Selects: Can movies be cursed?

Episode of Stuff You Should Know · May 9, 2026 · 52 min

Josh Clark and Chuck Bryant examine supposedly cursed films, from Poltergeist and The Omen to The Conqueror and A Confederacy of Dunces, while debunking curses.

Summary

In this 2017 episode, rebroadcast as a Saturday Selects, Josh Clark and Chuck Bryant worked from Ed Grabianowski's article "10 Movies That Were Supposedly Cursed," stressing that curses are not real and that dangerous film sets and selective storytelling produce the appearance of curses. Clark opened with historical on-set deaths from Noah's Ark (1928), They Died with Their Boots On and the Twilight Zone movie.

The hosts discussed deaths linked to the Poltergeist films, including the murder of Dominique Dunne and the death of Heather O'Rourke, and injuries on The Wizard of Oz, with Clark arguing the film's real tragedy was Judy Garland's treatment by MGM. They covered the so-called Superman curse surrounding George Reeves and Christopher Reeve, and the high cancer rate among cast and crew of The Conqueror, filmed downwind of the Nevada Test Site.

They recounted the near misses and deaths around The Omen, including the car crash that killed John Richardson's assistant, which Clark doubted because no photo of the alleged "66.6 km to Ommen" sign exists. They discussed Natalie Wood's death during Brainstorm, digressed on serial killers and cults, and closed with the stalled adaptations of A Confederacy of Dunces and A Tootsie-like script, "A Took," whose intended leads (Belushi, Candy, Farley, Kinison) died. The episode ended with listener mail from Melbourne.

Chapters

0:05
Intro and dentist banter
Chuck introduces the rerun and the hosts chat about hygienists and Chuck's dentist.
5:01
Why film sets seem cursed
The hosts explain Ed Grabianowski's skeptical premise and recount historical on-set deaths.
8:22
Poltergeist
Deaths of Dominique Dunne, Heather O'Rourke, Will Sampson and Julian Beck are examined.
14:52
The Wizard of Oz
Injuries to cast members, the hanged munchkin legend and Judy Garland's tragic life.
20:48
The Superman role
The fates of George Reeves and Christopher Reeve and the idea of a cursed role.
26:27
The Conqueror
Cancer among cast and crew filmed near the Nevada Test Site.
30:54
The Omen
Lightning strikes, IRA bombings, a plane crash and John Richardson's car wreck.
36:41
Brainstorm and Natalie Wood
Natalie Wood's mysterious drowning and a digression on serial killers and cults.
43:49
A Confederacy of Dunces and A Took
Two unmade films whose intended stars kept dying.
50:03
Listener mail
A letter from Bridget Foster in Melbourne praising the show.

Key points

What was said, by whom, with the exact words. Timestamps jump to the moment.

Josh Clark
Clark argued that accidents and deaths are bound to happen on film sets given the dangerous work, especially in the early days.
“Of course bad things happened on movie sets. Of course people died”
Listen from 6:17 · Film curses
Josh Clark
Clark explained that curse stories arise from discarding facts that do not support the narrative.
“when you start to put these things together and then you get rid of all of the things that don't support your point, you got a curse on your hands”
Listen from 8:35 · Film curses
Chuck Bryant
Bryant said Dominique Dunne's murder showed warning signs and could have been prevented.
“Like, the signs were all there. It was one of those things that could have been prevented”
Listen from 9:57 · Murder of Dominique Dunne
Josh Clark
Clark said a hallmark of a cursed-movie story is that deaths occur during or near production.
“is the deaths that happen typically need to happen either during production or right around production”
Listen from 13:10 · Poltergeist (1982 film)
Josh Clark
Clark endorsed the view that Judy Garland's life was the real tragedy of The Wizard of Oz, describing MGM's control over her.
“If there was any real tragedy that came out of The Wizard of Oz, it was Judy Garland's life”
Listen from 19:25 · The Wizard of Oz (1939 film)
Chuck Bryant
Bryant believed George Reeves was clinically depressed rather than simply upset over party noise.
“he was upset about life. I got you. And I got the sense like legitimately depressed, you know, like clinically depressed”
Listen from 24:30 · Superman curse
Josh Clark
Clark cited reporting that the government covered up fallout dangers to downwinders near the Nevada Test Site.
“the government went to great lengths to cover it up and just assured everybody that There was no danger whatsoever to them”
Listen from 27:44 · The Conqueror (1956 film)
Chuck Bryant
Bryant said he thought the test site fallout definitely contributed to the cancers, citing a rate about three times expected.
“Essentially, this is about three times the rate of cancer that you would expect. Right. I think that it definitely contributed”
Listen from 30:18 · The Conqueror (1956 film)
Josh Clark
Clark joked that The Omen's many near misses suggested the production was protected rather than cursed.
“all these close calls actually make it seem like this movie production wasn't cursed, but instead was actually being looked out for on high by the Dark Lord”
Listen from 33:17 · The Omen (1976 film)
Josh Clark
Clark doubted John Richardson's story of a '66.6 km to Ommen' sign because no photo of it exists online.
“There's no way it's true because I looked up on the Internet that sign, trying to find any picture of that sign”
Listen from 36:02 · The Omen (1976 film)
Josh Clark
Clark said he increasingly suspects there are more serial killers than people imagine.
“as I grow older and wiser, I'm starting to think like there's a lot more serial killers out there than you would imagine”
Listen from 41:09 · Serial killers
Linked moment · 46:10Skip to 46:10 using a listen link in the info box.
Chuck Bryant
Bryant recounted that the adaptation stalled after the Louisiana film commission head was murdered and Hurricane Katrina struck.
“eventually the head of the Louisiana State Film Commission, it's set in New Orleans, so they would have shot there. He was murdered”
Listen from 46:10 · A Confederacy of Dunces

People

In the conversation

Josh ClarkCo-host of Stuff You Should Know
Chuck BryantCo-host of Stuff You Should Know

Discussed

Ed GrabianowskiHowStuffWorks writer who authored the source article
Dominique DunnePoltergeist actress murdered in 1982
Dominick DunneWriter and Vanity Fair crime journalist, father of Dominique Dunne
Heather O'RourkeChild actress in the Poltergeist films who died in 1988
Judy GarlandStar of The Wizard of Oz
George ReevesActor who played Superman on 1950s television
Christopher ReeveActor who played Superman in films, later paralyzed
John WayneAmerican actor who starred in The Conqueror
Gregory PeckStar of The Omen
Natalie WoodActress who died during production of Brainstorm
John Kennedy TooleAuthor of A Confederacy of Dunces
John BelushiComedian attached to both cursed projects
Chris FarleyLate American comedian and Saturday Night Live cast member admired by Druski
Sam KinisonComedian attached to A Took

Topics

From the publisher

First of all, movies can't be cursed because curses aren't real. However, that can't stop Josh and Chuck from taking a look at some movies throughout history that have had a disturbing number of bad things surrounding their production and release. Dive into the world of cursed movies in this very fun classic episode. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Summary, chapters and key points were generated from the episode transcript on September 28, 2026. Quotes are checked word for word against the transcript.

Categories: Film History·TV & Film