It is finally my favorite time of year: fall! The crisp weather lets me drag out all my comfy sweaters and scarves, and watching the leaves change always takes my breath away.
But most importantly, we get to spend a whole month celebrating all the spooky fun of Halloween! That means pulling out all your creepy decor and, of course, popping in some scary movies for a frightening marathon from the safety of your couch.
I can’t really handle the more modern options with their super gory scenes, so I like to look back at the old classics. I also love delving into the secrets that went on behind the scenes of filming. There’s always something eerie or downright surprising that went on that’s just as fascinating as what’s on the screen.
Take a look below to learn some quite shocking facts about these 12 classic flicks. Be sure to let us know in the comments if we missed your favorite and please SHARE with your friends!
Thumbnail sources: Wikipedia 1, 2 / Monsters In Film And Literature
1. Nosferatu (1922)
The widow of Bram Stoker, the author who penned the original novel Dracula which this film is based on, demanded all prints and negatives be destroyed after filing a lawsuit. However, versions from other countries eventually resurfaced.
2. Frankenstein (1931)
In the scene by the lake with the young girl Maria, the monster joins her in throwing flowers into the pond. A scene was originally filmed showing him toss Maria into the water before becoming confused when she doesn’t float back up like the petals. But it was banned by censors for being too violent. The entire film was also banned from release in Kansas.
3. Dracula (1931)
After the cast and crew finished filming during the day, a Spanish language version of the movie would begin filming at night with different actors.
4. The Mummy (1932)
On a particularly intense day of shooting, lead actress Zita Johann fainted at the sight of Boris Karloff out of character but in his full mummy wrap and makeup.
5. King Kong (1933)
In the scenes where Fay Wray is being held by Kong, the terror in her character’s eyes is real due to the mechanism’s grip becoming looser and looser with each take of her struggling.
6. The Creature From The Black Lagoon (1954)
The actors in the creature’s suit were not only required to hold their breath underwater for up to four minutes at a time, but could hardly see — something that resulted in Julia Adams accidentally being knocked unconscious during a take in which they enter the cave.
7. The Blob (1958)
The material used to create the blob was designed to never dry out in order to maintain its appearance while filming. It still exists in its original five-gallon pail today, which you can see for yourself at the annual Blobfest in Phoenixville, PA, where much of the film was shot.
8. Psycho (1960)
On the first day of filming, the cast and crew were forced to raise their right hands and vow not to tell a soul about any aspect of the plot. Alfred Hitchcock also kept details of the ending from them until it was time to shoot.
9. Rosemary's Baby (1968)
Frank Sinatra was so against his then-wife Mia Farrow’s participation in the occult-based film that he had divorce papers served to her on set.
10. Night Of The Living Dead (1968)
The flesh being eaten by the zombies is actually roasted ham covered in chocolate sauce. The joke on set was that the stomach-churning concoction made the use of makeup unnecessary since the actors all looked pale and sickly while eating it, anyway.
11. The Last House On The Left (1972)
Wes Craven’s directorial debut was originally slapped with an X rating. He trimmed 10 minutes of footage, but still couldn't get the rating softened. Then he removed an additional 20 minutes, again to no avail. Craven eventually put all the original footage back in and had a friend on the film board help grant the movie an R rating.
12. Carrie (1976)
Sissy Spacek kept herself isolated from the other actors while filming, remaining in her trailer between scenes or hiding in corners to keep in character. She was kind enough to give the cast warning, though, telling them they would have a lot of fun together after they wrapped.
Did we forget one of your favorite scary movie secrets? Let us know in the comments and SHARE with your friends!
