There have been some incredibly interesting movie urban legends and myths over the years, from curses to Disney movies with a few naughty scenes not safe for children’s eyes. Some of the urban legends and movie myths here are funny, some are frightening, and some are downright bizarre. But whether they are true or not, these are some of the best movie myths and urban legends, a few of which could warrant the creation of movies about them:
The ‘Poltergeist’ Curse – This is one of the most infamous movie urban legends and myths out there, because it involves multiple deaths. There’s no way of determining if an actual ‘Poltergeist’ curse exists, but there have been few movies with so many high-profile deaths of those involved in them. Throughout the run of the three ‘Poltergeist’ movies, actress Dominique Dunne died after her boyfriend choked her; child actress Heather O’Rourke succumbed to septic shock due to a bowel obstruction; actor Julian Beck died of stomach cancer; and Will Sampson died due to kidney failure, malnutrition, and a fungal infection after a heart-lung transplant. While the latter two deaths weren’t surprising due the knowledge that both actors were fighting life-threatening conditions, the unexpected death of such a young child and the violent death of Dominique Dunne are what really led to the creation of the ‘Poltergeist’ curse. Add to the mix the movie’s spooky subject matter, and you’ve got a whole slew of ‘Poltergeist’-related urban myths and legends. But while it is true there were multiple deaths of actors and actresses involved in the movies during their runs, there’s no way of proving the existence of an actual curse.
‘The Wizard of Oz’ Munchkin Suicide – And this is another of the most popular movie urban legends and myths, due to the fact that a death was involved. The urban legend here is that a munchkin suicide was captured on film in the movie ‘The Wizard of Oz’. In a scene where Dorothy and her pals are merrily skipping down the yellow brick road, you can see some odd movement in the background, and it’s this odd movement that has created one of the most well-known movie urban legends and myths. Supposedly, a lovelorn munchkin hung himself during the scene. But unfortunately for those that love a good tragedy, there’s just no way that this could have been a munchkin, as none of the actors were on set that day. Plus no one has ever come forward involved with the making of the movie and stated that any such death took place. The general consensus know is that it was simply one of the large birds roaming around on the set, not someone committing suicide. So this may be one of the most popular movie myths and urban legends, but it’s simply not true.
‘Ben-Hur’ Chariot Scene Death – And here’s one of the movie urban legends and myths that I always thought was true. The myth is that a stuntman was killed during the legendary chariot scene race in the ‘Ben-Hur’ movie of 1959, and that his death was left in the final cut of the movie. This myth has been debunked, and it is the filming of the 1926 version of the ‘Ben Hur’ movie that is disturbing: if horses were injured during the filming of the action sequences, they were simply shot. But to make matters worse, a man actually did die on the set of this film, when he was thrown thirty feet into the air and landed on a pile of lumber. There’s also been allegations that some extras drowned during some scenes in the movies, although there has never been any proof of this. So when it comes to disturbing movie urban legends and myths, the true stories about the earlier ‘Ben-Hur’ movie are actually worse than the false myth about the later one.
‘The Deer Hunter’ Russian Roulette Suicides – When it comes to movie urban legends and myths, they don’t get any darker than this one. The Russian roulette scene with Christopher Walken in ‘The Deer Hunter’ is truly disturbing, but, sadly, it tempted a few other disturbed individuals to play the same deadly game his character does in the film. It’s hard to know just how many people were inspired to load a gun with a single bullet and tempt fate themselves, but one psychiatrist in 1981 believed there had been 25 confirmed Russian Roulette deaths in the U.S. Sadly, it seems that some of those that died were just playing the game and not thinking of the consequences, making this one of the most horrific true movie urban legends and myths on this list.
The Male Bond Girl – There are a lot of Bond movie urban myths and legends (including the false gold paint death myth), but this one is one of my favorites (because it’s true!). But while Caroline Cossey (a.k.a. Tula”) was indeed born a man and did indeed appear as a bikini-clad woman in the James Bond movie ‘For Your Eyes Only’, there were a few urban legends and myths that sprung up surrounding her character that simply weren’t true. She never had a love scene with James Bond, nor did she play his love interest; she was more of an extra. Sadly, once the media got hold of the story, Tula’s career and personal life were disrupted by all of the attention. Still, she is one of the most beautiful and successful transsexual actresses of all time, and can claim to be part of one of the most popular (and true) movie urban legends and myths.
