First of all, movies can't be cursed because curses aren't real. However, that can't stop Josh and Chuck from taking a look at some movies throughout history that have had a disturbing number of bad things surrounding their production and release. Dive into the world of cursed movies in this very fun episode.
AI Summary
# Stuff You Should Know - Cursed Movies
Josh and Chuck dive into the spooky world of supposedly cursed films with this entertaining episode that explores why Hollywood's darkest legends might be more hype than hex. From the tragic deaths surrounding classics like Poltergeist and The Wizard of Oz to the eerie coincidences on The Omen set, they examine whether these movies are actually cursed or just victims of selective storytelling and the inherent dangers of old-school filmmaking. The episode exposes how cherry-picking tragic events while ignoring the countless safe productions creates the illusion of curses, making this a fascinating exploration of myth, coincidence, and our human tendency to see patterns where none exist.
Movies Discussed
A Bridge Too Far
"John Holland, after working on a movie called a bridge too far, and he was involved in a head on collision — Referenced as John Richardson's prior film work before his car crash accident."
— Josh
Adventures of Superman
"The name of the show that I watched was called Adventures of Superman. And that was straight up from the 1950s — Referenced as the Superman TV series featuring George Reeves that Chuck watched as a child."
— Chuck
Brainstorm
"Brainstorm was the 1983 sci-fi movie, um, most famously known as being, uh, the great Natalie Woods final film — Discussed as Natalie Wood's final film before her mysterious death by drowning."
— Josh
Cats
"We have done one on cats and then Christopher Reeve played Superman — Brief reference to a previous podcast episode on cats."
— Josh
F Troop
"What about F Troop? F Troop's probably one of my favorites. Yeah. I watched F Troop. — Chuck discusses watching reruns of classic TV shows."
— Chuck
Gilligan's Island
"I like to watch reruns of stuff like Gilligan's Island and Green Acres and Petticoat Junction — Chuck mentions watching reruns of classic TV shows from his childhood."
— Chuck
Green Acres
"I like to watch reruns of stuff like Gilligan's Island and Green Acres and Petticoat Junction — Chuck mentions watching reruns of classic TV shows from his childhood."
— Chuck
Hey Dude
"Hey Dude, the 90s called, David Lasher and Christine Taylor, stars of the cult classic show — Mentioned in podcast advertisement for a related show featuring cast members from the original series."
Hollywoodland
"Was this in the Ben Affleck movie, uh, Hollywood land. Is that right? Yeah, George Reeves and that scene was in the movie. — Mentioned as a film depicting George Reeves' life and the incident with the child and gun."
— Chuck
Me and Earl and the Dying Girl
"The thing that I saw him in was a movie out a couple of years ago called Me and Earl and the Dying Girl. Oh, okay. — Referenced as prior film work of actor Thomas Mann who plays Toole in the biopic."
— Josh
Noah's Ark
"There was a 1928 movie called Noah's Ark and they used 600,000 gallons of water to create the flood scene — Cited as an early example of on-set deaths during dangerous stunt filming."
— Josh
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
"better known for playing chief in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, one of the great characters of all time — Referenced when discussing Will Sampson's role in Poltergeist II and his earlier work."
— Chuck
Petticoat Junction
"I like to watch reruns of stuff like Gilligan's Island and Green Acres and Petticoat Junction — Chuck mentions watching reruns of classic TV shows from his childhood."
— Chuck
Poltergeist
"Should we start with Poltergeist? Yes. Poltergeist, that's one where people always list this as a cursed movie — Main topic of discussion about deaths of cast members connected to the film."
Poltergeist II: The Other Side
"In Poltergeist II, there was an actor named Will Sampson who played Taylor, the medicine man — Discussed as part of the Poltergeist curse narrative regarding actor deaths."
— Josh
Poltergeist III
"She died, it was Poltergeist III, I believe, that Heather O'Rourke died after filming — Referenced regarding Heather O'Rourke's death after filming the third Poltergeist film."
— Chuck
Rebel Without a Cause
"I think it was sort of in turnaround forever, it took a long time in development, and eventually the head of the Louisiana State Film Commission, it's set in New Orleans — Referenced in context of multiple cast deaths across different films with same actors."
— Chuck
The Beverly Hillbillies
"he survived to go on to play Jed, the dad in Beverly Hillbillies, thank God — Mentioned as Buddy Ebson's later career role after being replaced in Wizard of Oz."
— Josh
The Conqueror
"The Conqueror is a movie that, like we said, John Wayne factored in and this one was definitely — Discussed as cursed film where cast/crew were exposed to radioactive fallout near Nevada test site."
— Josh
The Omen
"The Omen. Yes. This is a good one because, um, this is one of those where it's a movie about the devil. — Major film discussed extensively regarding multiple curse incidents during production."
The Wizard of Oz
"Okay, so the Wizard of Oz is next. That's right, 1939, great movie, but a great movie that was marred — Major film discussed for various on-set injuries and actor deaths linked to production."
They Died with Their Boots On
"So this is another movie. Years later, they died with their boots on. I think it's about the charge of the Light Brigade — Referenced as example of deaths during on-set stunt filming involving cavalry scenes."
— Josh
Twilight Zone: The Movie
"1983, the Twilight Zone movie, very famously, there was a disaster, right? Yeah, that was very sad. — Cited as example of on-set tragedy with helicopter blade deaths."
— Josh
When Harry Met Sally...
"it wouldn't, if this was when Harry met Sally and that some of this stuff happened. Yeah. When Harry met Sally was cursed with great laughs. — Used as comparison for how a truly cursed non-horror film would be described."
— Josh
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