The Twilight Zone Movie Accident | A Short Documentary | Fascinating Horror
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 7 มิ.ย. 2024
- "On the 23rd of July, 1982, production was underway for a film version of the popular science-fiction horror television series The Twilight Zone..."
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CHAPTERS:
00:00 - Intro
00:44 - Background
03:56 - The Twilight Zone Movie Accident
07:09 - The Aftermath
MUSIC:
► "Glass Pond" by Public Memory
► "Nocturnally" by Amulets
SOURCES:
► “Landis Invites Jurors Who Cleared Him in ‘Twilight’ Case to Preview” by Paul Feldman, published by the LA Times, June 1988. Link: www.latimes.com/archives/la-x...
► NTSB Accident Report, by the National Transportation Safety Board, published by the US Government, June 1984. Available via: libraryonline.erau.edu/online-...
► “Trapped In The Twilight Zone: A Year After the Trial, Six Years After the Tragedy, the Participants Have Been Touched in Surprisingly Different Ways. And the Hollywood Controversy Still Burns" by Mike Green and Stephan Farber, published by the LA Times, August 1988. Link: www.latimes.com/archives/la-x...
► “The Enduring Legacy of The Twilight Zone” by Brian Murray, published by The New Atlantic, Winter 2016. Link: www.thenewatlantis.com/public...
► “A New Dimension of Filmmaking” by Robert Weintraub, published by Slate, July 2012. Link: slate.com/culture/2012/07/the...
► “Outrageous Conduct: Art, Ego, and the Twilight Zone Case” by Stephen Farber, published by Arbor House Publishing Company, January 1988. Link: books.google.co.uk/books/abou...
#Documentary #History #TrueStories
In 1982 I was involved in the research for this Case, and all of us were extremely surprised that the Prosecution described the event as an 'accident'. It was nothing of the kind, and should legally have been called a 'Mishap'. The behaviour of the Accused Parties was inexcusable and redolent with deliberate and transparent falsifications. We expected at least two of the Perpetrators to face Criminal Charges for Gross Negligence Manslaughter (or its then equivalent) since their behaviour was provably reckless and flagrantly disregarded the Laws which were in force to prevent such deliberately exploitative situations from descending into tragedy. As has often been the case, so-called 'negotiations' took place behind the scenes and all five accused were effectively exonerated. A shameful display of the form of 'justice' which pervades Hollywood.
Sadly injustice is far from the only sad behaviour that pervades Hollywood!
money talks
Things change: Alec Baldwin.
Nothing changes. The behaviour that has occurred since the shooting and death on set of the movie Rust by Alex Baldwin should show that.
I miss ric morrow
The fact that Landis had the audacity to keep having a career not to mention showing up uninvited to the funerals just to do damage control is so disgusting what an awful human being
Makes me feel like Light may have been right.
genuinely sociopathic behaviour
Honestly, it’s not shocking that his son is a piece of shit too. The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.
@@crystalgemgirl731 If only that book was real.
@@poeticsilence047 Eh... Depends on who's hands it's in.
While I was in film school, a group of students did a film where they risked their lives, thinking they'd impress the teacher ( I wasn't a part of this group). Instead, he was really furious and decided to pause his normal lecture for a day and show us footage of the Twilight Zone movie accident, ending with "If you think a movie is worth risking your life for, you're very much mistaken and foolish".
Good for that teacher!!
He must hate the Mission Impossible franchise lmao.
@@ElvisChrist Tom Cruise chooses to do his stunts. No one makes him.
@@jimroscoviuson top of that Tom Cruise still has a stunt double just in case
@@SparklRebel Yes, he does, just in case.
Thank you for giving names to the children. Every time I see this story told, they're only referred to as "two child actors". They deserve our respect.
And the fact John Landis had a long career after is DISGUSTING.
Sadly thier names were forgotten because Vic Morrow died in the same tragedy.
I didn't even know two children also died until I saw this video. I didn't know anything about the incident except that Morrow was beheaded by helicopter blades. I was shocked when I heard children were also killed.
It wasn't until I read this comment that I noticed this. I've watched several things regarding this incident and you are definitely right
Like how CNN and MSNBC won’t give you a description of someone unless it’s one of those pesky white nationalist males that are apparently running around destroying the country 😂
Vic Morrow had dandruff, they found he’s Head&Shoulders in the bushes
How Landis was able to gatecrash their funerals without getting his ass beat is beyond me.
He took advantage of the fact that these families just wanted to grieve. Total scumbag.
Likely people too stunned or heartbroken to do anything but just stare in shock.
Also: Thai family, immigrant Vietnamese family. Getting into a fistfight with the Director with the media pointing cameras at them… They may have felt like they couldn't raise a fuss. He was their employer, and I'm sure they just wanted a quiet ceremony.
@@FranNyan or they actually didnt know that the set itself was an accident just waiting to happen and all they knew was that it had been an accident
Well, the investigation hadn't been opened yet, so they might have genuinely thought it had all been an accident impossible to prevent.
Thanking the jurors with tickets to his next film is absolutely ghoulish. What a reprehensible man.
Sounds like bribery to me.
@@tin2001Ghoulish yes, but not bribery since it happened years after the trial. I honestly want to know what the hell he was thinking pulling that stunt.
He’s a sicko
Ironically he treats the accident as if it is just a casualty of war
Yeah, that turned my stomach. Gross.
For those wanting specific details, the helicopter did indeed crash right on top of them all. The little girl was crushed by its landing skid, Morrow was decapitated by the main rotor blade, and the young boy was cut in half by it.
Because of the confusion on set right after the crash, the crew member who found Morrow's head thought it was a special effects prop.
It was all Landis' fault. As the director the buck stops with him. However he turned out to be a selfish, narcissistic coward...
This is a tragedy beyond words. Those precious children and the loss of Vic Morrow, a wonderful actor. And Landis escaping punishment for the needless deaths he caused is reprehensible.
