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Buzz Feed
14 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Buzz Feed
14 Movie Scenes That Traumatized Their Actors
Janet Leigh explained that after filming the notorious shower scene in Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho, she couldn't take showers for a long, long time. In a 1996 interview with The New York Times, Leigh shared how she was so afraid of taking a shower after filming the stabbing scene in the 1960 classic Psycho, she resorted to quite extreme measures to avoid her terrifying experience and trauma from the set. She stated, "I make sure the doors and windows of the house are locked, and I leave the bathroom door open and the shower curtain open. I'm always facing the door, watching, no matter where the shower head is.' Tippi Hedren, the lead of the 1960s classic The Birds, was actually attacked by real birds while filming, which left her terrified and utterly exhausted. Tippi Hedren was originally told that there'd be mechanical birds "attacking" her on the set of Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds, but was told shortly thereafter that they didn't work and would have to resort to using real birds trained to attack. This left Hedren distraught as, for five straight days during filming, she was bitten, attacked, and had live birds thrown and strapped to her. After one of the birds nearly pecked her eye out, Hedren simply broke down out of pure exhaustion on set. She had to take a week to recover in the aftermath of everything. When recalling the traumatic event, Hedren shared "I was never frightened, I was just overwhelmed and in some form of shock, and I just kept saying to myself over and over again, 'I won't let him [Hitchcock], break me. I won't let him break me.' Florence Pugh went through on and off-screen trauma while filming Ari Aster's Midsommar. The main star of the film, Florence Pugh, came out to say during the Off Menu podcast how she'd end up putting herself in "really s*** situations that other actors maybe don't need to" in order to stem from her character's on-screen trauma. She went on to explain how "I was putting things in my head that were just getting worse and more bleak. I think by the end, I had probably – most definitely – abused my own self in order to get that performance." Jack Reynor, who starred opposite Pugh, in Midsommar also suffered some trauma and mental health impacts from the filming, especially the famous bear scene. Jack Reynor, who played opposite Pugh, shared how he struggled with his mental health all throughout the shoot, and well after. He was particularly traumatized from the final bear scene, in which he told Collider, "It's dark and it's unsettling to watch all these people around you basically making it look like they're going to kill you in a horrific way. There's nothing you can do and you're paralysed, you know? It was heavy." And last but not least, supporting star of the film, Will Poulter, suffered psychological impacts and full-on nightmares from being in Midsommar. Supporting star, Will Poulter, also confirmed the horrific psychological impacts the film had on him by sharing how he'd have "Terrible, terrible, full-on nightmares" in a interview with Empire. He further explained how the film Midsommar itself was just "utterly disturbing. And it's that kind of disturbing feeling that I think lingers longer than a fright. A fright has a very limited lifespan. This idea that humans are capable of what you see in Midsommar is kind of what's most disturbing about it ... Despite reading the script and despite being in it and shooting it, and presumably knowing what to expect, I was still caught massively off guard." Gunnar Hansen, who played Leatherface in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, explained the on and off-screen trauma himself and lead Marilyn Burns faced during the film, especially the dinner table scene. In an interview with Esquire, Gunnar Hansen, who played Leatherface, came out to say how the dinner scene in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is permanently "burned" into his memory because of "...the misery of it. At that point, we were really just on the verge of mental collapse. And Marilyn told me about how awful it was for her because she was terrified... just being tied to a chair and then having these men looming over her constantly, she said it was really unnerving. I think that whole scene was certainly the most intense part of the movie, and I think all of us were slightly insane by then." In addition, many cast members of the classic horror The Texas Chainsaw Massacre were traumatized from filming and from the horrific conditions of the set. According to various cast members, the set of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre was extremely gross and hostile, often smelling so bad it'd cause the actors to get sick due to the stench of dead animal parts. Some of the cast members weren't even allowed to change out of their dirty clothes or bathe for five weeks in order to maintain continuity, Marilyn Burns, who plays Sally, had spoken out about the conditions and explained how she was injured on set with her finger being cut and often scared she'd acquire a worse injury, especially from the chainsaws. Isabelle Adjani, star of the horror fantasy Possession, tried to kill herself after seeing