Stateside Stories

On the 23rd July 1982, one of the worst accidents to ever occur on a film set took place. Whilst filming a Vietnam War scene, a helicopter crashed and landed on top of actor Vic Morrow and two children: Myca Dinh Le and Renee Shin-Ye Chen. All three were killed instantly. The accident was truly horrifying, especially as Myca and Renee were only 7 and 6 years old respectively. What was even more horrifying was the circumstances that led to the accident. A culture of negligence and peer pressure on the set was soon uncovered, with practises that were immoral at best and illegal at worst. Over 40 years later, the Twilight Zone Movie accident still casts a dark shadow on American pop culture.

The movie itself

The Twilight Zone movie was a spin off of the successful 1960’s TV show. The idea was that there would be 4 different storylines, all of which would be managed by a different director. This article covers the storyline directed by John Landis, who was known for directing comedies. In this story, a racist man played by Vic Morrow would be transported into different time periods and experience the discrimination faced by the ethnic groups that he hated. First, he arrived in Nazi occupied France where he was mistaken for a Jewish man and sent to a concentration camp. Next, he was transported to 1950’s Alabama, where he was mistaken for an African American and faced being lynched by members of the KKK. Finally, he was transported to Vietnam during the war. He was mistaken for a Vietnamese man and found himself as the victim of shooting and napalm attacks. This was where his character would be somewhat redeemed. As he was fleeing the gunfire of American soldiers, Morrow’s character rescued two children from the village. It was during the filming of this rescue scene that the tragic accident took place.

The accident

The scene in the Vietnamese village was set at night, and filming took place at around 2am. The helicopter used in the scene was piloted by Dorcey Wingow who was a veteran of the Vietnam War. Wingow expressed concerns that the helicopter was hovering too low down, but his concerns were dismissed. In order to present viewers with scenes of chaos, pyrotechnic effects were used to show the village being on fire. A ball of flames hit the helicopter, damaging the roter blades and causing the helicopter to crash to the ground below. Morrow, Myca and Renee were directly below the helicopter at the time as their characters were struggling to wade through a river to escape the gunfire. The helicopter crashed into them, and all 3 died instantly. Morrow and Myca were both decapitated by the helicopter blades, and Renee was crushed to death. At first, it seemed like an unpredictable accident, but shocking revelations about the culture on set would soon emerge.

John Landis’s role in the disaster

When an investigation was launched into the disaster, John Landis certainly came out as the person who was most at fault. For a start, Myca and Renee were illegally hired. It was against the law to make child actors work at night or be involved in any scene at involved pyrotechnics. Landis knew about these restrictions, and rather than making the set safe for children, he decided that the best course of action was to illegally hire the child actors. Landis assured the parents of Myca and Renee that the set was perfectly safe, and paid them directly in cash. The children were known to be outgoing, and it was believed that they would enjoy the experience of working on a movie set.

Landis showed little concern for on-set safety. When creating the set piece for the Vietnamese village, Landis decided that the best way to create bullet-hole effects in the plants and trees was to actually shoot at them with a real gun. He was also the one who demanded that the helicopter be flown as low as possible, despite Wingow’s concerns. In fact, just before the accident, Landis was heard shouting that the helicopter should be flown even lower. Landis also told several people on set that he wanted huge explosions, despite concerns being raised about the safety of the actors. However, Landis refused to listen to people, and the hierarchy of the film set meant that people felt afraid of disobeying his orders. Landis heavily abused his power, and it would have tragic consequences.

The aftermath

Landis faced trial for his role in the disaster, but was acquitted by the jury in 1983. All 3 of the victim’s families filed lawsuits, which were settled out of court. Landis continued to shock people with his appalling behaviour. He turned up to all 3 funerals despite not being invited to any of them. At Morrow’s funeral, he delivered a rambling speech about how the accident was unpredictable and that nobody was to blame. Dorcey Wingow also faced criminal charges, but these were dropped. He suffered from minor injuries in the crash, but quickly recovered. The Twilight Zone Movie was released in cinemas in 1983, with Landis’s segment still included. In fact, Landis actually invited the members of the jury who acquitted him to a screening. The movie received mixed reviews but was a commercial success. John Landis continued to work in Hollywood, but several of his friends cut ties with him, most notably Steven Spielberg, who refused to have anything to do with Landis after the accident. Whilst not being the first or last tragedy to take place on a movie set, the Twilight Zone disaster remains as one of the worst, and changed Hollywood safety regulations forever.