His son Max Landis is an apple that didn’t fall far from the tree. I know him and I’m friends with a lot of people in the circles he ran in, and the guy is a r@pist and a complete narcissistic sociopath that has made some movies but has been pretty much exiled from Hollywood now.
Careful, Landis was Jewish. Don't want to be anti semitic do you?
Atleast Steven Spielberg was man enough to admit they made terrible mistakes. I'm also glad he broke ties with Landis. If I were him I wouldn't want anything to do with careless directors like that either.
Growing up my dad would always say something was “as popular as John Landis at a Twilight Zone reunion” and I never got the reference
And don't forget, John Landis keeping his career meant his crappy son Max also got a lot of work in Hollywood, and he used the Landis name to assault multiple women and got away with it for a long time (he's still not in prison either). What an absolute tragedy this all was, those poor families, and the fact that the parents of the children were likely there when it happened, just completely awful.
I commented this under another reply yesterday, but since every new detail I hear about Landis makes it worse, it bears repeating: *Fuck this guy.*
Max Landis assaulted women? I thought he was gay.
A whole family of scumbags
"My name is Landis. I will now assault you."
Probably didn't say that.
A lot of people don’t know that Vic Morrow was actress Jennifer Jason Leigh’s father too. She & her sister also sued. He was decapitated by the rotor blade. Awful.
The worst part about the way the actor and kids died was the fact they weren’t crushed by the helicopter, instead severed by the primary rotor blades… Brutal and unnecessary… The fact no one got charged and imprisoned for negligence and knowingly broke law to make this shot even work is beyond me…
Well, it's horrible either way, but if I HAD to choose between being crushed under the body of the helicopter, or being sliced and diced by the rotor, I'm going with the rotor. Being crushed could lead to a slow, lingering death, while the rotor is virtually guaranteed not to be. Again, there's not a good option here, but at least it was over quickly.
As gruesome as it may be, at least it was instant. Given the fact that pyrotechnics were involved they could’ve gone in a way worse fashion…
Both totally valid responses, the way out never matters more than the fact it happened. Just a horribly unlucky incident
Yeah I've seen a second by second break down of the video and you can juuuust see the instant they're cut in half. Terrible tragedy that could have easily been avoided.
@@ashrenee3693 Link?
The picture of the two little kids just before their deaths is haunting. Very sad many decades later.
@Thawne how is it not?
It will always be sad
I remember when this happened, it was horrific. And it still burns me that Landis literally got away with murder without even a slap on the wrist.
Any decent human being would have given up directing for good and tried to atone in life. Landis simply shrugged.
Atone.
😂
This was no accident, this was stupidity and negligence. No one should dare show any sympathy for John Landis as he got Vic Morrow and two kids killed. He also lied to their parents about their safety. No wonder Spielberg lost all respect for him and Jennifer Jason Leigh hasn't forgiven him.
I can't imagine that poor young woman (girl? was she still a teenager?) at her father's funeral watching the man responsible for his death give a speech. At my mother's funeral when I was 15, the pastor misstated her name once and I was irrationally angry. I'm not a violent person at all, but I think if I were her in that situation, I would have been. I'm glad she went on to be successful after that horrific tragedy, and it's no wonder she hasn't forgiven him.
@@zurirobinson2749 Jennifer Jason Leigh hasn't forgiven John Landis for what he did.
I didn't know until viewing this video that Spielberg turned his back on Landis. Heavey!
@@shadowleon659 Would you?
Were the parents responsible for poor parenting. ..
I work in the film industry. We still talk about this, to this day. It's often brought up in safety training for crews as a teaching tool. Such a heartbreaking tragedy.
I would call it rather a heartbreaking CRIME that went unpunished.
You work in the film industry and Karl Manvers is your screen name.
Be safe, never let them know.
@@deplorabledegenerate2630 Or Carl.
Apparently Alec Baldwin never got that safety training
My wife recalls what she learned a while back about the ways film making has become safer over time. During her Bachelor of Arts in Theater Arts, she learned that James Cagney stood up to a director and essentially said, "I'm a star now -- I won't have you shooting real bullets over my head. It's too dangerous. Find some other way to make it look like there's bullets hitting the wall."
Soon thereafter, pyrotechnics people figured out how to make squibs. Coincidentally, fewer actors and extras died on sets.
Cagney was such a man. Took on the Mafia who were trying to squeeze film-makers as well. It was only his frequent co-star and friend Pat O'Brien's intercessions (he had a few friends in the mafia) that prevented an on-set 'accident'.
@@PeterEvansPeteTakesPictures, indeed! Because, as we well know, "accidents" happen -- especially when the Mafia's involved.
Kudos to James Cagney
Where I am squibs means something else
@@queenbean7071, you've gotten my attention . . . if I may, where are you from, and what does "squibs" mean there?
myca and renee deserve to have their names remembered. thank you for talking about them.
So infuriating that John Landis didn't go to prison, he knew the risks, and he openly ignored them, and now three people are dead because of his stupidity.
I hope he never had a good night's sleep again.
He had already broken the law by using the kids at all, so the fact that they were killed due to his premeditated breaching of safety laws should have landed him a long sentence.
Too much of a pipe dream, I doubt he has a sleepless night over this in the last 40 years!
I have no doubt that he's a sociopath. Showing up at Vic Morrow's funeral to try to excuse his behaviour is proof.
yes he should be in jail, but when you have money and power is always like that
Considering how selfish the guy is, making jokes, going onto have a long career and not showing any guilt, his actions show he just didn’t care about the lives he affected and didn’t think about them at all. It sucks seeing people like him just get away with stuff like that just cuz he has money.
A case where someone gets themselves killed doing something stupid is fair. Cases where someone gets other people killed in their stupid plans are tragic.
both are fair
And in this case, criminal.
Tragic? How about travesty.
Well said
@@user-wz5ud4mn4y edgy
The actor Eddie Murphy was asked by Hughes to be a character witness, when he declined he was threatened and insulted. After seeing the footage he simply said no. Years he was seen as unreliable to the company and billed as such. It was such a horrible tragedy. The reel was kept and viewed by many, the severed heads of the deceased can be seen. When the onset death occured with Alec Baldwin, this instance came to mind.
