On the 23rd of July, 1982, production was underway for a film version of the popular
science-fiction horror television series The Twilight Zone.
On this particular day cast and crew would be filming an intense action scene set in
a warzone – a shoot involving a real helicopter, pyrotechnic special effects, waist-deep water
and two child actors.
This complex scene would ultimately go catastrophically wrong, and the fallout from it would change
the movie industry forever.
The Twilight Zone, first broadcast in 1959, was a popular sci-fi horror anthology television
series.
Each episode would be a standalone story, usually featuring some fantastical or surreal
elements, and almost always ending with an unexpected twist.
Most episodes began with a distinctive narrative introduction, which always ran along similar
lines: “You're traveling through another dimension,
a dimension not only of sight and sound but of mind.
A journey into a wondrous land whose boundaries are that of imagination.
That's the signpost up ahead - your next stop, the Twilight Zone!”
Over the course of many years, The Twilight Zone consistently caught the imagination of
viewers, leading to significant success and many spin-off projects.
There have been both television and radio series, integrations with theme park rides,
and many references in pop culture to this hugely influential media franchise.
In the early 1980s, the idea for a Twilight Zone movie arose, and the prospect was exciting
enough to attract the attention of legendary film director Steven Spielberg.
He wouldn’t be the only director involved, however.
The film would be an anthology of four separate tales, three of them retellings of existing
Twilight Zone episodes.
Each story would have a different director.
John Landis – a director best known for comedy films such as An American Werewolf
in London and National Lampoon’s Animal House was hired to direct one of the other
segments.
His story would see a bigoted man magically transported back in time to experience first-hand
the terrible treatment some of the groups of people he hated were historically subjected
to.
In one scene, the man would flee a Vietnamese village at night, while being shot at by American
soldiers.
As he fled, he would carry to safety two children from the village, thus somewhat redeeming
himself before the end of the story.
Vic Morrow – a prolific film and TV actor from the time – was hired for the role.
Casting the two children he would save, however, was somewhat harder.
Labour laws meant that filmmakers had to get special permission for any shoots involving
minors, and that it wasn’t permitted for children to film late at night, or to take
part in scenes involving pyrotechnic special effects.
To get around this restriction, director John Landis and his producers illegally hired two
children related to friends of crewmembers.
They would pay the parents of the children in cash, and carefully avoid mentioning the
presence of children to the shoot’s fire safety and welfare officer.
The children hired were seven-year-old Myca Dinh Le and six-year-old Renee Shin-Yi Chen.
Neither child was an actor, but both were outgoing and adventurous, and their parents
believed that they would enjoy the experience of being involved in a real Hollywood production.
One parent of each child would be present for the shoot, and they were assured that
there would be no pyrotechnics or dangerous stunt-work, only some loud noises.
On the 23rd of July, 1982, the time had come to film the intense action sequence where
Vic Morrow’s character would flee a village under heavy gunfire.
The location chosen was Indian Dunes, a film ranch near the Six Flags Magic Mountain amusement
park in Valencia, California.
A mock village was constructed, and the various set pieces were prepared, including an authentic
Bell UH-1 Iroquois helicopter.
Flying this helicopter was Dorcey Wingo, a pilot who had served in the Vietnam War, and
had experience with this specific type of helicopter.
At the same time, however, Wingo had no experience navigating the hierarchy of a film set.
He would undertake three flights that evening, to allow the filming of three different shots.
The first flight went well, but during the second the detonation of a pyrotechnic effect
blasted so much water into the rotors of the helicopter that it disrupted Wingo’s ability
to see.
He complained about this to a production manager, telling them that subsequent explosions should
not be as powerful or as close, and voicing his concern that (as well as water) debris
could be blasted up into the rotor blades.
There are conflicting accounts as to whether these complaints reached director John Landis,
and how seriously they were taken if they did.
After the production manager spoke to Landis, pilot Dorcey Wingo was told not to worry.
