time you watch it, "pause" your DVD at the 17:08 mark, you should see Oscar winner Marisa Tomei.

45. "Poltergeist" written by Steven Spielberg and directed by the great, Tobe Hooper, originally had someone else in mind to write the screenplay, his name is Steven King. That would have made it his first work in which he wrote directly for a movie, but both parties couldn't come to an agreement. Currently King has over 60 major motion pictures as well as TV miniseries and smaller works that have been adapted to film. Making him "the King" of adaptations. The Poltergeist franchise has been said to be another one of Hollywood's cursed movies. The list of deceased members that died shortly after appearing in the series includes;
Dominique Dunne, who played Dana's sister in the first movie, died by strangulation from her boyfriend in 1982. She was 22.
Heather O'Rourke, who was only 12, played Carol Anne in all three movies, died of Septic Shock when bacterial toxins poisoned her bloodstream.
Julian Beck, who played Kane in the second movie, died of Stomach Cancer.
Will Simpson, who also played in Poltergeist: The Other Side, died from post-operative kidney failure. He was being treated for problems that occurred due to malnutrition.
It is rumored that the curse came about because real skeletons were used in the making of Part 1. Angering the spirits of the deceased. JoeBeth Williams, who played Diane, would often return home from filming only to find all the pictures on her wall crooked. She would straighten them only to find them askew again the next day.
Due to a faulty clown prop, Robbie was actually being choked in the movie by the giant clown.

46. "Cabin Fever" was the last of 347 films that were shown at the 2002 Toronto International Film Festival. It also grossed the most money out of them same 347 films. Other notable films were "Spun", starring Brittany Murphy, "The Eye" (Hong Kong version), "Bubba Ho-Tep", and "8 Mile". The movie had the lowest budget that year for Lionsgate Films, but ironically it grossed the most money for them. It was also the highest grossing horror movie in 2003. Earning itself $22 million at the Box Office. Director Eli Roth came up with the idea when he acquired a bad skin infection while working on a horse farm. Much like the movie, Roth's skins broke out in sores, and began peeling and bleeding when he shaved. If you arrange the letters in Cabin Fever, you get "Cerina V Feb". Coincidently enough the movie stars Cerina Vincent who was born in February.

47. During the filming of [*Rec], The closing passages really were shot in complete darkness, using an infra-red camera. The actors had no idea what was taking place as they couldn't see a thing.

48. In Death Proof, Stuntman Mike (Kurt Russell) drives two cars: a 1971/72 Chevy Nova SS and a 1969 Dodge Charger. The license plate on Stuntman Mike's Chevy Nova is JJZ-109. This is the same license plate number that was on the 1968 Ford Mustang Fastback that Steve McQueen's character drove in Bullitt. The two cars in the chase at the end are a black 1969 Dodge Charger (an homage to the General Lee, with correct 10 spoke American Racing Vector rims), and a 1970 Dodge Challenger (just like the one Barry Newman drove in Vanishing Point).

49. James Cameron turned in the first treatment for Aliens, called Alien II at the time, on September 21, 1983. Some of the differences between this initial treatment and the final film included the following: - The character of Carter Burke was absent, instead, his dialogue was given to someone named Dr. O'Niel, who did not join Ripley and the marines on their voyage to the colony planet. - Instead of being taken to the Gateway Station, Ripley was taken to Earth Station Beta. - The name of the colony planet was Acheron, taken from the script of Alien, instead of LV-426. - Ripley's daughter was alive, and Ripley had a disheartening videophone conversation with her, where she blamed Ripley for abandoning her by going to space. - There were multiple atmospheric processors on the planet. - The initial discovery of the aliens on the colony planet is much longer, where it is shown how Newt's father gets to the site of the eggs and is jumped by a facehugger. - An additional scene involves a rescue team going to the site of the alien eggs and being jumped by tens of facehuggers. - The aliens sting people to paralyze them before either killing or cocooning them. - At one point Ripley, Newt and Hicks get cocooned. - The aliens cocooning people are a different breed. They look like smaller, albino versions of the warrior aliens. - Bishop refuses to land on the planet and pick up Ripley, Hicks and Newt, indicating "the risk of contaminating other inhabited worlds is too great." - Ripley ends up using the colonists' shuttle to get back to the Sulaco. - Bishop tells her: "You were right about me all along." The first draft script was turned in by Cameron on May 30, 1985. This draft was quite different from the treatment, but very close to the final film.
Although the first script draft turned in on 30 May 1985 was very close to the final film, some scenes in this version were dropped in the final film. Those include:
A shower scene with Ripley in a futuristic shower environment,
Ripley going into more detail about the facehuggers while briefing the Marines, calling the facehugger "a walking sex organ" to which Hudson replies, "Sounds like you, Hicks."
There are thirty atmospheric processing units on the planet, as opposed to only one in the final film.
Newt formally offering Ripley to be her daughter.
Bishop encountering an alien while crawling along the tunnel (this scene also appeared in the final script but neither in the theatrical release nor in the Special Edition).
The second drop ship refueling itself before leaving the Sulaco under Bishop's remote control.
The first draft also included a scene with a cocooned Burke, which was shot but not included in any of the versions of the movie.

50. The name Gojira is a combination of the Japanese words for gorilla (gorira) and whale (kujira). The monster was so named because his original design was that of a gorilla-whale monster, which is recounted by people who worked on the film. 'Shigeru Kayama' (who was hired by Tanaka to write the original story) recounted in a book of memoirs he published in Japan, that Tanaka told him the creature would be a sea monster that was "a cross between a whale and a gorilla". After producer Tanaka saw the American monster film The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms, he got the idea to turn Godzilla into a dinosaur monster. Despite the physical change the name of the monster was kept.


Thanks to horrorbid.com posters - Matt_Molgaard & bnizzle, and IMDB.

[roshiq]

Nice compilation but I don't get why Eli Roth's 5 all time favorite horror movies can be a fact of horror? He's overrated as a Horror film director, IMO.

[hammerfan]

I knew about #5! I watched a documentary about Bela Lugosi not too long ago.

[Ferox13]

4. It's been rumored that Writer/Director Wes Craven got the inspiration for the name 'Freddy Krueger' from a childhood bully, when in fact, the inspiration for the name comes from a string of stories run in the Los Angeles Times about a series of mysterious deaths: All the victims had reported recurring nightmares beforehand about a man named Mr. K.; the character itself however was inspired by a childhood bully of Craven's.

And of course the bad guy in his first film was called Krug..

[CJ Steak]

Interesting read!

Thanks for posting.

-Chris

[SteyrAUG]

I knew #2, 5, 14, 32, most of 38, most of 39, part of 45 and most of 49.

Cool stuff.

[ZombieDrone]

I knew a few of them (#5 is a very well known piece of trivia)

[Fearonsarms]

Interesting pieces of trivia cheers.

[1beastieibe]

Thanks for sharing that was intresting

[jay o2 waster]

Some real good ones in there V really enjoyed the tidbits.

[NinetyNine]

This list is awesome and informative. Being the horror nerd that I am, I knew a lot of the trivia listed. However I learned a lot too.