Released on June 24, 1983, the film “Twilight Zone: The Movie” centers around a bigot who later faces discrimination himself. The film received mixed reviews and was a middling box office performer. Unfortunately, it became infamous for another reason. The same day the film was released, director John Landis and four other “Twilight Zone” filmmakers were charged with the manslaughter of three people killed on set during a dangerous stunt.
The incident took place at 2:20 a.m. on July 23, 1982. Landis was directing a Vietnam War scene in which the main character (Vic Morrow) carries two Vietnamese children (Myca Dinh Le, age 7, and Renee Shin-Yi Chen, age 6) while being chased by a helicopter as the village behind them explodes. The scene was poorly planned and barely rehearsed, and the explosion damaged the helicopter, causing it to crash into the river. The crash killed Morrow and the two children.
Others on set described Landis as quick to anger, abusive, and dismissive of crew members’ safety concerns. In an earlier scene, Landis wasn’t satisfied by the effect of fake gunfire and demanded that it be replaced by real ammunition.
Investigators later discovered that having the children on set that late at night was illegal in the first place. The children also shouldn’t have been allowed to be so close to a real explosion. Landis also disobeyed regulations by replacing Dinh Le and Shin-Yi Chen with children whose names weren’t included in any official paperwork and were paid in cash. Landis reportedly joked, “We’re all going to jail!”
It took three years for the case to go to trial, but Landis and the four other filmmakers were cleared of all charges due to a sloppy prosecution and star-struck jury. However, the filmmakers and Warner Bros. still had to pay fines for children’s labor violations and settlements with families of those who died.
Despite everything that Landis did, others in the filmmaking industry backed him up. Sixteen directors including George Lucas, Francis Ford Coppola, Ron Howard, John Huston, Sidney Lumet, and Billy Wilder signed a letter of support for Landis.
The support probably came from Landis’s successful career. He directed Michael Jackson’s “Thriller”, “National Lampoon’s Animal House”, “The Blues Brothers”, “Trading Places”, and more. Later, his popularity would fizzle out.
Unfortunately, Landis wasn’t the only filmmaker out there who initiated danger on set. Brandon Lee was shot to death in the production of “The Crow” in 1993. The same happened to cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of “Rust” in 2021. In 2014, camera assistant Sarah Jones was killed by a freight train when working on “Midnight Rider”.
The common factor behind these incidents was money. Art Carter, chief of the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health, spoke to industry veterans about safety on sets.
“No one could recall a single instance in which a given movie or television program could not be made because of safety considerations,” he said. “Rather, it was a matter of spending the necessary money to assure protections.” Filmmakers are more than happy to put actors and crew members in danger to avoid spending on safety equipment and training. It’s profit first, not safety.
But are the risks worth it? Steven Spielberg, who didn’t sign the letter of support for Landis despite directing a part in “Twilight Zone”, spoke about the issue in a Los Angeles Times interview. “No movie is worth dying for. I think people are standing up much more now than ever before to producers and directors who ask too much. If something isn’t safe, it’s the right and responsibility of every actor or crew member to yell ‘Cut!’”
The incident took place at 2:20 a.m. on July 23, 1982. Landis was directing a Vietnam War scene in which the main character (Vic Morrow) carries two Vietnamese children (Myca Dinh Le, age 7, and Renee Shin-Yi Chen, age 6) while being chased by a helicopter as the village behind them explodes. The scene was poorly planned and barely rehearsed, and the explosion damaged the helicopter, causing it to crash into the river. The crash killed Morrow and the two children.
Others on set described Landis as quick to anger, abusive, and dismissive of crew members’ safety concerns. In an earlier scene, Landis wasn’t satisfied by the effect of fake gunfire and demanded that it be replaced by real ammunition.
Investigators later discovered that having the children on set that late at night was illegal in the first place. The children also shouldn’t have been allowed to be so close to a real explosion. Landis also disobeyed regulations by replacing Dinh Le and Shin-Yi Chen with children whose names weren’t included in any official paperwork and were paid in cash. Landis reportedly joked, “We’re all going to jail!”
It took three years for the case to go to trial, but Landis and the four other filmmakers were cleared of all charges due to a sloppy prosecution and star-struck jury. However, the filmmakers and Warner Bros. still had to pay fines for children’s labor violations and settlements with families of those who died.
Despite everything that Landis did, others in the filmmaking industry backed him up. Sixteen directors including George Lucas, Francis Ford Coppola, Ron Howard, John Huston, Sidney Lumet, and Billy Wilder signed a letter of support for Landis.
The support probably came from Landis’s successful career. He directed Michael Jackson’s “Thriller”, “National Lampoon’s Animal House”, “The Blues Brothers”, “Trading Places”, and more. Later, his popularity would fizzle out.
Unfortunately, Landis wasn’t the only filmmaker out there who initiated danger on set. Brandon Lee was shot to death in the production of “The Crow” in 1993. The same happened to cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of “Rust” in 2021. In 2014, camera assistant Sarah Jones was killed by a freight train when working on “Midnight Rider”.
The common factor behind these incidents was money. Art Carter, chief of the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health, spoke to industry veterans about safety on sets.
“No one could recall a single instance in which a given movie or television program could not be made because of safety considerations,” he said. “Rather, it was a matter of spending the necessary money to assure protections.” Filmmakers are more than happy to put actors and crew members in danger to avoid spending on safety equipment and training. It’s profit first, not safety.
But are the risks worth it? Steven Spielberg, who didn’t sign the letter of support for Landis despite directing a part in “Twilight Zone”, spoke about the issue in a Los Angeles Times interview. “No movie is worth dying for. I think people are standing up much more now than ever before to producers and directors who ask too much. If something isn’t safe, it’s the right and responsibility of every actor or crew member to yell ‘Cut!’”