‘Three Men and a Baby’ Ghost – This is one of the silliest movie urban legends and myths, and it’s amazing to me to find that there are still those out there who believe it! Supposedly, a mysterious ghost boy appears in one of the scenes of ‘Three Men and a Baby’, peeking from beneath a curtain. The story became that a boy shot himself and died in the house where the movie was filmed, and he apparently decided to make a special appearance as an extra. As it turns out, the ghost boy is actually nothing more than a cardboard cutout of Ted Danson that was “sneaked” onto the set that was intended to be used in a storyline cut from the film. And to further debunk the ghost boy myth, the ‘Three Men and a Baby’ movie was filmed on a soundstage, not in an actual house. But while it’s not true, this is one of the most lucrative urban myths and legends, as it boosted ‘Three Men and a Baby’ to record movie rentals.
Topless Woman Photo in ‘The Rescuers’ – This is one of the Disney movie urban myths and legends that doesn’t get mentioned as much as some of the others, but it’s one of the few that we know is actually true. The Rescuers’ was one of my favorite movies as a child, but I never noticed the image of a topless woman in the movie that led to recalls of the 1999 VHS tapes because I had been watching the 1992 version (thankfully; my ultra-conservative parents might have banned Disney movies due to something so objectionable!). Apparently some trickster snuck the photo of a topless woman in a window during a scene when the rodent heroes are flying on the back of Orville the Albatross. Disney stated that the images were inserted in post-production, and not by any of the Disney animators. So who inserted the images into the film? We may never know, but they were responsible for one of the only Disney movie myths and urban legends that we know for sure is true.
‘Lion King’ ‘S-E-X’ Controversy – And here’s another of the great Disney movie urban legends and movie myths. In one scene of the movie, Simba plops down on the ground, sending up a cloud of dust. The urban legend is that the particles of the dust form the word “SEX” in the sky, and while this looks like it definitely could be true, there’s another explanation for the letters in the sky: they were meant to spell out the letters “SFX”, in honor of the Disney special effects team. But whether this is one of the Disney urban legends that is true or not, it’s amazing how riled up some people got over these little, barely-noticeable letters, and some religious conspiracy theorists were appalled at the horrible hidden messages Disney movies contained. Unfortunately for them, the Disney urban legends and movie myths just seem to make the films more popular and watched more often.
James Dean Killer Car – This is one of the most interesting movie urban legends and myths, but no one has been able to prove whether it is true or not. In a weird coincidence, James Dean was killed in a car crash shortly after appearing in TV commercial warning kids not to speed in their own cars. As Snopes.com reports, a news article alleges that James Dean’s Porsche Spyder was sold for parts with deadly consequences. According to the article, a mechanic’s legs were crushed and broken when the car rolled on top of him. But more disturbingly, a doctor was killed in a crash shortly after he used the engine from the Spyder to replace his own. Another doctor bought the transmission from the car, and was also seriously injured in a car crash, and a New Yorker that bought the tires was killed when they both blew out. And when the shell of Dean’s Spyder was being transported to a safety exhibition, the truck transporting it crashed and the driver was killed. Of course all of this seems like a pretty far stretch, even by movie urban legends and myths standards, but those that believe in curses definitely might believe that someone really had it out for James Dean (or at least his devilishly deadly car).
Marisa Tomei Oscar Controversy – This is one of the funniest movie urban legends and myths, but one that Marisa Tomei probably does not appreciate. The legend is that the actress really wasn’t supposed to win the Academy Award for Best Actress in 1993, but has got to keep it all these years because presenter Jack Palance read the wrong name. The legend persists because many believe that Marisa’s less-than-awe-inspiring performance was absolutely unworthy of an Oscar win, and this rumor has followed her ever since. However, if such a mistake is made, there are two officials in the wings of the stage ready to step in and correct it. Still, this is one of the most popular movie urban myths and legends, but luckily Marisa Tomei redeemed herself in ‘The Wrestler’ as an actress truly worthy of such a high honor.
So while we love the magic of movies, we seem to enjoy the urban legends and movie myths surrounding them just as much, and it would not surprise me to someday see a move based on one of these movie myths and legends.
