10 False Horror Movie Myths (& How They Were Debunked)

Debunking Horror Movie Myths

There are many urban legends and myths in the film industry, especially in the horror genre due to the themes used in it, but many horror movie myths have already been debunked, though they continue to be quite popular. It’s not uncommon for a movie to be surrounded by rumors about its development and filming, and some become so widely known that they end up becoming myths. Many movies use these to their advantage, as through these they can draw more attention to the project, but there are other cases where these myths were more harmful than helpful.

Quint giving a speech in Jaws

Myths in horror movies vary depending on the movie itself, as these can fuel certain stories thanks to the themes addressed in them. Various movies that deal with the supernatural have been believed to be cursed, and while strange things happened on the set of many of these, these incidents have already been rationally explained. Other myths are related to behind-the-scenes issues and misunderstandings, on-set tragedies, or misconceptions about certain characters, but all of these have already been debunked in different ways.

danny's jumper the shining

Debunking Popular Horror Movie Myths

Let's take a closer look at some of the most popular horror movie myths and how they were debunked:

The hedge maze in Stanley Kubrick's The Shining.

10. Robert Shaw Was Drunk In His Speech Scene In Jaws

Danny playing with his toys on the Overlook Hotel carpet in The Shining

Robert Shaw’s reputation gave viewers the wrong idea. Robert Shaw played shark hunter Quint in Steven Spielberg’s Jaws, and while at sea with Hooper and Brody, he shared a story of how he survived the attack on the USS Indianapolis. Shaw’s character was drunk in that scene, and for years, it was believed that Shaw was drunk when he filmed this scene. While it’s known that Shaw engaged in binge drinking during the filming of Jaws, he wasn’t drunk when filming the scene, but he was drunk the day before. According to Spielberg (via EW), Shaw asked him permission to have a few drinks before filming the scene as he thought it would come out better as the character was drunk, but he had one too many and was unable to shoot the scene. Shaw filmed the scene the next morning when he was already sober.

Shelley Duvall as Wendy Torrance looking shocked at the typewriter in The Shining

9. The Shining Is Stanley Kubrick’s Fake Moon Landing Confession

Danny writing Redrum in The Shining

The Shining is surrounded by urban legends. Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining is surrounded by a variety of urban legends due to Kubrick’s visual style and the many symbolisms in the movie’s production design. The most popular theory about The Shining and its “real” meaning is the one that says it’s Kubrick’s confession to faking the first Moon landing. The theory is based on various details in The Shining, mostly Danny’s Apollo sweater and room number 237, as there are approximately 237,000 miles between Earth and the Moon. The myth says that NASA was so desperate to win the “space race” that they hired Kubrick to film a fake Moon landing, as they were impressed with his work in 2001: A Space Odyssey. In reality, there’s no real evidence of the Moon landing being fake, and Kubrick wasn’t involved in it.

The Omen - Gregory Peck with Damien in the safari zoo

8. The Omen Cast A Curse On Its Cast & Crew

bela lugosi dracula

The cast & crew of The Omen went through a lot. Because The Omen tells the story of a boy who is the prophesied Antichrist, these themes, along with some horrible incidents during the filming of the movie, led to the myth of the movie casting a curse on its cast and crew. Among the incidents that made way for this myth are the death of Gregory Peck’s son before filming began and his plane being struck by lightning, special effects designer John Richardson getting in a car accident that killed his assistant in a way reminiscent of a graphic scene from the movie, and stuntman Alf Joint being hospitalized after a stunt gone wrong in his next movie after being pushed by “something”. The Omen’s “curse” has been labeled as collective paranoia, mental suggestion due to the themes of the movie, and terrible coincidences.

Leatherface holding his chainsaw aloft in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre

Challenging Misconceptions

The world of horror movies is filled with myths and misconceptions, but it's important to separate fact from fiction. These debunked horror movie myths reveal the truth behind the legends and shed light on the real stories behind some of the most iconic horror films in history.

A family photo with black bars covering their eyes in Noroi