The time came to shoot the scene in which Vic Morrow would carry the two children across
the river.
At this stage it was around 2:30am.
Dorcey Wingo was at the controls of the helicopter, hovering at a height of around 7.5 metres
(or 25 feet) above the set, accompanied by several other crewmembers.
John Landis was on the ground nearby, co-ordinating the action.
Shooting began.
Multiple cameras tracked Vic Morrow as he waded across the river, a child under each
arm, pyrotechnic effects and squibs exploding around them.
At one point he stumbled, dropping Renee Chen into the water.
As he rushed to pick up the child, a nearby pyrotechnic effect detonated so forcefully
that the resultant flames engulfed the tail rotor of the hovering helicopter.
Dorcey Wingo lost control, and the aircraft immediately crashed down into the water on
top of Vic Morrow, Myca Dinh Le and Renee Shin-Yi Chen killing them instantly.
Emergency services were called to the scene, but the injuries inflicted were so catastrophic,
that there was no possibility of survival for the three victims.
Dorcey Wingo and several other crew from the helicopter were taken to hospital with minor
injuries, but soon released.
Funerals were arranged for those who had lost their lives.
Many mourners at Vic Morrow’s funeral were surprised when director John Landis turned
up uninvited to give a eulogy.
During this speech, Landis not only mourned the loss of the actor, but also emphasised
how sudden, unpredictable, and impossible to prevent the accident had been.
Landis also attended the funerals of Myca and Renee, again without invitation.
An investigation into the cause of the crash was launched by the National Transportation
Safety Board.
They concluded that the pyrotechnic effect had blasted debris up into the rotors of the
helicopter, and also caused some heat damage.
This had led to the loss of control and the disastrous crash.
While the mechanical cause could be clearly established, who was to blame was another
question altogether.
Soon after the crash, lengthy and complicated legal proceedings began.
There was both a criminal trial and a civil suit.
Several senior members of production staff were acquitted of any wrongdoing.
Dorcey Wingo, the helicopter pilot, was criticised for both his failure to act more strongly
on his concerns, and for comments he made during the trial that actor Vic Morrow could
have moved out of the way.
He was ultimately cleared of criminal charges.
Director John Landis received the most attention, with many claims made about his behaviour
and attitude on set.
Several people recalled him shouting for the helicopter to fly lower directly before the
crash.
Others alleged that they had heard him joking about being thrown in jail for hiring children
illegally, and joking that he might “lose the helicopter”.
It was also claimed that he had ignored advice about safety on set before, and had used live
ammunition to create bullet impact effects on plants earlier in the production.
Landis denied these claims, and was ultimately acquitted of any criminal wrongdoing.
Multiple civil claims were settled out of court in favour of the bereaved.
The year after his acquittal, John Landis invited the jury who had cleared him to a
special screening of his latest film as a thank you for their decision.
He went on to have a long and productive career.
The disaster lead to significant changes in the film industry.
Warner Brothers began to draw up guidelines for any filming with potentially dangerous
acts or elements.
The Directors Guild of America started a telephone hotline to quickly answer safety and best
practise queries from producers and directors, while the Screen Actor’s Guild introduced
another telephone hotline for its members to report shoots that they felt were unsafe.
Pyrotechnic effects became more tightly regulated.
The business of making movies – particularly movies which involve risky stunts and complicated
action sequences – is still a dangerous one.
There are still many issues around safety on set.
The changes made in the aftermath of the Twilight Zone disaster, however, represented a huge
step forward in empowering everyone involved in the movie business to recognise, report,
and ultimately prevent unsafe situations.
The Twilight Zone movie was released, with a cut-down version of the first story still
included.
It received mixed reviews, but was a financial success, and built interest in the Twilight
Zone franchise.
Director Steven Spielberg, who had previously been friends with John Landis, but severed
ties with him after the accident, later said, “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…”