10 cases when animals were injured on the set of films (11 photos)

Filmmakers often write that “no animals were harmed during filming” - and we believe that all animals in films are protected and treated with care. Alas, this is not always the case. It was especially sad before the American Humane Association introduced guidelines for the treatment of animals in films. Let's take a look at the cases where innocent animals were harmed on set.





1. Rats in the movie "Rambo: First Blood" (1982)



Throughout Rambo: First Blood, there are many on-screen deaths. But almost all of them, including the deaths of several dogs, were fake. The same, unfortunately, cannot be said about rats. In one scene, Rambo crawls through a tight space filled with rats in a mine; when the rodents climb on his back, he grabs them, kills them, and throws them against the walls. In these scenes, Stallone harmed real rats, and even "trained" between takes. Activists even contacted the Canadian Animal Welfare Council about this issue.

2. Cockroach in the movie "Vampire's Kiss" (1988)



In Vampire's Kiss, Nicolas Cage ate real cockroaches. After the first filmed attempt, director Robert Birman asked the actor to eat another cockroach - they say the scene was not a success. But according to Cage, the director was lying then. The actor admitted that he would “never do this again.”

3. Pig and goose in the film "Weekend" (1967)



In the surreal black comedy "Weekend", the heroes are captured by a gang of cannibals. There, cannibals butcher a pig and a goose in front of them - and it turns out that the animals actually died during filming. The creators claimed that the death of a pig shocked viewers more than the death of a man.

4. Horses in Jesse James: A Timeless Hero (1939)



In Golden Age Westerns, horses were often treated without due consideration or respect. As a result, animals were often injured during filming. In one scene in Jesse James, two horses are thrown over a cliff into the water and die. They were severely injured, panicked and could not swim. Because of this, the film was heavily criticized. As a result, the Motion Picture Association of America began to monitor the use of animals in filming and developed guidelines for their proper handling.

5. Bees in the movie "Candyman" (1992)



More than 200 thousand live bees were used during the filming of Candyman. Tony Todd, who played Candyman, admitted that he was stung 27 times. After being stung, the bees died accordingly. During the filming, dozens of bees were also injured and stung other members of the team. Todd, by the way, agreed on a $1,000 bonus for each bite.

6. Rabbit in the film "Necromantic" (1987)



The director of the creepy film Necromantic, Jörg Buttgereit, decided to film a rabbit being killed and skinned in order, in his words, to “make people realize what they are watching and why they are watching it.” Why kill a living creature for this is unclear.

7. Donkey and goat in the film “Land Without Bread” (1933)



Even though Luis Buñuel is one of the most influential directors of all time, there were a few low points in his career that he might prefer to forget. In the film "Land Without Bread", two animals were injured: a goat was thrown off a cliff, and a donkey was stung to death by bees. All this was done to show the cruelty of life in the Spanish community.

8. Octopus in the movie "Oldboy" (2003)



On the set of the cult thriller Oldboy, actor Choi Min-sik bit off the head of a real live octopus and ate it. Before this, he trained on other octopuses, and as a result several of them were injured. The scene turned out to be spectacular, of course - but I feel sorry for the octopuses.

9. Monkeys, a giant sea turtle and others in the film "Cannibal Hell" (1980)



The film "Cannibal Hell" has been banned in various countries since its release. Although in this creepy movie many people are killed on camera, they all remained unharmed - alas, not the animals. By the time filming ended, a huge number of animals had died. The most brutal was the killing and dismemberment of an endangered giant sea turtle. Despite criticism from the public, the press and the film's actors, director Ruggero Deodato was unrepentant when asked if he had any regrets.

10. "Cow" (2021)



Filmed on a farm in England, The Cow follows the life of a dairy cow, Luma. Filming took four years, and the creators decided to show the life of cows on a farm realistically and in detail. At the end of the film, the inevitable thing happens that usually happens to all farm cows. Realistic but sad.