Thank you for covering this story.
I also thought of this with the Baldwin case. Death on sets are very rare these days. But they still happen unfortunately.
The comments are all the same. Hollywood is #PedoWood
@@noelht1This is how they get away with murder
What was the Baldwin case?
Murphy declined to be a character witness, but didn't mind working with Landis to make Coming to America.
Whenever I remember this incident, it astounds me that Landis continues to be a celebrated director despite playing a large role in the incidents leading to the death of three people including two minors!
I heard a story about John Landis attending a screening of a zombie movie where a helicopter flies low to use the rotorblades to chop up the zombies. Apparently half the people in the audience just turned to stare at Landis.
I'm surprised no one cold-cocked him.
@@odinfromcentr2 a merciful release from the stares.
Ouch!
Was that 28 Days Later?
@@mournblade1066 I think it was one of the "Grindhouse" movies Tarantino made...Planet Terror
I majored in film in college, and in my very first film class, this incident was one of the first things I learned about, because my professor was a former Hollywood AD, and he said that this movie was one of the reasons assistant directors make safety a priority now; it's their job to do that, and if something goes wrong, they're the first person to get blamed in the hierarchy of the production.
Not being funny, I wonder if the AD of Rust is copping any flak...
Too bad David Hall, Hannah Reed and Alec Baldwin forgot these lessons...
That 'makes sense' if you're being cold-blooded & evil.
But I still blame the Main Director. It's their job to Oversee & Motivate the Crew & Actors. (See: David Lynch, Stanley Kubric, Jim Henson)
If someone screws up, it's the Boss's job to make sure it gets fixed & done properly, safely.
You can only work as fast as you can, safely.
Like, Ladder-work.
Don't ever rush Ladder-Jobs.
@@Claymann71 If the buck can't stop anywhere else, it SHOULD stop at the feet of the Director... MAIN, not Assistant... BUT in the case of the "Rust" incident, there was already an established hierarchy, and 3 people ALONE with the supposed authority to check firearms and declare them "safe" or not... THAT is where the responsibility lies, and trying too hard to put all extra checks and sophistication and redundancy into a hierarchy like that does NOTHING but clusterf*ck it all up.
Now, I grew up country, so I NEVER pick up a gun that I don't open it and check it. I don't even think about it... AND I got run off a set (more than once) because of that... Those damn electronic gizmo's for the damn squibs are precarious, and if you open the little bastard you break it... It can spit out the stupid wires or unseat the switch... and they have to go back and reset it... BUT it's just my instinct, and it's a damn hard thing to get away from...
Luckily, we have this thing called TECHNOLOGY, and "SPECIAL FX" run on computers and put through post with the colored screens. There's no longer any excuse for one actor to point a firearm or even a firearm-shaped-object at another living actor on set... The "Rust" incident should've never happened, but it also wasn't Baldwin's sole fault. ;o)
I have eight years of safety, and it is a daily challenge to get employees or management to follow safety policies. But I do enjoy what I do, especially when it comes to teaching other people.
Im a Hollywood film SFX pyro for 25 years and the book your told to read is Outrageous Conduct so you fully understand that in the end the top end of Hollywood will shift the blame to the bottom end of Hollywood. This Twilight Zone incident is a classic example of blame shifting. In the end the people allowing this to happen are the Director and Producers. As for why the crew didn't attempt to stop this madness is something I have never understood. The canyon area where this was shot is a major factor because once the helicopter is robbed of its stable cushion of air to hover it's going to become unstable, the NTSC finding of debris strike of the tail rotor felt wrong to me. And over the years it's very interesting how Spielberg has distanced himself from this incident. Also what's really interesting is hardcover copies of Outrageous Conduct are worth between $400 - $500 now. There are 3 book written about this incident and the most recent called Fly By Night, The Secret Story of Steven Spielberg, Warner Bros, and the Twilight Zone Deaths was written in 2022 and exposes just how evil the cover up is related to this totally avoidable incident. I look at that Rust shooting and I see the exact same blame shifting going on. Honestly absolutely nothing has changed. It's all incredibly sad.
@Thawne I don't ask viewers to subscribe, so go figure
"As for why the crew didn't attempt to stop this madness", the answer to that is obvious to everyone.: As soon as that person raises a peep, he's fired, and escorted off set, accomplishing nothing, except for unemployment & possibly ruined career.
Besides all that, none of the crew members had a crystal ball to indicate that there would have definitely been a tragedy, and it was very possible (from their perspective AT the time) that everything would have gone off without a hitch. Does that clarify things?
how is it Speilberg's fault?
The term 'producer' is such a loose term, and encompasses such varied levels of hands-on involvement. I'd be interested to see in these books how the blame of a producer who had never been anywhere near the set can supersede the blame of the director and pyrotechnics people. Obviously blame tends to roll downhill, it's like that in life, not just the film industry. An equal amount of blame dodging can be heard from the little guy as well, like the old 'I was just following orders' excuse. Didn't work so well at Nuremburg.
I also felt the same way about the Rust shooting. In the End, God trumps hollywood.
Ironically, before doing the scene, Vic Morrow told a colleague he had reservations about it and said he had a premonition about dying in a helicopter crash. Several years earlier, he did a movie called "Dirty Mary, Crazy Larry" in which he was a passenger in a helicopter and was nervous about that scene as well.
How is it ironic that a man who has a reasonable fear of being in a helicopter crash gets decapitated by one?
@@SteRDLK ironic because he feared dying in a helicopter crash and a helicopter fell on him.
@@njpubadjuster3710that's coincidence, not irony
@@alioh7615 I guess who don't believe in fate.
Apparently he took out a huge insurance policy on himself because of his premonition. Which ironically, is the basis of the Twilight Zone episode Twenty Two. Crazy stuff
It's disturbingly ironic that the last films where John Landis is an executive producer of are titled "Some Guy Who Kills People" and "I Hate Kids"
Should be have locked up for a long, long time
that sounds as if he was openly trolling the public about it. What a fag
Wow.
