Which Marvel Film Set Was Haunted?
Halloween is just around the corner. And while Marvel films aren’t known to be a staple when the spooky season comes along, there is one that has a creepy behind-the-scenes story. The set of one movie from Marvel Entertainment was reportedly haunted. Many cast and crew members had weird things happen to them during production, but, thankfully, all of them lived to tell the tale.
Marvel’s ‘The New Mutants’ filmed in a spooky location
According to ABC 7 NY, Marvel’s The New Mutants was filmed at Medfield State Hospital, an abandoned mental hospital in Massachusetts. The writer and director of the film, Josh Boone, said, “Some of the crew had strange experiences there and had to be walked back to their cars at night cause they didn’t want to walk all the way across to get back.”
The actors in the film had similar experiences to that of the crew. Alice Braga said she was “totally creeped out” by their filming location. Maisie Williams added, “There are all these spooky ghost stories going around and I think a lot of women were like lobotomized there. That alone kind of just makes you feel quite uncomfortable.”
Henry Zaga also commented on filming at the hospital. He said, “One element that was really present for me was the smell. It’s something you can’t really explain to someone. It just creeps into your soul.”
But there is one cast member who did not get freaked out by the haunted mental hospital at all. Anya Taylor-Joy said, “I’ve shot in four abandoned mental institutions, so it’s kind of a second home for me.”
Marvel’s last installment in the ‘X-Men’ film series was considered a horror film
Because Disney acquired 20th Century Fox in March 2019, The New Mutants was the last movie in the X-Men film franchise that started with X-Men in 2000. Marvel Studios then obtained the rights to the film series.
20th Century Studios released The New Mutants on Aug. 28, 2020. The premise for the film reads, “Five young mutants, just discovering their abilities while held in a secret facility against their will, fight to escape their past sins and save themselves.”
The film is based on comic books that are quite dark, hence why The New Mutants is considered a superhero horror film. And the creepy nature of the haunted mental hospital definitely added a spooky element to the film.
The Marvel movie starred Blu Hunt as Dani Moonstar/Mirage, Maisie Williams as Rahne Sinclair/Wolfsbane, Anya Taylor-Joy as Illyana Rasputin/Magik, Charlie Heaton as Sam Guthrie/Cannonball, Henry Zaga as Bobby da Costa/Sunspot, Alice Braga as Dr. Cecilia Reyes, and Adam Beach as William Lonestar.
‘The New Mutants’ was a box office failure
Unfortunately for Marvel, The New Mutants bombed at the box office and received many negative reviews. It cost the studio $67–80 million to make the movie, and it earned $49.1 million at the box office.
It’s important to note, though, that 20th Century Studios released the film in the middle of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Plus, Disney’s acquisition of 20th Century Fox took place after The New Mutants finished filming and before it was released. Neither of these factors set the movie up for success.
But there is still hope that the X-Men film series will live on through Marvel Studios. Perhaps some of the characters will crossover into a Marvel Cinematic Universe movie? Because anything is possible in the MCU.
