The strange phenomenon of religious film sets being struck by lightning
The writer Jonathan Ames once explained, “I live for coincidences. They briefly give me the illusion or hope that there’s a pattern to my life, and if there’s a pattern, then maybe I’m moving towards some kind of destiny where it’s all explained.” I’m also indoctrinated to the affirming happenstance of life, millions of us are, which makes the following film tales I am about to regale all the more mind-bending even within the most staunchly rational minds.
When The Passion of the Christ was being filmed, controversy was brimming. The subject matter is so contentious when it comes to art, any portrayal is going to be deemed contentious. That was to be expected. However, it was the strange storm of the unexpected that besieged the set in the end.
Jim Caviezel had one of the toughest and spookiest experiences any actor can ever expect to face. This included accidentally being whipped twice resulting in a 14-inch scar, dislocating his shoulder while carrying the cross, contracting hypothermia while being crucified in -4°C conditions, and suffering severe migraines as a result of swollen make-up effects impacting his depth perception. So far so horrible, but there was one strange incident that made this ordeal seem like more than merely a testing shoot.
While filming the Sermon on the Mount, Caviezel was literally struck by lightning. Somehow, other than his hair catching fire, he miraculously survived unharmed. Once could be dismissed as a weird quirk, it was, after all, being filmed in the notoriously storm area of Italy. However, there were three separate incidents of lightning strikes, two of which struck poor old assistant director Jan Michelini. He was once struck while holding an umbrella earlier in the production which caused burns to appear on his fingers, and then once again only five minutes after Caviezel.
While being struck by lightning is more common than we have been led to believe by cartoons, with 240,000 incidents occurring per year, three striking one single movie production defies the odds to an eerie degree. When you then throw in yet another religion-based film with a spooky connection to lightning strikes, you have yourself a phenomenon that is genuinely hard to explain.
Get this, when The Exorcist premiered in Rome, it chose a historic religious setting opposite an old church. During the premiere, the church spire was struck by lightning causing the crucifix atop it to briefly catch aflame. Now, if you were making it up, I’d say you ought to tone it down there, it seems a bit hammy, but in this case, the truth is stranger than fiction. For believers, this bizarre run of events is proof that something is afoot, and for sceptics, the lesson is that if you’re going to go to a religious film set/premiere, then stand well clear of isolated trees.