the intense final cut of the film. In a 2000s documentary following his career, the director of the film, Andrzej Żuławski, spoke out about how his lead, Isabelle Adjani, attempted to commit suicide upon seeing the final cut of the film. He shared that "I think I was responsible for that. I was the one to blame. If somebody plays in my film and then is going through something like that, that means I didn't notice something." In regards to her experience, Adjani said to Interview magazine, "I remember – if you'll allow me to offer a comparison from my own career and some situations with [the director] Andrzej Żuławski – there was something of great violence that I agreed to take on. But I've realised over the years that it's something I could never accept again, and it's part of everything that my subconscious has been swallowing and incubating." Alex Wolff, one of the leads of the film, developed PTSD after filming Ari Aster's Hereditary. After speaking to Vice, Alex Wolff claimed that he'd suffered a type of PTSD after being in the emotional, psychological horror film Hereditary, directed by Ari Aster. Aster is known for leaving his actors emotionally damaged and scared, with Wolff explaining how "It's hard to describe eloquently. It's just a feeling. I don't think you can go through something like this and not have some sort of PTSD afterwards. When I started talking about it, all these flashes with all this disturbing s*** I went through sorta came back in a flood. It kept me up at night to where I got into a habit of emotional masochism at that point of just trying to take in every negative feeling I could draw from." The set of The Blair Witch Project was terrifying and horrified many of its actors in the duration of filming. The Blair Witch Project follows a group of teenagers roaming around the dark, spooky woods in search of clues to a mysterious town's local murderer, but were some of the scary moments caught on camera real? It was discovered that some of the producers of the film would unsuspectedly follow the camera crew around stepping on twigs and throwing rocks in order to create real-life fear and tension from the actors. However, while filming the tent scene, the tent began to shake uncontrollably without being touched, leaving many of the actors and crew seriously spooked from the event. James McAvoy claimed that he'd experience terrible nightmares of Pennywise the Clown after filming It Chapter Two. At an event with PA in San Diego, James McAvoy recalled a chilling dream due to the horrifying nature of Bill Skarsgård' performance of Pennywise in the film, It Chapter Two. He shared how, "The only one I can really remember is, I'm lying on my side in the bed and he was in bed with me. And he's stroking my back gently and saying, 'Wake up, James, wake up.' And I was just terrified, pretending to be asleep. I just thought, I've got to pretend to be asleep, I've got to pretend to be asleep. I had lots of nightmares about Pennywise, but that's the one specific one I can remember." Coincidentally, Bill Skarsgård, who played Pennywise the Clown, also suffered bad dreams from both It films. Bill Skarsgård recalled the scary dreams on Pennywise he had as a result of filming both It and It Chapter Two, sharing that "Those dreams were so strange. Either I was confronting Pennywise and I was upset with him, yelling at him — or I was Pennywise, but I was walking around in the streets that I grew up on, and I'm like, 'No, no. I shouldn't be out here in public walking around like this. This is not how it's supposed to be done." He went on to explain how "It was this weird thing where I was trying to separate myself from this thing," comparing his performance to his most recent as Orlook in Robert Egger's Nosferatu and how he'd had more ease in that role. JoBeth Williams was scared half to death while filming the infamous pool scene in The Poltergeist. During filming the pool scene where Williams is surrounded by skeletons, she was utterly unaware of the fact that they were real at the time she was in the water with them. Upon finding out, Williams was completely freaked out, stating, "I think everybody got real creeped out by the idea of that." However, she explained that it wasn't so much that the skeletons were real, she was worried initially that the materials of the fake ones posed an electrical danger to herself while in the water. Yet, writer Steven Spielberg, to ease her worries, actually jumped into the pool with her, saying, "Now if a light falls in, we'll both fry." And finally, Shelley Duvall was pushed to her breaking point while filming Stanley Kubrick's, The Shining, and suffered immense health issues following. During filming, Kubrick created extremely rough, hostile conditions that left Duvall having to reshoot one particular scene 127 times, which caused her immense dehydration and for clumps of her hair to fall out for the amount of crying she was expected to do during the scene. In The Complete Kubrick, a 2000s book of the director himself, Duvall shared "From May until October, I was really in and out of ill health because the stress of the role was so great. Stanley pushed me and prodded me further than I've ever been pushed before. It's the most difficult role I've ever had to play." Know any more crazy, horrifying scenes that left actors traumatized from filming, share them in the comments below!