He did a seminar about beating a manslaughter trial.
Here's a quote from him;
“Never kill more than one celebrity at a time,” Landis warned in the preview to his class. “I killed Vic Morrow and a couple of kids who were nobodies. If I had killed Vic Morrow and Albert Brooks, forget about it. I would be teaching this class from jail, where I belong.”
He's a massive piece of shit.
@@bigwezz i am not surprised, coming looking at his fam background on wikip
It angers me so much that Dorcey was even thought of being the one accused of causing the accident. He was a professional, and even gave his opinion about doing the stunt so close to the set, but was ignored.
The reasoning behind that accusation is that as a professional he should have refused to put his helicopter in that place because he knew the risks after that narrow escape the first time it went wrong. Reality however would have been that he'd been fired and another pilot would have flown the helicopter with the same horrific results.
In my opinion John Landis should never have been acquitted though, as he witnessed the first accident, got told by a professional that it was way too dangerous and yet insisted that the scene would be filmed as he wanted it to be filmed nonetheless. Those three deaths are fully on his account as they easily could have been prevented by Landis listening to the professional.
I think you guys are talking about different people. Vic Morrow is the actor who died. Dorcey Wingo is the pilot of the helicopter. Dorcey expressed reservations and was told they were being addressed - understandable that he still went ahead. He also apparently said Vic could have moved out of the way. This is obviously not a great take but he must have been under terrible pressure from the guilt and scrutiny/accusations he came against himself, so understandable from that perspective.
@@geonwilliams Ah, pardon me then, I did swap around the two by accident.
@@tjroelsma Yes, agreed. Landis should be held accountable for everything. All the evidence was stacked against him, and I’m appalled he hadn’t been given a prison trial. Child actors (in scenes held at night, which is another law break in itself), improper use of pyrotechnics, *_and_* treating staff like crap? Disgraceful.
In aviation, it is ultimately up to the Pilot in Command (PIC) to decide to go with a flight as well as any safety decisions when in the air. They even have the authority to reject air traffic control commands if it means endangering the aircraft, crew, and anyone else around. He could have walked off the set or refused to fly until his safety concerns were met. I'm not upset he flew, as it didn't sound like Dorcey was screwing around or flying in a dangerous manner. And who knew what was said at the time to allay his fears. (Just sad and disappointed.)
And, yes, if the production company was willing to let the director illegally hire child actors and break other safety rules, I'm sure they'd turn a blind eye Landis blacklisting a qualified pilot and hire a less safety focused pilot to do the stunt.
This is the clearest explanation of this tragedy I've ever heard. So much that has always seemed opaque to me is now revealed. And those grotesque nuggets about Landis attending the funerals uninvited? No wonder he was briefly blacklisted.
You're so good at this. Thank you.
There's also a couple of episodes of Behind the Bastards that details this. They are worth a listen.
"Outrageous Conduct: Art, Ego, and the Twilight Zone Case" is a great book detailing the whole accident and the impact it had on the industry
The photos of Vic Morrow’s head and torso, along with the boy are in a book called “Fly By Night” that is sold on Amazon. I have it and it’s very gruesome.
This one makes me very angry, accidents happen and they're tragic but damn. Come on! The children were hired illegally and John Landis didn't serve? Tragic, avoidable, sickening.
And Landis showed up UNINVITED to the funerals
He is such a POS, and the apple didn't fall far from the tree, John's assaulting, untalented, prick of a son is awful and should be in prison as well.
They should have used a stunt man and dummies for the children during that scene. And they should have listened to the pilot and toned down the explosions. Typical 80's Hollywood, can't have too many or too big of explosions...
@@craigmeyer6957 If it was my child's funeral, I'd throw him out. In small twitching pieces. Someone totally should have.
He was a nasty piece of work!
I have been hoping for an in depth look at this tragedy.
John Landis should have been put in jail without a doubt.
RIP to Vic and the kids Mika and Renee
If you have a shudder subscription or can find it elsewhere there is a fantastic breakdown of this tragedy in the series “cursed films” on it. (don’t let the cheesy title fool you, it’s very well done) .
Their episode on this event really covers everything along with interviews by those involved. (Minus landis.)
I just bought the book Fly By Night about this. Very graphic pictures, but they do not have anything good to say about Landis. Not through with it yet, but interesting. And very sad and infuriating.
@@kimberlyvoss321 hadn’t heard of that book, But I’ll definitely have to give it a look. I hate how frustrated this case makes me in regards to landis, but it’s good to hear that it’s shared.
If your interested there’s another book called Outrageous Conduct, art ego and the twilight zone case, that also takes a good look into what happened and how it changed the landscape of Hollywood following it.
Yes RIP for the sad ending to take the lives of 3 innocent people. We hope that when Landis dies it will be RIH (Rot in HELL! )
Horror Stories has a good video on this, too. Coincidentally, Fascinating Horrors and him are the two best channels for such topics.
Right after this terrible incident happened, our local news played the film of it happening- I didn't know what was coming and it shocked and horrified me so much, it still haunts me to this day. It was a long shot which showed the copter coming down on Morrow and the kids. I work in Hollywood, and it's beyond belief that Landis and other on set people were not held accountable. They broke the law, and it cost 3 lives.
Yes, I remember this happened on my local news station, too. Immediately afterwards, the news station kept apologizing saying that they meant to stop the video clip before the blades hit the people.
Wait, you mean there’s a different ANGLE!? Did this man show ANY apology!?!? Wtf!?
EDIT: My fault, I misread that first portion.
@@youtube-venturaJust like Fox News in 2012 with that life suicide from a car thief and Shepard Smith getting angry that they cut the footage, too late.
I will always hate Jon Landis because of this and how he threw a party when they got acquitted. What a jerk. I know he doesn’t have sole blame but he’s a lot of it! Also no wonder his son turned out like he did, daddy taught him he can avoid consequences.
Really crappy to learn this because some of his films are my all time favorites. Animal House, American Werewolf in London, Trading Places, Blues Brothers are outstanding films.
