Five Creepy Times When Life Imitated Art!
The Agony and the Irony
The saying life imitates art refers to real-life events happening as predicted in some form of art. Film and Television, being forms of media arts, have ironically at times predicted the fate of those involved.
1) In the 1989 film Heathers, Winona Ryder and Christian Slater star in this dark comedy about several high school students who attempt suicide. The film, which eventually became a cult classic, revolves around a group of popular girls, all named Heather, who resemble a clique like that of Mean Girls. In one scene early in the film, the lead alpha Heather, played by Kim Walker, insults one of the other beta Heathers by accusing her of being stupid. Her exact phrasing was “did you have a brain tumor for breakfast?” Kim Walker later died in 2001 of a Brain Tumor.
2) Splendor in the Grass, starring Warren Beatty and Natalie Wood is one of my favorite movies. The classic film, made in the 1960s, is about young first love between two high school kids. The relationship ends up not working out for various reasons and the lead female character, played by Wood, as a result, tries to kill herself. Her method is by drowning, though an onlooker comes to the character’s aid and saves her. In real life, the actress Natalie Wood, unfortunately, died by drowning in 1981. Her death was ruled accidental, but there was speculation of foul play due to her marital problems at the time.
3) Rosemary’s Baby is a story of a young woman whose pregnancy gets completely hijacked by her deceptive husband and an occult group of devil loving witches. The film by Roman Polanski serves as a metaphor for how pregnant women were treated during this era. However, Roman’s life took a turn for the worse following the completion of the film. His pregnant wife, actress Sharon Tate, was killed by a cult group of Charles Manson’s followers. Sharon was 8 ½ months pregnant at the time of her death.
4) The Fast & Furious Saga has produced many films and spawned various careers. One of those careers was Paul Walker. In the films, the stories center on automobile hijackers, illegal street racing, and other themes as well. Sadly, for Walker, he passed away in 2013 from injuries sustained in a car crash.
5) The film Rebel Without a Cause propelled actor James Dean into stardom. He was famous for playing the cool rebel character in various works. In the film, Dean along with Natalie Wood and Sal Mineo star as teens dealing with family problems and other self-identity issues. In the story, Dean’s character is involved in a car race with a rival. His rival in the film crashes and dies. However, in real life, like Paul Walker, James Dean died in a car crash.
“Life imitates art far more than art imitates life”. -Oscar Wilde