The Advertiser
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Advertiser
Midsummer celebrations: the best place to be for a pagan-esque party
Mal will try to per-swede you otherwise, but I've seen the movie Midsommar and that Scandi solstice didn't end well. Somebody was set alight in a bear carcass. In England, we only do that on May Day. And in real life, pickled herring and pole dancing just can't outshine the world's top temple to the sun. You visit Stonehenge to see solstice because that is its whole point, just as you go to IKEA if you want furniture with funny names and a side of meatballs. Stick to the flatpacks, Stockholm - you don't have the stones for solstice.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Midsommar Music Festival comes to Bishop Hill
The 2025 Bishop Hill Midsommar Music Festival is a family-friendly event that will be held on Saturday, June 21, according to a news release. Highlights of this festival includes free concerts in the park, a Swedish Maypole celebration, and much more. Bring a lawn chair and join us as we celebrate this Swedish holiday in historic Bishop Hill. Celebrating Midsommar, one of the two most popular holidays in Sweden – the other being Christmas – is a very ancient practice, dating back to pre-Christian times. It has its roots in Pagan rituals to welcome summer and the season of fertility. In Sweden, Midsommar festivals have been around for at least 500 years. Even in agrarian times, people in Sweden welcomed summertime by decorating their houses and farm tools with foliage and raising tall Maypoles to dance around. The free concerts at the village park gazebo will begin at 10 a.m. This year's lineup includes Black Hawk Pipes and Drums, Chloe Finch, Orion Community Band, and the Norwegian Bachelor Farmers. Immediately after the musical performances at 4 p.m., everyone is invited to decorate the Maypole with flowers and to join the procession. The procession will begin in the park and end at the Colony School where visitors can join in the Maypole dancing and have refreshments provided by the Bishop Hill Vasa Lodge. No experience is required to join in the dancing. The Vasa National Archives, a short block south of the park, will offer a Midsummer Respite featuring drinks, snacks, and a make-and-take clay sculpture station. The public is welcome to view exhibits, enjoy some light refreshments, and make a clay sculpture to take home. The Vasa National Archives will be open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Author Jannifer Stevens Powelson will have a book signing from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Prairie Arts Center, 203 North Bishop Hill Street. She is the author of the 'Rachel and Sammy' books, as well as Nature Station Mysteries. For details, visit here. To finish off the day, Ryan Bizarri brings country music to The Colony Inn from 7 to 11 p.m. Come enjoy a cold drink while listening to live acoustic country music. This Nashvillesongwriter/Midwest artist will be playing songs you know and love from artists like Toby Keith, Garth Brooks, Brad Paisley, Zac Brown, Alabama, Morgan Wallen, Bob Segar and more. Meet the co-writer of Rodney Atkins' hit 'Eat Sleep Love You Repeat' at The Colony Inn. For directions and more information, visit here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Yahoo
6 of the best summer festivals to travel to, according to an expert
This article was produced by National Geographic Traveller (UK). There's no better time to visit a new place than during a festival. These heightened moments, special points in the calendar, are when a culture reveals itself most vividly: town squares are festooned with flowers and draped in finery, people conceal themselves beneath extravagant costumes and wild-eyed masks, and the air is filled with the sound of music and the delicious smells of festival food. But beyond just being outwardly captivating, festivals are also fascinating portraits of human behaviour. While writing my book about festivals, Fiesta: A Journey Through Festivity, I travelled from Indonesia to Ingol, Lancashire – and found that, across the world, festivals reflect certain universal patterns. The —sual rules of life are upended: social hierarchies dissolve, inhibitions are shed, and altered states of consciousness are pursued with relish. Whether you're a participant or an observer, the experience of a festival can be inspiring, life-affirming and, sometimes, transcendent. Here are six of the best festivals to visit across the world this summer. Summer solstice (20/21/22 June)It may have entered the horror pantheon thanks to the celebrated 2019 movie Midsommar, but there's nothing (too) scary about Scandinavia's real-life summer solstice celebrations, the most famous of which is to be found in the central Swedish town of Leksand. As many as 30,000 spectators descend on the town to watch locals, dressed in traditional white blouses, colourful dresses and floral wreaths, process from the town church to the Sammilsdal, a natural grassy amphitheatre. Here, they