The official trailer for the classic head turning thriller, 'The Exorcist'.

PLANES being struck by lightning and unexplained claw marks seared into a computer screen — they might sound like spooky movie plots, but these are actually things that happened when the cameras weren’t rolling.

Those are just the tip of the iceberg too, according to The Sun, as some film sets have been so beset by problems it’s no wonder they’re thought to have been cursed.

Here are some of the main offenders ... best to read with the lights firmly on:

The Poltergeist movies:

Often cited as one of the scariest horror films ever made, the 1982 original follows a family whose youngest daughter is taken by a ghost.

Two sequels followed and what happened away from the cameras is even freakier. Some suggest the special effects team’s decision to use real skeletons rather than fake ones because they were cheaper in one scene kicked off the problems.

Most often discussed are the deaths of two of the girls who appeared in the first movie.

Dominique Dunne was strangled to death by her estranged boyfriend in 1982, and in 1988 Heather O’Rourke passed away while filming the third instalment.

She had appeared in the first films too, and died of a septic infection.

Many other people involved with the series have died prematurely, such as Will Sampson. He appeared in 1986’s Poltergeist II: The Other Side and even tried an exorcism to lift the curse, dying less than a year later.

Oliver Robins played another of the children, and had a horrific incident during the shoot.

His character is attacked by a mechanical clown, but it was only when the boy turned blue that the crew realised it had malfunctioned and was really hurting him.

The Exorcism of Emily Rose:

This 2005 flick follows the prosecution of Father Moore, who was completing an exorcism on a girl when she died.

So far so freaky, especially when it’s noted the story was loosely based on the real-life tale of Anneliese Michel, who died of neglect after her parents felt she needed to be exorcised but she didn’t receive proper medical care.

Even creepier are actress Jennifer Carpenter’s claims that she felt a presence in her hotel room during the shoot. Her alarm clock seemed to grow a life of its own too, turning on at random moments and always blasting out the Pearl Jam song Alive.

The Conjuring:

This was also based on a true story, following paranormal experts Ed and Lorraine Warren who worked on the infamous Amityville haunting. It follows the pair as they try to find out what’s behind mysterious events at the Perron family’s farm house, but what happened off camera was even worse.

Things didn’t start well for actress Vera Farmiga who agreed to Skype director James Wan after reading the script. The following morning she went to her computer and found three claw marks scratched into the screen.

During the shoot she constantly woke between 3am and 4am, a period of time which is of pivotal importance to the plot.

On top of this, there were unexpected breezes on set, plus trees which stood stock still even as wind whipped around them.

Annabelle:

A spin-off from The Conjuring, you’d have thought movies bosses learned their lesson. Not so.

Mysterious finger marks were scored into a window at one point, and they drew comparisons with the demon in the film.

Even scarier, a lighting fixture slammed into an actor playing a caretaker — as the team were shooting a sequence which sees the characters killed by an evil presence.

The Exorcist:

Perhaps the most iconic horror movie of all time, not least because of the amount of spooky goings on linked to it. It is about a mother who has her daughter exorcised after becoming convinced she is possessed.

There are tales of nine deaths among the crew during the shoot, as well as a fire which destroyed the set. However, they’ve been called into question with claims the movie studio played on the rumours to drum up interest.

Lead star Ellen Burstyn hinted some of these things did happen in her autobiography though.

More interesting were the issues which plagued screenings, with audience members fainting, becoming hysterical and vomiting as they watched it.

Heart attacks around the world spiked whenever it was premiered, with a reported lightning bolt striking a cross as it debuted in Italy.

Rosemary’s Baby:

Another horror classic, in which Mia Farrow plays a woman who becomes embroiled in a Satanic cult.

A year after it hit screens, its music composer Krzysztof Komeda died of a blood clot on the brain — just as one of its characters did.

Producer William Castle suffered severe kidney problems after its release and is said to have screamed, “Rosemary, for God’s sake drop that knife,” while he was being looked after.

The Crow:

If The Exorcist is the most iconic horror film, The Crow has to be the one most linked with curses.

Its star Brandon Lee was accidentally shot and killed after the gun used in a scene was not made safe.

In other accidents, a carpenter was left with burns when he hit power lines in a crane, a lorry caught on fire and someone slammed a screwdriver into their hand.

The Omen:

There’s been a whole documentary on the apparent curse on this film thanks to a number of unexplainable events which happened on and off set.

Actor Gregory Peck’s plane was hit by lightning, and in a separate incident so was one writer David Seltzer was travelling in.

Gregory also narrowly escaped death after cancelling a flight, only for the plane he was booked on to crash land. Everyone on board was killed.

Members of the crew were in a car crash on the first day of shooting, and rottweilers supposed to appear in the movie turned on their handlers.

Superman:

The series of films is said to be cursed, with the suggestion that anyone involved will either die or suffer some kind of ill.

It’s likely caused by the passing of actor George Reeves, who starred in the 50s TV series, at the age of 45. He was killed by a gunshot wound and it was ruled a suicide, but many suggest he was murdered.

Added to this, four-times Superman Christopher Reeve was paralysed in a horse riding accident in 1995.

The Passion of the Christ:

Jan Michelini, the assistant director on this 2004 movie, was struck by lightning twice.

On top of that, lead actor Jim Caviezel was also hit by a bolt, with claims smoke poured out of his ears and he looked like he’d been completely lit up when it happened.

The Possession:

The spooky movie stalwart features in this flick — a young girl who becomes griped by otherworldly goings on. This time around she becomes obsessed with a music box that’s possessed.

Jeffrey Dean Morgan stars as her dad, and the creepy set was enough to make this firm sceptic question his beliefs.

Lights exploded, there were unexplained winds and spookiest of all every prop was destroyed due to an unexplained fire. Yes, even the music box.

This article was originally published on The Sun