Shudder Original Series: Cursed Films 104: The Crow
Photo credit: Miramax/Shudder
Regarding Cursed Films 104: The Crow-I need to give this exordium before you go further, and it is this:
This movie means more to me than any other I will ever review. My brother died of cancer in 1994. Do not get me wrong; I do not blame the movie for this. On the contrary; this movie helped me to move out of a very dark space that I went to after his death. So if my review gets a little “off,” I beg forgiveness. It just hurts that a movie that did so much for me should have paid so high a price to be made. Bubby would have loved it, too, had he been well enough to see it.
-Angel
“If the people we love are stolen from us, the way to have them live on is to never stop loving them. Buildings burn, people die, but real love is forever.”
Sarah(Rochelle Davis), The Crow
The Phone Call Before it Began
Before the movie was even begun, a mysterious phone message left at the pre-production offices warned that bad things would happen. This comes from Bridget Baiss, author of The Crow The Story Behind the Film.
The “Curse” Starts
An electrician survived with 2nd and 3rd degree burns after a mishap with a high tension wire and a cherry picker.
Hurricane Emily wreaked havoc on the sets in North Carolina.
Entertainment Weekly got wind of the problems on set, and wrote an article about the “curse”. But, everyone at the time mused, no one had actually died.
Make-Up Artist Shares Stories
Lance Anderson, the Special Make-Up Artist on The Crow, shares behind the scenes Polaroids of Brandon’s face paint, explaining each photo.
Photo credit: Lance Anderson/Shudder
Legend Michael Berryman’s Role
Photo credit: Miramax/Shudder
Michael Berryman was originally signed on to play the role of Skull Cowboy, with a complete skeleton suit run with servos, but his role was cut.
Photo credit: Miramax/Shudder
James O’Barr
Why is The Crow so dark?
The author and artist of the comic on which the movie is based, wrote the comic as therapy, after losing his girlfriend to a drunken driver.
Photo credit: James O’Barr/Shudder
As an aside: If you ever get a chance to meet O’Barr, DO IT. Not only is he a brilliant artist/storyteller, he is a veteran! He was incredibly kind to me, a woman he didn’t know who was blurting out what probably sounded like nonsense at first.
The Bruce Lee Curse
Brandon Lee’s father, Bruce, was a martial arts icon. But before even he was born, it was rumored that his family was cursed by a demon, a demon after the males of the bloodline.
Bruce’s death was rumored to be from a “death blow“. The truth is more mundane: an allergic reaction to a pain killer, or possibly even a heat stroke.
Of course, many theorize that this is the reason Brandon died-a family curse.
The Fatal Shot
The scene where Brandon Lee’s Eric Draven tries to protect Shelly(Sofia Shinas) and gets shot was not tracking right. Actors or cameras were repositioned, and the gun was fired. Brandon fell to the floor and did not get up(Watching the interviews for this series are gut wrenching. Throats clear and pleas to turn off the camera happen as they remember that day and it plays out on the screen for us to see.).
Actor Michael Massee, through no fault of his own, was the man that pulled the trigger. That such guilt for something he had no hand in should be put on him, and it being what he is most remembered for is unconscionable.
As is plainly stated in the episode, Michael was not the weapon prop master-that was not his responsibility. I hope he knew that when he passed in 2016. Consequently, the tabloids didn’t laud his work in their obituaries, only that he was the one that pulled the trigger…
The Tabloids are Fake News
Anderson keeps the old tabloids blaming the Chinese Mafia. An Entertainment Weekly cover irresponsibly calls what killed Lee a bullet, but it was a “dummy round” that had lodged in the chamber. The gun was not checked properly to make sure that there were no obstructions. This episode explains and shows to the viewer in a way that can be understood what happened.
Finishing Without Brandon-An Act of Love
Unlike Poltergeist, Brandon’s family urged the filmakers to finish the film. They knew he was proud of his work on The Crow, so the crew came back on board.
Lance Anderson had to make a replica of Brandon’s face for the double to wear. As emotionally difficult as that was and as morbid as it felt, he did it, so Brandon’s final work would be completed. The Skull Cowboy had to be written out(you can see the footage in this episode).
Lance Anderson’s sculpt over Brandon’s double.
Photo credit: Lance Anderson/Shudder
Was The Crow Cursed?
Michael Berryman said it best:
“The Crow was not cursed. The Crow was created out of love and loss. In my opinion, Brandon died because a studio cut corners.”
What do you think about Cursed Films 104: The Crow? Did an ancient curse, a rivalry, or just a studio mishap kill Brandon Lee?