dance around a maypole covered in plants and flowers, singing folk songs which celebrate the warmth and light of the year's longest day. The party continues long into the twilight of the midsummer night, with revellers eating pickled herring and strawberries and drinking aquavit, the potent local liquor. (6 of the best destinations to celebrate midsummer in Europe.) Last weekend of JuneMore than just the archetypal summer music festival, Glastonbury reflects many of the strands common to festivity across the world — seasonality, debauchery, connection to nature, music and dance – and the resulting atmosphere is that of a folkloric utopia, all soundtracked by the finest musicians on the planet. A primordial rooting in the earth and connection to the seasonal calendar — common to many of the Glastonbury area's festivals — is fostered by the event's timing close to the summer solstice, and bards, druids and pagans of all stripes can often be found gathered at the festival's very own stone circle — built not in 3000 BCE, but 1992. The festival's proximity to Glastonbury Tor, meanwhile, infuses the event with a touch of King Arthur mythology. And five miles from the festival site, many more solstice celebrants can be found at this green hill topped with a medieval tower, which is often identified with the mythical Isle of Avalon from Arthurian legend. In the nearby town of Glastonbury itself, meanwhile, celebrants gather at the Chalice Well, a sacred spring held in some legends to hide the Holy Grail. 21 June-20 SeptemberEvery summer, in the Dhofar region of Oman's less-visited south, the desert blooms. From June to September, the tongues of the southeast monsoon lash the coast around Oman's second city, Salalah, causing waterfalls and rivers to burst into life and seeing this otherwise arid corner of the Arabian Peninsula erupt in a riot of tropical green. Omanis flock from the oppressive heat of the north to refresh themselves in the fine misty rain, swim in natural pools framed by resplendent greenery, and relish the scent of the world's finest frankincense trees in full bloom. The carnival-like Khareef Festival sees three months of music and dance performances, souks selling handicrafts and traditional foods, and hot air balloons soaring in the sky above. 29 JuneThe tiny Mediterranean nation of Malta has one of the most jam-packed festival calendars in Europe, with more than one hundred festi – the local celebration of Catholic saints' days — held between March and September. Each has its own character. Rabat hosts a stately affair in March, with regal decorations and a brass-band procession, while Mqabba marks its festa with some of the most rip-roaring fireworks displays imaginable. But the most memorable is arguably Mnarja (or L-Imnarja), held on 29 June to celebrate saints Peter and Paul. Held outside Rabat in the Buskett Gardens woodlands, the event sees locals dressed in medieval ruffs and velvet tunics, displays of fruit and vegetable carving, wandering minstrels playing Maltese folk tunes, and mountains of traditional food, including the national dish, rabbit stew. 4-5 JulyTravel guides to Japan often emphasise the politeness and gentleness of its people, their cultural aversion to public outbursts and their dedication to exquisite, traditional arts and crafts. All of which makes it somewhat surprising to turn up in the Noto Peninsula town of Ushitsu each July and find it consumed by the chaos and fury of the Abare Festival, a.k.a the 'Fire & Violence Festival'. Huge, beautiful lanterns, painted with mythological scenes and folktales, are painstakingly created throughout the year, only to be ritualistically destroyed by a band of drunk, loincloth-clad men, who smash the decorations against lampposts and pavements before burning them at the town's main shrine. This symbolic riot of rage has its origins in the 17th century, as a way to ward off disease. Before, during and after the main procession, much sake is consumed by participants and spectators alike. Ninth lunar month (September or October; dates vary)A vegetarian festival, you might think, sounds pretty wholesome; a celebration of the tasty, health-bestowing properties of a meat-free diet. The island of Phuket, however, clearly didn't get the memo. While this celebration does incorporate much delicious plant-based food, the nine-day Phuket Vegetarian Festival is more explicitly characterised by deafening noise and mind-boggling ritual mutilation, with spirit mediums processing through the streets of Phuket Old Town by the thousand with swords, skewers and other sharp objects stuck through their faces at all angles. Firewalking and climbing ladders of knives are among the other trials which the spirit mediums undertake, all while in a deep trance, to the sound of a chorus of firecrackers. Not an event for the faint of heart. (Pearls, Peranakan culture and rare rituals: this is Phuket — but not as you know it.) To subscribe to National Geographic Traveller (UK) magazine click here.(Available in select countries only).
