There are plenty of films about tragedy but some films are, in their production, tragic.
Most recently, actor Alec Baldwin discharged a prop gun on the set of a Western film Rust, killing cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and severely injuring director Joel Souza.
Unfortunately, this isn’t the first time something like this has happened in filmmaking. In the making of 1994’s The Crow, a film about a musician who is resurrected to avenge his and his fiancé's death which also takes place in Detroit during Devil’s Night, lead actor Brandon Lee (son of Bruce Lee) was killed during a scene using a real Smith & Wesson Model 629 .44 Magnum.
The gun had been improperly loaded and unloaded by crew members and Lee, 28, was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital hours later. What was left in the wake of Lee’s death was a cult favorite film that is heartbreakingly meta. The moody, broody film will be celebrated in the city where it took place (but was not filmed) when the historic Senate Theater hosts a Devil’s Night screening of The Crow which was almost never released. The screening is also paired with short films of the supernatural and horror varieties, as well as paintings by local artists inspired by the films. To quote Lee’s character, Eric: “Can’t rain all the time.”
Doors open at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 30 at the Senate Theater; 6424 Michigan Ave., Detroit; senatetheater.com. Tickets are $6.
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