Question 1

During the filming of 'The Wizard of Oz' (1939), the "snow" used in the Poppy Field scene was actually 100% pure chrysotile asbestos.

Accepted Answer

true At the time, asbestos was a common substitute for fake snow. It was sold under brand names like "White Magic" and "Snow Drift." The cast, including Judy Garland, spent days inhaling the toxic fibers.

Question 2

The "cursed" set of 'The Exorcist' (1973) caught fire and burned to the ground, with the only surviving room being Regan’s bedroom.

Accepted Answer

true A bird reportedly flew into a circuit box, causing a fire that destroyed the entire MacNeil house set. Director William Friedkin confirmed that Regan’s bedroom, where the exorcism took place, remained inexplicably untouched.

Question 3

In the 1982 film 'Poltergeist', the production used real human skeletons because they were cheaper to acquire than plastic ones.

Accepted Answer

true Prop master Joann Vizzi and actress JoBeth Williams confirmed this. Plastic skeletons were expensive and didn't look "realistic" enough, so the production bought real remains from a biological supply house.

Question 4

Actor Vic Morrow was decapitated by a helicopter during the filming of 'Twilight Zone: The Movie' after he predicted his own death on set.

Accepted Answer

false While Morrow and two child actors were tragically killed in a helicopter accident, there is no verified evidence he "predicted" his own death. However, he did express safety concerns shortly before the crash.

Question 5

John Wayne and over 90 other cast and crew members of 'The Conqueror' (1956) developed cancer because the film was shot downwind of a nuclear testing site.

Accepted Answer

true Filming took place in St. George, Utah, downwind from the Nevada Test Site. By 1980, 91 of the 220 crew members had developed cancer, and 46 had died, including John Wayne and Susan Hayward.

Question 6

The production of the 1981 film 'Roar' resulted in zero injuries, despite the cast living with over 100 untrained lions and tigers.

Accepted Answer

false Roar is often called "the most dangerous movie ever made." Over 70 cast and crew members were injured, including Jan de Bont (scalped) and Melanie Griffith (required facial reconstructive surgery).

Question 7

A "ghost" of a young boy who died in the house can clearly be seen behind a curtain in a scene from 'Three Men and a Baby' (1987).

Accepted Answer

false It was a cardboard cutout of actor Ted Danson (his character was an actor in the film) that had been left on the set.

Question 8

For the "chestburster" scene in 'Alien' (1979), the actors’ reactions of pure horror were authentic because they didn't know exactly what was about to happen.

Accepted Answer

true Director Ridley Scott kept the details of the "bursting" hidden. When the blood (mostly cow blood and offal) sprayed the actors, their shock and Veronica Cartwright’s near-fainting were real.

Question 9

Adriana Caselotti, the voice of 'Snow White' (1937), was banned by Walt Disney from ever performing again to preserve the "illusion" of the character.

Accepted Answer

true Disney held her under a strict contract that prevented her from appearing in any other films or even appearing on the radio, effectively ending her career as a performer to keep the voice "purely" Snow White's.

Question 10

During the filming of 'The Passion of the Christ' (2004), lead actor Jim Caviezel was struck by lightning while filming on a mountain.

Accepted Answer

true Caviezel was struck by lightning while filming the Sermon on the Mount. Even more bizarrely, assistant director Jan Michelini was struck twice during the same production.

Question 11

In 'Apocalypse Now' (1979), the production used actual human cadavers purchased from a local medical supply company that turned out to be grave robbers.

Accepted Answer

true Production designer Dean Tavoularis admitted that they unknowingly bought real bodies from a man who had looted them from a cemetery. Local police eventually confiscated the bodies.

Question 12

The director of 'Cannibal Holocaust' (1980) was arrested and charged with murder because the film was so realistic that authorities believed it was a "snuff" film.

Accepted Answer

true Director Ruggero Deodato had to bring his actors (who were rumored to be dead) into a courtroom in Milan to prove they were alive and that the "murders" were special effects.

Question 13

The "hanging munchkin" visible in the background of 'The Wizard of Oz' was actually a production assistant who committed suicide on set.

Accepted Answer

false It is a persistent urban legend. The "hanging figure" is actually a large bird (a crane or emu) from the Los Angeles Zoo that was roaming the set to add "atmosphere."

Question 14

Shelley Duvall was so traumatized by Stanley Kubrick’s treatment of her on the set of 'The Shining' that her hair began to fall out.

Accepted Answer

true Kubrick isolated Duvall and forced her to perform the "baseball bat" scene 127 times. The extreme psychological stress caused her hair to shed, and she frequently fell ill.

Question 15

For the 1974 film 'The Texas Chain Saw Massacre', the "dinner scene" was filmed in a single 26-hour marathon in 110-degree heat with rotting animal carcasses on the table.

