By Jennifer Vasquez
Vamp, Ashley and AJ (AKA Amanda Jeann) are the ladies of Let’s Get Spooky, a show covering unusual topics from horror to the paranormal. Viewers were treated to a special edition of the show for Comic-Con@Home 2020 that delved into actual horrors that happened on set, from weird movie facts to films believed to be cursed.
Hostess Ashley kicked off the discussion with a few funny details of things accidentally left in the final cut of movies instead of being edited out. One occurs in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. For those who’ve seen the film, does anyone recall seeing a child get clunked in the face with a wooden board? Well, it happens in the scene with Aubrey Williams singing “The Candy Man” to a group of kids. At one point he lifts the wooden panel to let them enter his candy bar and an unlucky girl was standing too close. I had to look this scene up after hearing about it because it’s something I’ve totally missed when I’ve watched the film. It’s easy to spot once you know what you’re looking for, and the kid did attempt to dodge the board before it knocked against her chin. The good news is she was totally fine.
AJ shared interesting information about horror films, mentioning that Psycho was the first American movie to feature a toilet flush in a scene and that the blood used was chocolate syrup. She also mentioned a disturbing tidbit about The Wizard of Oz. In the poppy scene, asbestos flakes were used as snow! Yes, you read that right. Several bizarre facts already surround this flick, so knowing that asbestos was used as fake snow makes it a bit more morbid.
The trio also got into a fascinating conversation about The Blair Witch Project, referencing how the documentary style it was shot in was still unique for its time. As a marketing tactic, the production team wanted people to think the movie was real, even going so far as to putting “deceased” on each of the actor’s IMDb pages, which apparently is illegal to do now. At the time of its release, the film definitely had people, including myself, questioning if the footage was real.
Vamp talked about the famous death curse that purportedly plagued the Poltergeist movies. Although it’s true that four people associated with the movie died, contrary to popular belief, no deaths actually happened on set; they occurred after filming. One was the death of actress Dominique Dunne who played the older sister Dana in the first film. The day before Halloween, her ex-boyfriend paid her a visit attempting to reconcile. The situation spiraled out of control and he strangled her into a coma. She passed four days later.
The death of Heather O’Rourke at age 12, who played Carol Anne, is one of the most talked about fatalities connected to the Poltergeist franchise. Vamp shared that when the actress fell ill, it was believed she just had the flu. It turned out she had Crohn’s disease but because it went undetected and untreated, she became so sick that she went into cardiac arrest and died. Heavy stuff.
To lighten the mood, the group finished with a “Creepy Treats” segment called “What’s in the Coffin” where each had to guess the mysterious object placed in the box through touch alone. It was fun to watch and the items included a fennel bulb, a Gizmo doll, and grapes.
Vamp, Ashley, and AJ served up an entertaining edition of Let’s Get Spooky for Comic-Con@Home 2020. It was awesome to learn a variety of horror movie trivia facts and I plan to revisit a few they discussed. I admire these spooky women and look forward to checking out more episodes!