I believe "Cursed Films" on Shudder actually showed the video of when the helicopter came down, and you watched the blades swing down where the actors were. You didn't see anything graphic but just seeing the blades swing into the water where the actors were makes your heart drop into your stomach. To think they would try to suggest Vic Morrow could have moved out of the way fast enough is honestly just vile.The fact that no one was punished for this is a tragic miscarriage of justice, and knowing the parents were there to see it happen is heartbreaking.
I was told for decades that the footage was destroyed after the trail. I recently found out that was a lie. I did not expect the chopper to to fall RIGHT on them. I had always envisioned the accident as more of a skidding, with debris striking them. Instead it's as if some giant invisible hand threw the craft at them.
I haven't seen that series, but I did see the unedited version of this on a VHS tape from over 20 years ago. You can see the blade slice right through one kid and Vic's head. Vic's head and the kid's upper body are clearly seen flying up and away. It's very, very intense and I don't want to see it anymore, but it's gotta be out there if you want to see it.
@@LarryFuller-ok2wl apparently Vic tried to shield the kids with his body.
@@toomanyaccounts Possibly, it's very fast and comes from above so I don't know if he could've known what was coming. It's amazing how in all that area the blades come right down on him perfectly to behead him and the kid. Vic's head came to a rest on the shore and a woman saw it and screamed.
The unedited footage is on YT... th-cam.com/video/WWjZ58eYDSI/w-d-xo.html
if it couldn’t get any more tragic/upsetting, the behavior of landis is absolutely disgusting and appalling. the fact he comfortably joking about the deaths of literal CHILDREN that he essentially orchestrated and the whole jury party is absurd. RIP to all victims.
I really appreciate how much FH always makes sure to say the victims names repeatedly 🙏❤️
You know, I've always appreciated the respectful tone that you use when discussing various tragedies. I really appreciate it more than ever in this video, because this was such a sensationalistic case when it happened and I really appreciate that you didn't delve into a lot of the more lurid aspects of it but you presented it as it was,which was a tragedy.
I have seen many videos on this story, but this one has been the most respectful. I know we, as human beings, have a morbid curiousity in us, but sometimes we just don't need to know EXACTLY the full details of one of the victim's injuries, and I love the fact you didn't show the video, as it is really awful to watch. John Landis is one one example of 'money talks, bullshit walks' everything bout this story is truly tragic.. so, so sad.
Agreed. Lets just say, that there are some injuries, u do not need any kind of medical degree to know, that they are fatal.
Same - I'm glad someone mentioned this. I expected this to be pretty graphic, this video covered in the best way possible to preserve dignity of the victims
@DolphinJorts I find this channel very respectful and a lot more informative than most others. I live not far at all from the old Victoria Hall in Sunderland. The awful disaster there was back in 1883 and really was heartbreaking, but this channel covered it with such respect and thought. Look up that video if you haven't seen it. I have heard so many different tellings of the story but this video is more you should know rather than creating the 'dramatic effect' if that makes sense. Keep up the great work FH.
@@dfuher968 exactly
Definitely what I thought, too. I know a lot of details about this incident, and found this video to be extremely respectful, which is why I often stick to this channel -- I find some presentations to be ghastly and trivializing. I'm all for realism, but it's out there for those who want the details.
I once saw an interview with Landis when he was promoting "The Blues Brothers", and when asked about how he got away with stunts that weren't really on the permits/plans, he said he was always the kind of kid that would rather do something and apologize for not asking than to ask and risk being told no.
Thing is, I support that mentality, but not when children and helicopters are involved.
@@thereisnosanctuary6184 "Better to ask forgiveness than permission" is just another way of saying, "Consent isn't important, I'm going to do what I want even though I'm pretty sure the other person(s) involved would say no."
The term isn't "Better.."
It's "Easier to get forgiveness than permission." Which is True AF
I hate this mentality. The owner of my company does this and we have been screwed so many times.
As a kid doing this in order to survive abusive parents, that is understandable. As an adult doing so just to get their own way, that is rapey/ disgusting.
It is one thing to lie about something to prevent or mitigate harm. It's another to lie in order to CAUSE harm.
I am generalizing here because I know there is nuance and context to consider in most cases, but this asshole got away with this shit scot-free. And that is despicable.
the fact that landis claimed the accident was "unpredictable" and "unavoidable" is absolutely disgusting, especially since wingo warned him about the danger the pyrotechnic had to the helicopter.
Way to go, Stephen Spielberg. Loved the stand you took on this horrific affair.
It makes it all the more sadder that the children didn't even need to be there in the first place RIP
As they were being carried for the main scene, they could have easily used dummies. Very easy to cut and splice close ups showing real kids being carried and before and after the carrying bit. Even carrying them like that was unacceptable, add that it was dark and over water, totally unacceptable even before you add the pyrotechnics and a helicopter.
Only in America.
@@alaricbragg7843 Only in America? Oh please. Read up on films in Asia and South America 40 years ago...and now. Ignorant git!
@@nlwilson4892 Morrow still would have died. And he was a star.
@@v-town1980 Rich coming from you and your antisemitism.
The fact Landis never saw jail time is beyond shocking
Is it though?
@@christysolange Fair - not shocking but definitely sickening.
Not really, if you see how the contracts are worded. From a legal perspective there was likely nothing they could have gotten him on (as we see by the total lack of criminal charges), and simply relied on the studio to pay off the families. I mean what did you expect? The person responsible to be held accountable? This is AMERICA
@@adamcoe The illegal use of children in the scene alone should've been enough to get him, even more so since it directly led to their deaths.
@@adamcoe LOL sad but true
Fun fact: Vic had a premonition that something bad was going to happen and took out a $5 million life insurance policy for himself a year before.
Also one of his previous films ( dirty Mary, crazy Larry ) Vic flew helicopter very low at the end of the film. Somewhat ironic…
Yeah super fun dickweed
Actor Yahette Koyto looked into having his young kids go to public school in Columbine CO 1990s but he said as he went by the school campus some thing said; get out, don't be here! 1999 that same high school had a huge spree shooting.
