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Special Effects: Disaster at Twilight Zone: The Tragedy and the Trial
An investigative reporter probes the legal proceedings following the death of three people on the set of the movie "The Twilight Zone," pointing to culpable individuals who escaped questioning, analyzing problems with the trial, and questioning the movieindustry's recklessness
- GenresTrue Crime
304 pages, Hardcover
First published September 1, 1988
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
June 3, 2017
A fascinating read, more than a little disturbing. Discusses the accident that killed 3 actors during the filming of one segment of "Twilight Zone: The Movie" and the court proceedings that followed. The author did a good job of summarizing the lengthy, wandering course of the trial and was not afraid to talk about himself in the first person, making clear that he was a participant in the hearings communicating with the attorneys, other journalists and even some of the witnesses. The story does bog down at a few places in legal maneuvers and technobabble about explosives and aeronautic misadventure, but not often and never for long. You learn a lot about Hollywood in this one.
December 16, 2008
see my joint review at Outrageous Conduct by Stephen Farber
September 26, 2025
As a filmmaker this book really hit home. That is also why it took me so long to read. I wanted to make sure I gave it my undivided attention.
I have Produced and/or 1st Assistant Directed films with this exact same case scenario. I have also been in the Directors chair a few times. I have done large scale sequences with helicopters, extreme pyro and even firing weapons all in the same sequence. In one film we had three Hueys, like the one used in "Twiight Zone" airborne at once while 500 extras and A-list talent were below them, and mortar detonations and pyro were all in simultaneous action during the scene, with me being the person in direct contact with the pilots and the effects team. That is to say I have been in this situation many times. In complete transparency, I also personally interviewed John Landis for a book I am writing, but I did not bring up the subject of the "Twilight Zone" deaths, as I felt if I did he would have perhaps ended the interview prematurely, plus it was not apropos to what we were discussing.
That being said, this was an extreme tragedy. I think a lot of things happened on that set that caused a chain reaction to cause the death of three people, two of them kids. I don't think anyone ever had the intention of causing harm to anyone, but because of many oversights, a perfect storm created the worst case scenario. I also think, thankfully, that in modern filmmaking (although many accidents do still happen), this kind of scenario is much less likely to happen, at least on a big-budget, unionized, Western film.
I think all the filmmakers up and down the chain were equally guilty of missteps, even though I also believe they never intended any malice. Both can be true simultaneously. I cannot say with certainty, professionals I know, myself included, would not have made the same decisions that night. That being said, I will not pretend to know more than a grand jury, or juries in both civil and criminal court cases. Also I was not there, nor have I seen all the evidence. It does however seem like there was a lack of communication, a clear structure, or contingency plans in place. It seems, as often the case, with the fast-paced, money bleeding world of filmmaking that many irresponsible decisions were made. In addition this was a 2AM scene on the last night of filming, people were no doubt fatigued, and probably had their minds in other places. That does not excuse or mitigate the gravitas of it all, but does paint a clearer picture as to how this might have happened.
I do, however, think this book offers a peak into how Hollywood works, and how the dynamics of hierarchy on set could have led to the countless miscommunications, negligence and sense of frustration on some people parts, which ultimately led to this accident. Again I don't think any of it was necessarily intentional, but nonetheless was wrong.
I wouldn't wish being on that set to my worst enemies. I was on a set, over 30 years ago, as an extra, where someone died, and the effect it had on everyone from top to bottom was torturous. This is of course, not to mention the person who lost their life, or their family. It is a horrific tragedy on all sides. There are no winners here and no one leaves unscathed. I guarantee you that whatever opinion you have of those tried, those acquitted, those who contributed, or were even witness to such a tragic event, they all were adversely affected... FOREVER. This is very similar to the more modern "DUST" or "MIDNIGHT RIDER" incidents.
This is a very harsh reminder of the inherent risk in filming stunts and high-octane action scenes and a reminder that we are all very mortal. I simply cannot put into words how this is the most horrific thing that could ever happen on a set, and how in the end three people, two of them innocent children, lost their lives. Forget fiction. The details of these events is one of true horror.
Rest in Piece - Vic Morrow, Myca Dinh Le and Renee Shin-Yi Chen - July 23, 1982
I have Produced and/or 1st Assistant Directed films with this exact same case scenario. I have also been in the Directors chair a few times. I have done large scale sequences with helicopters, extreme pyro and even firing weapons all in the same sequence. In one film we had three Hueys, like the one used in "Twiight Zone" airborne at once while 500 extras and A-list talent were below them, and mortar detonations and pyro were all in simultaneous action during the scene, with me being the person in direct contact with the pilots and the effects team. That is to say I have been in this situation many times. In complete transparency, I also personally interviewed John Landis for a book I am writing, but I did not bring up the subject of the "Twilight Zone" deaths, as I felt if I did he would have perhaps ended the interview prematurely, plus it was not apropos to what we were discussing.