Accepted Answer

true To save money, the scene was filmed in one go. The smell of rotting meat combined with the intense Texas heat caused several actors to vomit or pass out between takes.

Question 16

Brandon Lee, son of Bruce Lee, died on the set of 'The Crow' (1994) because a real bullet was accidentally loaded into a prop gun.

Accepted Answer

false It wasn't a "real" bullet in the traditional sense. A "dummy" bullet tip had become lodged in the barrel from a previous scene. When a blank was fired, the pressure launched the lodge tip like a live round.

Question 17

The 1976 film 'The Omen' is considered cursed because a plane hired by the production was struck by lightning, and a crew member was later involved in a horrific car accident.

Accepted Answer

true The "Omen Curse" is legendary. Lead actor Gregory Peck’s plane was hit by lightning; producer Harvey Bernhard was almost hit by lightning; and SFX artist John Richardson was in a crash in Holland that killed his assistant in a manner similar to the film's beheading scene.

Question 18

In 'A Clockwork Orange' (1971), Malcolm McDowell’s eyes were permanently blinded during the Ludovico technique scene.

Accepted Answer

false While his corneas were scratched and he suffered temporary blindness because the lid locks stayed on too long, his sight eventually recovered fully.

Question 19

The movie 'Stalker' (1979) by Andrei Tarkovsky is believed to have literally killed its cast and crew due to toxic chemical runoff at the filming location.

Accepted Answer

true The film was shot near a chemical plant in Estonia. Many crew members, including Tarkovsky himself and lead actor Anatoly Solonitsyn, died of the same rare form of lung cancer years later.

Question 20

To prepare for his role in 'The Dark Knight', Heath Ledger spent months in a psychiatric ward to understand the Joker's psyche.

Accepted Answer

false This is a common myth. While Ledger did keep a "Joker Diary" and isolated himself in a hotel room for a month to develop the voice and laugh, there is no evidence he entered a psychiatric ward.

Hollywood Myths & Legends - Test Your Knowledge on Tinseltown's Dark Side

2) The "cursed" set of 'The Exorcist' (1973) caught fire and burned to the ground, with the only surviving room being Regan’s bedroom.

3) In the 1982 film 'Poltergeist', the production used real human skeletons because they were cheaper to acquire than plastic ones.

4) Actor Vic Morrow was decapitated by a helicopter during the filming of 'Twilight Zone: The Movie' after he predicted his own death on set.

5) John Wayne and over 90 other cast and crew members of 'The Conqueror' (1956) developed cancer because the film was shot downwind of a nuclear testing site.

6) The production of the 1981 film 'Roar' resulted in zero injuries, despite the cast living with over 100 untrained lions and tigers.

7) A "ghost" of a young boy who died in the house can clearly be seen behind a curtain in a scene from 'Three Men and a Baby' (1987).

8) For the "chestburster" scene in 'Alien' (1979), the actors’ reactions of pure horror were authentic because they didn't know exactly what was about to happen.

9) Adriana Caselotti, the voice of 'Snow White' (1937), was banned by Walt Disney from ever performing again to preserve the "illusion" of the character.

10) During the filming of 'The Passion of the Christ' (2004), lead actor Jim Caviezel was struck by lightning while filming on a mountain.

11) In 'Apocalypse Now' (1979), the production used actual human cadavers purchased from a local medical supply company that turned out to be grave robbers.

12) The director of 'Cannibal Holocaust' (1980) was arrested and charged with murder because the film was so realistic that authorities believed it was a "snuff" film.

13) The "hanging munchkin" visible in the background of 'The Wizard of Oz' was actually a production assistant who committed suicide on set.

14) Shelley Duvall was so traumatized by Stanley Kubrick’s treatment of her on the set of 'The Shining' that her hair began to fall out.

15) For the 1974 film 'The Texas Chain Saw Massacre', the "dinner scene" was filmed in a single 26-hour marathon in 110-degree heat with rotting animal carcasses on the table.

16) Brandon Lee, son of Bruce Lee, died on the set of 'The Crow' (1994) because a real bullet was accidentally loaded into a prop gun.

17) The 1976 film 'The Omen' is considered cursed because a plane hired by the production was struck by lightning, and a crew member was later involved in a horrific car accident.

18) In 'A Clockwork Orange' (1971), Malcolm McDowell’s eyes were permanently blinded during the Ludovico technique scene.

19) The movie 'Stalker' (1979) by Andrei Tarkovsky is believed to have literally killed its cast and crew due to toxic chemical runoff at the filming location.

20) To prepare for his role in 'The Dark Knight', Heath Ledger spent months in a psychiatric ward to understand the Joker's psyche.