National Geographic
11-06-2025
- National Geographic
6 of the best summer festivals to travel to, according to an expert
One of the most famous Midsummer celebrations is found in the central Swedish town of Leksand. One of the most famous Midsummer celebrations is found in the central Swedish town of Leksand. One of the most famous Midsummer celebrations is found in the central Swedish town of Leksand. One of the most famous Midsummer celebrations is found in the central Swedish town of Leksand. Festivals, when cultures reveals themselves most vividly, are some of the best times to visit a new destination — here are the six best summer festivals to travel to this summer. 6 of the best summer festivals to travel to, according to an expert This article was produced by National Geographic Traveller (UK). There's no better time to visit a new place than during a festival. These heightened moments, special points in the calendar, are when a culture reveals itself most vividly: town squares are festooned with flowers and draped in finery, people conceal themselves beneath extravagant costumes and wild-eyed masks, and the air is filled with the sound of music and the delicious smells of festival food. But beyond just being outwardly captivating, festivals are also fascinating portraits of human behaviour. While writing my book about festivals, Fiesta: A Journey Through Festivity, I travelled from Indonesia to Ingol, Lancashire – and found that, across the world, festivals reflect certain universal patterns. The —sual rules of life are upended: social hierarchies dissolve, inhibitions are shed, and altered states of consciousness are pursued with relish. Whether you're a participant or an observer, the experience of a festival can be inspiring, life-affirming and, sometimes, transcendent. Here are six of the best festivals to visit across the world this summer. Around 30,000 spectators descend on the town of Leksand to watch locals, dressed in traditional white blouses, colourful dresses and floral wreaths, process from the town church to the Sammilsdal, a natural grassy amphitheatre. Photograph by Anna Holm, Visit Dlarna 1. Midsommar, Leksand, Sweden Summer solstice (20/21/22 June) It may have entered the horror pantheon thanks to the celebrated 2019 movie Midsommar, but there's nothing (too) scary about Scandinavia's real-life summer solstice celebrations, the most famous of which is to be found in the central Swedish town of Leksand. As many as 30,000 spectators descend on the town to watch locals, dressed in traditional white blouses, colourful dresses and floral wreaths, process from the town church to the Sammilsdal, a natural grassy amphitheatre. Here, they dance around a maypole covered in plants and flowers, singing folk songs which celebrate the warmth and light of the year's longest day. The party continues long into the twilight of the midsummer night, with revellers eating pickled herring and strawberries and drinking aquavit, the potent local liquor. (6 of the best destinations to celebrate midsummer in Europe.) Glastonbury's Pyramid Stage sets the scene for unforgettable summer performances. Anna Barclay 2. Glastonbury Festival, Pilton, England Last weekend of June More than just the archetypal summer music festival, Glastonbury reflects many of the strands common to festivity across the world — seasonality, debauchery, connection to nature, music and dance – and the resulting atmosphere is that of a folkloric utopia, all soundtracked by the finest musicians on the planet. A primordial rooting in the earth and connection to the seasonal calendar — common to many of the Glastonbury area's festivals — is fostered by the event's timing close to the summer solstice, and bards, druids and pagans of all stripes can often be found gathered at the festival's very own stone circle — built not in 3000 BCE, but 1992. The festival's proximity to Glastonbury Tor, meanwhile, infuses the event with a touch of King Arthur mythology. And five miles from the festival site, many more solstice celebrants can be found at this green hill topped with a medieval tower, which is often identified with the mythical Isle of Avalon from Arthurian legend. In the nearby town of Glastonbury itself, meanwhile, celebrants gather at the Chalice Well, a sacred spring held in some legends to hide the Holy Grail. 