Yaphet Kotto?
I have heard this story before but you added so much information that I did not know. Specifically how they found the child actors I can’t believe how horrifying that must have been for the parents.
Sometimes it really does feel that we are living in the twilight zone
Since the last three years, I've been feeling like that constantly.
That’s when I put on Golden Earring’s classic 80’s song and rock the f**k out!
@@Lexcoaster Yup. Feels like I'm in an alternate dimension since March 17th, 2020.
We are in an offshoot of the “original” timeline which is taking place concurrently. There are many different parallel timelines where every variable that could have happened, has. I firmly believe that and so do most physicists.
@@556m4 Okay, well put me back into my dimension and I will be on my way.
I recently listened to the What Went Wrong podcast on this movie and one of the co hosts was struggling not to cry while describing the accident. It’s really horrible and I can’t believe they got away with it.
Pilot: “don’t blow up anything that’ll cause water or debris to get near the helicopter rotors”
Landis: “didn’t say anything about fire”
Seriously, that’s damn near murder.
Close enough 😢
Landis should've been held accountable. Brought up on murder charges. But its who you know...
I think reckless homicide is the correct term in a case like this. It seems very unlikely he wanted to kill the three actors.
@@garychambers5850-And who you blow..😂.
I think investigations turned up that the helicopter was impeded with debris and the rear rotor delaminated due to the heat.
Tragically avoidable event. The most wretched part of the story is the loss of the two children, who trusted the adults in their world, and the lack of punishment for Landis and his law-breaking. RIP Vic Morrow and children.
Revolting that none were penalized legally. This was so devastating. 💔 And it's really wild he invited the jurors to a movie premiere.... Wtf!?
The guy clearly has no moral compass whatsoever.
Horrible man. I hope karma gets him good.
Probably wants to show off his murders to them, and views each juror of now having the honor of being his accomplices in the mass killings.
Sadly, some US juries seem inclined to acquit powerful and famous people regardless of the evidence. I can think of others who clearly committed offences, where it's simply and plainly factual they did it, who were let off by such juries. In the UK you can have majority verdicts, which helps to some extent to stop this kind of abuse of the law, where just one or two star-struck and dishonest jurers can get a crook let off.
The worst thing was that there is video and still pictures floating around of the event. Renee was crushed underneath the helicopter while Vic and Myca were instantly beheaded by the helicopter's rotor blades. You can make it out on of the stills. In a video, you see the one of the crewmen tried to help, just to back up. Many speculate he saw the heads floating in the water. Kind of regret looking at the video of it.
You see their heads go flying out of frame at 4:26 on the Horror Stories video (slowed down; in real time, it's just a small black blur). They weren't anywhere near the helicopter. He's likely reacting to finding the headless, mangled bodies. Horrifying.
The photos of Vic Morrow’s head and torso, along with the boy are in a book called “Fly By Night” that is sold on Amazon. I have it and it’s very gruesome so I can understand the crewman’s reaction. Vic was not only decapitated but he was disfigured by the helicopter blades. His face was badly mangled below the eye area. In the crime scene photo of his head, one eyeball was open and staring straight ahead and the other eyeball was missing.
It'll always piss me off that Landis basically murdered 3 people by intentionally disregarding the laws that existed to prevent this exact kind of thing, makes the whole situation about devastated he was, and then was able to just continue his career like nothing happened.
There should be a line to piss on his grave when he dies.
Appalling the director wasn't held accountable for breaking child labour laws and failing to ensure the safety of those on set.
Can you imagine being the parents on set and seeing that happening?! This was f***ing disgraceful. Landis' behaviour afterwards screams "Me me me!" He should never have made another movie, and it makess you wonder about the studios that hired him. At least Spielberg comes out of this looking somewhat principled.
What disgusting behaviour from Landis. He receives some hate from me. Spielberg gets some respect and admiration.
I would have tried to kill him myself during court
To be fair, Spielberg didn’t know about Landis doing all of this stuff until the kids died. Apparently Landis called him right after it all happened, asking him for advice, Spielberg told him to lawyer up and never contact him again. Spielberg cut ties with him after this happened, but honestly who wouldn’t cut ties after this?
@@Lie-wr7bq My comment was supportive of Spielberg. Your explanation only makes me like him more.
@@ianstoyan Absolutely Ian!
I really liked Vic Morrow's acting. That a director can just squander lives without being held accountable continues even today. Since it tends to add a lot of public interest in a movie without having to come out of the film's budget, has a highly encouraging effect on pushing the boundaries of safety in every aspect of a production.
I remember when this happened. Morrow and the boy were decapitated and the girl was crushed. There is a video on the internet that is slowed down frame by frame that shows that the rotor dipped first toward the group and quite clearly hit them. What a horrible thing to happen, but it was very quick.
Yeah, at least, it was so quick it's unlikely they had a painful death. Better see the bright side =/
you can even see their heads fly into the air it’s honestly insane
@@lambykin842 and the blood splurting from their head
This was an horrific accident. From what I remember reading at the time, Morrow and one of the kids were decapitated by the helicopter blades. Awful.
@kizmiaz Well seeing as the title of the video includes accident, I felt it fit 🤔 However you are right about it being negligent, it should never have happened.
Yup.
Morrow and Le were beheaded by a blade from N87701, and Chen was crushed by the chopper's right skid. The FAA ultimately got involved. Prosecutors should have been shadowing the FAA investigation.
A documentary on Hollywood movie accidents said that the eulogy Landis delivered said something to the effect that movies are forever and the kids will now be remembered in the movie, something like that. A staggering lack of empathy. Landis was a real narcissist. Not even aware of how this sounded.
Considering how many people in these comments have said that they'd never heard the kids' names before this is pretty clearly false. Their deaths were overshadowed by the more famous names involved. You're totally right about what it shows of his personality.
