From Near-Death To Paranormal Experiences: 5 Creepy BTS Facts About Your Favorite Horrors

We all love a good scary movie with a creepy and intriguing story. But it turns out that even a terrifying on-screen tale can have a creepier atmosphere behind the scenes than the movie itself.

Here are 5 behind-the-scenes facts about iconic horror films that add an extra layer of terror to these cinematic masterpieces.

1. The Poltergeist (1982)

In the first part of the Poltergeist trilogy, JoBeth Williams, the star of the movie, had to deal with disturbing incidents during the filming.

In that one famous scene, the actress had to fall into a pool filled with prop skeletons, but due to budget constraints, they were replaced with real human bones.

Even worse, the actress didn't know they were real until the very last moment. The franchise is also considered infamous for the tragic death of Dominique Dunne, who played the eldest daughter, and the health problems and eventual death of Heather O'Rourke, who was only six years old during the filming of the first installment.

2. The Amityville Horror (2005)

Strange things happened to actor Ryan Reynolds and other crew members during the production of the Amityville Horror remake.

Ryan Reynolds plays George Lutz – the man who moves into the house where Ronald DeFeo Jr. killed his family due to haunting activities.

Strangely enough, Reynolds and some of the crew members said they woke up at 3:15 am, the exact hour of the killings in the movie, and the hour when the real-life Lutz claimed to experience mysterious awakenings every day.

3. The Exorcist (1973)

While making The Exorcist, director William Friedkin recruited extras from a radiology lab, including a young man named Paul Bateson.

Five years later, Paul Bateson will be involved in a murder case, and turned out to be a serial killer committed murdering six gay men in Manhattan's Greenwich Village.

His story later became the basis for Friedkin's next film, Cruising, and inspired one of the storylines in David Fincher's iconic series Mindhunter.

4. Friday the 13th (2009)

Derek Mears plays the role of a crazed killer in a hockey mask with a machete as his weapon in the 2009 Friday the 13th remake.

According to the actor, he had a harrowing experience while filming when he almost drowned while doing an underwater stunt.

Surprisingly, however, Mears was the one who decided to drown himself because he wanted to make sure he got the perfect shot. He even asked the crew's medical team if they could revive him if things went wrong.

5. Carrie (1976)

While filming the Stephen King adaptation, Sissy Spacek, who played the titular character, took method acting to a whole new level.

In preparation for the iconic scene in which Carrie is drenched in pig's blood, Spacek decided to sleep in the gooey substance for three nights in a row.

According to the actress co-star, P.J. Soles, Spacek had a trailer on set where she slept in the blood to ensure authenticity. The devotion to the movies that actors are willing to endure is sometimes phenomenal.