3. Khareef Festival, Dhofar, Oman 21 June-20 September Every summer, in the Dhofar region of Oman's less-visited south, the desert blooms. From June to September, the tongues of the southeast monsoon lash the coast around Oman's second city, Salalah, causing waterfalls and rivers to burst into life and seeing this otherwise arid corner of the Arabian Peninsula erupt in a riot of tropical green. Omanis flock from the oppressive heat of the north to refresh themselves in the fine misty rain, swim in natural pools framed by resplendent greenery, and relish the scent of the world's finest frankincense trees in full bloom. The carnival-like Khareef Festival sees three months of music and dance performances, souks selling handicrafts and traditional foods, and hot air balloons soaring in the sky above. 4. Festa of Mnarja, Buskett Gardens, Malta 29 June The tiny Mediterranean nation of Malta has one of the most jam-packed festival calendars in Europe, with more than one hundred festi – the local celebration of Catholic saints' days — held between March and September. Each has its own character. Rabat hosts a stately affair in March, with regal decorations and a brass-band procession, while Mqabba marks its festa with some of the most rip-roaring fireworks displays imaginable. But the most memorable is arguably Mnarja (or L-Imnarja), held on 29 June to celebrate saints Peter and Paul. Held outside Rabat in the Buskett Gardens woodlands, the event sees locals dressed in medieval ruffs and velvet tunics, displays of fruit and vegetable carving, wandering minstrels playing Maltese folk tunes, and mountains of traditional food, including the national dish, rabbit stew. 5. Abare Festival, Ushitsu, Japan 4-5 July Travel guides to Japan often emphasise the politeness and gentleness of its people, their cultural aversion to public outbursts and their dedication to exquisite, traditional arts and crafts. All of which makes it somewhat surprising to turn up in the Noto Peninsula town of Ushitsu each July and find it consumed by the chaos and fury of the Abare Festival, a.k.a the 'Fire & Violence Festival'. Huge, beautiful lanterns, painted with mythological scenes and folktales, are painstakingly created throughout the year, only to be ritualistically destroyed by a band of drunk, loincloth-clad men, who smash the decorations against lampposts and pavements before burning them at the town's main shrine. This symbolic riot of rage has its origins in the 17th century, as a way to ward off disease. Before, during and after the main procession, much sake is consumed by participants and spectators alike. During Phuket's Vegetarian Festival, spirit mediums process through the streets of Phuket Old Town by the thousand with swords, skewers and other sharp objects stuck through their faces at all angles. Photograph by the Copyright of the Tourism Authority of Thailand 6. Phuket Vegetarian Festival, Phuket Old Town, Thailand Ninth lunar month (September or October; dates vary) A vegetarian festival, you might think, sounds pretty wholesome; a celebration of the tasty, health-bestowing properties of a meat-free diet. The island of Phuket, however, clearly didn't get the memo. While this celebration does incorporate much delicious plant-based food, the nine-day Phuket Vegetarian Festival is more explicitly characterised by deafening noise and mind-boggling ritual mutilation, with spirit mediums processing through the streets of Phuket Old Town by the thousand with swords, skewers and other sharp objects stuck through their faces at all angles. Firewalking and climbing ladders of knives are among the other trials which the spirit mediums undertake, all while in a deep trance, to the sound of a chorus of firecrackers. Not an event for the faint of heart. (Pearls, Peranakan culture and rare rituals: this is Phuket — but not as you know it.) Daniel Stables is the author of Fiesta: A Journey Through Festivity published by Icon Books (14 August 2025), RRP £20 National Geographic Traveller (UK) magazine click To subscribe to(UK) magazine click here .(Available in select countries only).