What’s great about your style is you focus on how things happened more than what happened. This is only as exciting as it is because of your attention to detail in building the chain of events. Because of this you’re able to start your videos by slightly spoiling the outcome without spoiling what makes it so interesting. Thus you avoid click-baiting the audience which is the number one thing that makes me stop watching any channel no matter how much I enjoy it
That picture of Harold Lloyd hanging from the clock is not as risky as it seems. Lloyd was only a few feet above a flat surface that was hidden from view by carefully selected camera angles. At this time Lloyd had already lost most of his fingers on one hand after an explosives incident.
Another amazing Fascinating Horror. I was a very young woman when this happened and I didn't know all the details. Sadly, look at what just happened on the Rust set, not sure enough lessons were learned. Also, let's give a shout out to the late, great Rod Serling, creator and inimitable narrator of the original Twilight Zone.
I was 18. This trajedy got a whole lot of coverage. I remember multiple violations being uncovered.
Most people learn, but not all, and that's why "accidents" keep happening.
#HeatherO'Rourke
Gang raped by Spielberg and Henry Winkler to name two.
Thank you for not showing the footage of the tragic event. I’ve seen it before, and I was avoiding watching your video for days for fear of seeing it again. I’m relieved you kept it out.
Thank you for not going into too much detail about the injuries the victims sustained.
The details and photos of the victim’s remains are in the book “Fly By Night” that is sold on Amazon in case you want more in-depth analysis.
Well It’s-.. Umm. Oh Yeah. I Told Them It’s TOO Dangerous.
…And Not Before Halyna Hutchins Was Killed And Fatally Shot By Alec Baldwin.
I recall seeing the footage of the accident - and I don't recommend watching it as it's absolutely horrific and traumatizing.
The ridiculous thing was that there were special effects available at the time that if utilized would have avoided the entire tragedy altogether, even with all the rule-bending and corner-cutting...
I saw the footage. You don't see anything happen physically to the people, but the worst part is when somebody runs to help, and then doubles over backwards and runs off. No doubt he needed therapy.
@@pundertalefan4391 no, it’s out there. Just watched it and it was slowed frame by frame. Very rough to see.
@@whales_22 Yeah, I know.
The video is on TH-cam but walled behind two warnings...probably because it's deemed of historic value.
There are always other "creative" ways of filming a scene without overtly endangering people. Unfortunately, the budget typically rules, and people try to cut corners and get away with something to save time and money. The first questions everyone should be asking in these situations is, 'what can possibly happen', and 'what can we do to avoid it'. Instead they are thinking, 'how can we get this shot as quickly as possible to avoid a meal penalty'.
That Landis served no time in prison for his crimes tells you all you need to know about the relationship between Hollywood and the powers that be. Also, I remember when this movie came out. It created quite a buzz at the time and was very successful. It was only about thirty-five years later that I first learned of this disaster.
It was one of my request that I asked him on Twitter long ago about The Twilight Zone Movie Accident that it was important about the safety in filming that it could lead into faults, accident and disastrous results that could lead into injuries and worst death.
There are many infamous filming accidents from The Crow where Brandon Lee is shot, Midnight Rider that the producers ingored the railway company by film on the bridge which it result a female cinematography been killed on the object impact and recently Rust where Alec Baldwin accidentally killed her with a pistol while filming that the guns expert didn't check the gun that was using live bullets rather than blanks.
The fact that Landis said that this event was "unpredictable" even though he was literally warned that it could happen in that kind of condition is disgusting. He should've gotten that sentence
What a brutal way to go. RIP to the actors.
Also the footage can be found on youtube. Its quite disturbing.
I saw it once, a while ago. Once was enough. Those poor people. I'd hope it would haunt Landis but he only cares about himself.
I"v eseen the footage. Honestly ther'es far far worse ways to go. THey didn't feel a thing that's for sure.
But yes the footage is something i do not recommend. You can actually see their severed heads fly off.
@@foxesofautumn oh yeah he only cares about himself, he got people killed and all he had to say was he was somehow unfairly treated. I doubt he has a conscious to be kept up at night.
@@nunyabusiness9056 isn't it odd what gets left on this platform & what's deemed "too violent"? We're being trauma bonded for nefarious intent
There's a channel called Horror Stories that slows the footage and breaks it down
I think about this incident a lot. Thank you for covering this in such a respectful and accurate way, as always.
I love this channel. Your videos are so sympathetically narrated, and always so insightful. You always frame the horror in a context of what can be learnt and how the events you describe can be prevented. I think you are brilliant.
I remember in the video of the crash there is a man who rushes over to help and then he must see the state of the bodies because he suddenly leaps back in horror and runs away. It's disturbing to imagine how mangled those poor actors ended up.
Dismembered, absolutely horrifying, I wouldn’t wish that sight on anyone
@@pocketmarcy6990 I really appreciate that FH just emphasises that the injuries weren't survivable instead of going into details. It would be easy to lean into the gruesome aspects but he's always very respectful of victims. I feel awful for the pilot and hate that people blame him for not being more forceful about it - Landis was already hugely famous and there was such an imbalance of power involved, same with the kids' parents who believed him when he lied to them about the set safety. I have to feel like the pilot's speculation that Morrow could have moved out of the way was him just trying to grasp for a way to process the accident considering how guilty he must have felt.
The photos of Vic Morrow’s head and torso, along with the boy are in a book called “Fly By Night” that is sold on Amazon. I have it and it’s very gruesome so I can understand the crewman’s reaction. Vic was not only decapitated but he was disfigured by the helicopter blades. His face was badly mangled below the eye area. In the crime scene photo of his head, one eyeball was open and staring straight ahead and the other eyeball was missing.
Hopefully the person who is ultimately responsible for Landis' death will show up uninvited at his funeral prepared to give the eulogy
I read that the helicopter blade decapitated Vic and the boy, but since the girl had partially fallen in the water, she was instead crushed by the helicopter. Either way absolutely horrendous and i’m shocked that there was no justice.
My heart twinged with pain as I clicked this one since I’ve heard of the case previously.