That being said, this was an extreme tragedy. I think a lot of things happened on that set that caused a chain reaction to cause the death of three people, two of them kids. I don't think anyone ever had the intention of causing harm to anyone, but because of many oversights, a perfect storm created the worst case scenario. I also think, thankfully, that in modern filmmaking (although many accidents do still happen), this kind of scenario is much less likely to happen, at least on a big-budget, unionized, Western film.
I think all the filmmakers up and down the chain were equally guilty of missteps, even though I also believe they never intended any malice. Both can be true simultaneously. I cannot say with certainty, professionals I know, myself included, would not have made the same decisions that night. That being said, I will not pretend to know more than a grand jury, or juries in both civil and criminal court cases. Also I was not there, nor have I seen all the evidence. It does however seem like there was a lack of communication, a clear structure, or contingency plans in place. It seems, as often the case, with the fast-paced, money bleeding world of filmmaking that many irresponsible decisions were made. In addition this was a 2AM scene on the last night of filming, people were no doubt fatigued, and probably had their minds in other places. That does not excuse or mitigate the gravitas of it all, but does paint a clearer picture as to how this might have happened.
I do, however, think this book offers a peak into how Hollywood works, and how the dynamics of hierarchy on set could have led to the countless miscommunications, negligence and sense of frustration on some people parts, which ultimately led to this accident. Again I don't think any of it was necessarily intentional, but nonetheless was wrong.
I wouldn't wish being on that set to my worst enemies. I was on a set, over 30 years ago, as an extra, where someone died, and the effect it had on everyone from top to bottom was torturous. This is of course, not to mention the person who lost their life, or their family. It is a horrific tragedy on all sides. There are no winners here and no one leaves unscathed. I guarantee you that whatever opinion you have of those tried, those acquitted, those who contributed, or were even witness to such a tragic event, they all were adversely affected... FOREVER. This is very similar to the more modern "DUST" or "MIDNIGHT RIDER" incidents.
This is a very harsh reminder of the inherent risk in filming stunts and high-octane action scenes and a reminder that we are all very mortal. I simply cannot put into words how this is the most horrific thing that could ever happen on a set, and how in the end three people, two of them innocent children, lost their lives. Forget fiction. The details of these events is one of true horror.
Rest in Piece - Vic Morrow, Myca Dinh Le and Renee Shin-Yi Chen - July 23, 1982
March 2, 2020
I found the first 50 pages almost unbearably suspenseful. Upfront you know in general terms what lies ahead, but the author manages to paint every little piece of detail leading up to the gruesome finale. And then, you still have another 230 pages of reading ahead. Perhaps this is the problem with this approach. It's mostly legal technicalities that lie ahead and reading towards the end was quite a challenge due to the massive amount of detail offered. The book includes a section with photographs , mainly of the trial protagonists, but what is totally lacking is a detailed map of the Indian Dunes , an omission that makes it hard to paint the picture of the actual disaster at hand. In recent years actual footage of the last few fatal minutes has surfaced on YouTube , which - I believe - immediately settles the case about guilt and responsibility. In a relatively confined space explosions erupt at very close distance, smoke and searchlights obscure a clear sight. The helicopter hovers incredibly close to the actors below. It would not have mattered if Vic Morrow had 2 dummies cradled under his arms. It would at least have spared 2 young lives. The author concludes with the believe that a conviction could have been achieved by adding circumstantial evidence about the director's methods and his obsession with the realism of stunts involved. It is a fair case of losing sight of what it takes to drive a message home and trying to impress at all costs.
In any case , Landis was mostly concerned with the latter.
The footage that can be found on the worldwide web was shown to the jurors during the trial, which really poses the question: How in the world could this have ended with 5 acquittals?
In any case , Landis was mostly concerned with the latter.
The footage that can be found on the worldwide web was shown to the jurors during the trial, which really poses the question: How in the world could this have ended with 5 acquittals?
February 3, 2020
I had tried to read the other book on the Twilight Zone disaster, “Outrageous Conduct” but couldn’t find it so I tried this instead. It was both a fascinating read and a disturbing one. The way in which the egos of those involved (particularly Director John Landis, whose movies I will never watch in the same way again) caused the death of three people is only compounded by the ridiculous spectacle of the court case which followed. I was not sure who I ended up disliking more - Landis or the prosecuting attorney.
April 14, 2020
Painstakingly detailed. A slow read. The story is interesting but the book is not. I’d only recommend to people who are super interested with legal proceedings.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews