Summary
- Antrum: The Deadliest Film Ever Made is a movie that includes both documentary and feature-style sections, with the feature-film segments allegedly cursed and responsible for causing deaths.
- The film tells the story of a supernatural forest that two siblings wander into, with Antrum appearing mysteriously at several film festivals in 1979 and leading to the deaths of several festival managers and workers.
- Despite the film's reputation and supposed curse, the events described in the mockumentary and the deaths portrayed in Antrum are not true. However, the deliberate blurring of reality and fiction was done to create a truly scary and immersive experience for audiences.
The Canadian horror movie Antrum, which is about a supernatural forest that two siblings wander into. Supposedly, Antrum appeared mysteriously at several film festivals in 1979. Several festival managers and workers died mysteriously post-viewing, and the film then went on to "kill" many others.
Throughout the mockumentary section, various interviewees also discuss the history of the devil in film, as he plays a major role in Antrum: The Deadliest Film Ever Made. After the mockumentary portion, it is revealed that Antrum has resurfaced, and a warning/legal disclaimer follows, reminding audiences that they are watching the film at their own risk. Given the history of Antrum: The Deadliest Film Ever Made and its supposed curse, any audience who watches it could be subject to a horrific death — as many have already (at least, if the movie is to be believed).
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The Antrum Movie's First Victims
Film Festival Programmers And The Curse
Antrum: The Deadliest Film Ever Made first surfaced in 1979 when it was submitted anonymously to various festivals but was never accepted or screened. There was no explanation for how the reel was submitted and some believed it to be the work of the devil himself. After receiving Antrum, festival programmers began to die mysteriously.
The exact way the remaining four victims died remains unknown, though their disappearances are also linked to the Antrum movie.
Janet Hilberg was one of the first victims of the film. She suffered a fatal seizure after a screening of Antrum. Next, Tom Stylum died of electrocution. The last programmer, Joe Barringer, met his fate when he was stung by a stonefish. The exact way the remaining four victims died remains unknown, though their disappearances are also linked to the Antrum movie. Because of all this, an interviewee named Nathan Fleet compares Antrum to The Ring’s cursed Samara video.
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The Antrum Movie Killed 56 People During A Single Screening
The Theater Fire In Budapest, 1988
Another tragic Antrum death episode occurred in Budapest, Hungary at a movie theater. Antrum was screened in the theater in 1988, the only time it would ever reach the big screen. While Antrum was rolling, the building spontaneously caught fire. Commonly, movie theater fires begin in the projector room, but this one did not.
Instead, the fire seems to have been started by the audience themselves. When the small room was set ablaze, it took 56 people with it as it collapsed. Presumably, the film reel for the Antrum movie should have burned as well, but it did not. Due to the nature of the tragedy and the elusiveness of Antrum, it became a cult film.
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The Final Antrum Movie Incident (So Far)
The San Francisco Theater, 1993
The last known incident caused by Antrum: The Deadliest Film Ever Made occurred at a movie theater in San Francisco in 1993. As the film gained notoriety, the theater decided to have a showing. The Antrum movie's curse theory aside, the San Francisco audience, fully aware of the film's reputation, entered the room willingly.
Stampeding towards the exit, the audience discovered that they were all locked in, resulting in a riot that led to the deaths of several people, including a pregnant woman.
What started as a night of entertainment quickly turned to horror as the audience grew increasingly anxious, helped by popcorn that a theater worker had laced with LSD. Stampeding towards the exit, the audience discovered that they were all locked in, resulting in a riot that led to the deaths of several people, including a pregnant woman. Antrum then disappeared for almost twenty years before making its way into 2018's Antrum: The Deadliest Film Ever Made.
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Is Antrum A True Story?
Antrum: The Deadliest Film Ever Made Is Convincing But Fictional
While the allure of Antrum: The Deadliest Film Ever Made hinges on the idea of it being impactful in the real world, neither the events described in the mockumentary nor the symbolic Antrum movie itself are a true story. As with The Ring, the so-called "cursed footage," while certainly unsettling, doesn't actually pose any physical threat to audiences. Likewise, all the deaths described in Antrum are fabricated and didn't actually happen in real life.
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Why Antrum's Marketing Crosses A Line
The Movie May Have Leaned Too Far Into Pretending To Be A True Story
The interior Antrum movie itself is definitely unsettling, but most of the overall film's impact comes from the supposed threat of real harm after viewing. Since the history of Antrum isn't really true, this means that the entire horror effect of Antrum: The Deadliest Film Ever Made hinges on false advertising. This crosses a line that many movies don't, as it's generally assumed that the marketing for a film is telling the truth about what its story entails, who made it, and whether it's based on true events.
This could be viewed as a less-than-ethical move on the part of Antrum's creators (and those who made the fake Ring movie) and also greatly risks triggering vulnerable audience despite the disclaimer, but it also helps give the movie its resonance and impact. The blurring of lines between reality and fiction is always an effective tool for evoking horror within a movie.
Taking this effect even further by extending that uncertainty into the real world is also a smart and creative storytelling move. While Antrum: The Deadliest Film Ever Made isn't a true story (and certainly won't kill anyone who watches it), it still easily accomplishes its terrifying goal.
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The Antrum Directors Wanted Audiences To Feel Scared Again
Creating A Cursed Movie Reputation Was Deliberate
The marketing for Antrum: The Deadliest Film Ever Made may have been a little too convincing. However, as far as directors David Amito and Michael Laicini are concerned, this was exactly the goal. Speaking to Fangoria in 2019, the pair revealed that they conceived the viral Antrum marketing ploy thanks to feeling numbed to the fear factor — or lack of — offered by modern horror movies.
“Between the two of us, Mike and I have digested a lot of horror movies,” David Amito explained, “by now, the rush of being truly and deeply scared by a film is just not easily accomplished anymore. My fear receptors are fried when it comes to scary movies. I’ve seen too much."
Michael Lacini expanded on this point, explaining that Antrum's viral marketing and deliberate "cursed film" reputation was to create an immersive experience:
“I like to think of this as a never-before-seen kind of character-driven movie because ultimately, you play the ultimate role in this experience too. It’s the first horror movie where not only can the characters be killed … you can too.”
Judging by the controversy the movie caused, and the fact that it's still a talking point, the pair achieved their objective with Antrum: The Deadliest Film Ever Made — even if the curse (and deaths) are fictitious.
Is Antrum Actually The Deadliest Movie Ever Made?
There Are Many Movies Deadlier Than Antrum
The deaths associated with Antrum: The Deadliest Film Ever Made are fictitious, though if they were real it would definitely live up to its title of "deadliest film". However, there are several movies — and not even just in the horror genre — that are associated with actual deaths, be it behind the scenes on set or among viewers due to shocking content. A recent example is the on-set tragedy of Alex Baldwin's movie Rust. Cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was killed when a prop gun handed to Alex Baldwin fired a real round, leading to armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed being found guilty of involuntary manslaughter.
There have been multiple movies that have caused deaths when screened, though not to the scale Antrum presents.
Of course, the deaths presented in Antrum: The Deadliest Film Ever Made aren't during the production of the film itself, but among viewers, hence the comparisons to The Ring. In real life, there have been multiple movies that have caused deaths when screened, though not to the scale Antrum presents. Usually, these are due to cardiac arrests, such as in 2016 when a man in Chennai, India, tragically died while watching The Conjuring 2 (via NDTV). Several horror movies have had similar incidents, though scary movies aren't the only ones responsible.
During a screening of Mel Gibson's brutal Biblical epic The ion of the Christ in 2004, a woman in Chicago suffered from a Cardiac arrest during the moments depicting the Crucifixion (via CNN). Unfortunately, despite a nurse being in the audience and able to attend immediately, she didn't survive. As morbid as incidents like these are, they also mean that Antrum: The Deadliest Film Ever Made isn't the most lethal film out there, despite its claims to the contrary. While Antrum is indeed a terrifying movie, nobody has died while viewing it.
In of on-screen deaths, Antrum may have a high number, but it is far from the horror movie with the highest body count. This honor goes to the many apocalyptic horror movies out there in which all of humanity is wiped out, such as Cabin In The Woods. So, while Antrum: The Deadliest Film Ever Made certainly has a lot of death, it doesn't quite live up to its title.
Antrum: The Deadliest Film Ever Made
- Release Date
- October 14, 2018
- Runtime
- 95 minutes
- Director
- David Amito, Michael Laicini
Cast
Nicole Tompkins-
Rowan Smyth
-
Dan Istrate
-
Circus-Szalewski
WHERE TO WATCH
Antrum: The Deadliest Film Ever Made is a 2018 horror film directed by David Amito and Michael Laicini. It presents itself as a cursed film from the 1970s, supposedly causing deaths and misfortune to those who watch it. The movie follows a brother and sister who perform an occult ritual to save their pet’s soul that drags them into a dangerous supernatural situation.