I am a huge Twilight Zone fanatic. I have watched the TV series at least 5 times over if not more and can recognize basically any reference in another piece of media. To hear this story is insane. I have loved the show since I was around 13 and I have never heard of this. Thank you for another amazing video!
I still remember when it happened - it was all over the news!
Love how these videos appear in the morning as I'm starting a day...I always expect to run into an angry mob or have a piano/anvil dropped on my head as soon as I leave my house.
You must live in Portland 😂
Vic Morrow was Jennifer Jason Leighs father.
Do you know, I've been watching this channel since day one. Everything is pure class from the music, to the narration. Absolutely brilliant. ✊
A common theme in your excellent series is that very rarely do those responsible for disasters suffer any consequences. This is just one example.
This case shocked me very much when I found out about it. Not only did Vic Morrow and the children die on the set of the film in the most terrible way, but the director did not get anything for it and continued to shoot in his spirit. It's as if the Americans agreed with the Japanese not to arrest them after their inhumane experiences and crimes.
Good topic to cover! I remember being six years old when this happened and it had not previously occurred to me that people could die while making a movie.
I've been a "disaster enthusiast", so to speak, for years and somehow it never occured to me that film sets could be truly dangerous until I learned of this case. This happened when my dad was a young man of my current age, and he was and is a big fan of The Twilight Zone but initially missed this because he was in a foreign country at the time- yet when I brought this up to him yesterday, he remembered it. Absolutely awful.
Even before the accident occurs the footage of this is just absolutely terrifying. Vic clearly struggling to make his way through the water with 2 kids in his arm while giant explosions go off everywhere. It feels like watching actual war footage. Truly horrible and so preventable.
I did a stunt for a tv show in the U.K. some years ago that involved a helicopter, and this story came up a lot. We spent a week planning and choreographing the stunt, and everyone was safe at all times and well informed. The entire sequence is less than a minute of footage on screen, but worth it to avoid another tragedy like this.
Such a tragic event that cost three people their lives. May they rest in peace.
I remember when this happened. It surprised me they released the movie and the segment Vic Morrow was in although they didn’t use the scene the accident happened in. It was eerie to watch knowing what happened to him.
I can't believe they still released the movie, let alone released it with parts of this storyline still in it!!
I remember in the first news reports of this incident , Vic Morrow and the 2 children were described as " visiting on the set", now I see why.
I'm surprised that the movie wasn't boycotted. That says a lot about how much spin was put on this tragedy. Good to know that Steven Spielberg severed ties with John Landis after this incident. At least some people still have a functioning moral compass. Also, I will be sharing this video with family members who are fans of the franchise.
I always thought Spielberg was one of the more decent, respectable directors in Hollywood. He enjoys working with child actors and seems very protective. I think this horrific tragedy truly affected him on a personal level.
I was around then. It was much easier to 'spin' stories with the lack of social media at the time. Very few media outlets. There were actually tasteless jokes in circulation about the accident if you can believe it. Very different times that thankfully have changed for the better.
“A shoot involving a real helicopter, pyrotechnic special effects, waist-deep water, and two child actors. This complex scene would ultimately go catastrophically wrong.” Gee, I wonder why?
This always hurt my soul. My Daddy also flew "Huey's" in Vietnam. Hollywood seems to love Hueys
I never really knew all the details of this incident, thank you for covering it. I don’t know why I’m surprised no one was punished for this, but I am. Even with two of the victims being children, no one had the conscious to do what was right. This was deliberate.
The exit music at the end of every video never fails to give me chills. I love these videos so much.
This one has always pissed me off. Huge Twilight Zone fan as a kid, took forever to find this movie. When i finally did, my dad told me about the accident and I looked into it more. The disregard for safety was wrong on so many levels. The fact that Landis had a decent career following this makes me sick.
I remember this when it happened. I was in college. The news broadcasts would only show stills and usually the ones right before the helo’s rotor was damaged causing it to crash. It did come out reasonably quickly that Vic Morrow and one of the children were decapitated and/or sliced up by the rotor.
The fact that John Landis never served any prison time for this had a lot of people very angry. Honestly, I was surprised that he was even funded to still make movies.
Ever since I learned about this tragedy I've began to wonder if Spielberg getting so close with Ke Huy Quan was as some way of atonement for what happened, he is after all Vietnamese just like those two kids were.
Could be
I thought Ke Huy Quan was Korean and the two kids were Chinese?
@@detectivefiction3701 Ke Huy Quan is Vietnamese, though I don't know about the kids. I think this is a bit of a stretch imo.
@@detectivefiction3701 The video says they were Vietnamese and the name Dinh Le is also very much Vietnamese, not Chinese. Most East Asian languages are quite different, Vietnamese vs Chinese would be like mixing up a German name with a Spanish one.
A good director should always prioritize the safety of his actors and crew, no one should have to die for good art.
Correct 💯 see Isafe or the Sarah Jones incident in Georgia. Jones, a young set worker was killed by a train during a stupid location shoot. The producer & dir were sued, prosecuted. ⚖️
I was in school when this event transpired, there were lots of really sick Vic Morrow jokes. Which I will respectfully decline to remember. My best friend at the time was a big fan of Combat, and he was upset. The jokes hurt him a lot.
Same here big combat fan remember it 41 years later brilliant actor deserved better.
Thanks! - I was shocked and saddened and then mystified that they LET the movie continue production; and be released after all the horror and tragedy created in real life!
Anyone behind the camera having the gall to show up at the funerals should have profusely apologized and taken responsibility. And, Mr. John Stedman, Thank you for the info & ..... If now, You'll excuse me while I now go puke!!
This is one of those moments in film history that has always stayed with me since I first heard it.
Truly horrifying what happened to Vic and those poor little children
I made the mistake years ago of watching the video of this happening and it's gut wrenchingly awful. But now as a dad of a 3 year old just the thought of watching my child die like that makes my stomach turn and my heart hurt.
So unnecessary and avoidable.
Remember when this occurred,I was only a teenager at the time but was shocked at the deaths of three people and disgusted at the fact no one was held accountable for it-still do now Auckland New Zealand 2023