The most bizarre behind-the-scenes photos of all time

Movie magic: the glue that holds our favorite films together. All it takes is a little suspension of disbelief from the audience and the Hollywood wizards take care of the rest. We’ll believe we’re in another world, we’ll be afraid of monstrous creatures, and we’ll watch in awe as the filmmakers deliver spectacle after spectacle.

Every now and then, however, we get a peek behind the scenes. The results can be disturbing, reminding us it’s all smoke & mirrors in showbiz. That said, once the shock wears off, most behind the scenes photos & videos become as legendary as the movies whose secrets they reveal. Let’s take a look at some of our favorites!

Michael likes corn syrup

Michael Myers, the unstoppable killing machine from the Halloween series, seems to have something in common with Forrest Gump: they both love Dr. Pepper! While it’s unsettling enough to see Michael unmasked (here played by Nick Castle, the original Michael Myers), it’s even weirder to see him sort of drinking through his forehead. Is that really Dr. Pepper, Nick?

Gay ol’ time

At first look: just an innocent behind the scenes photo of Charlton Heston & Stephen Boyd chillin’ on the set of Ben-Hur. What makes it special is the long-debated homoerotic subtext of the relationship between Heston & Boyd’s characters in the movie – subtext many, including Heston, have denied. Screenwriter Gore Vidal said it was totally there though, so that makes this pic of Ben-Hur & Messala extra-adorable.

Childhood ruined

You always remember that soul-crushing moment when you realized The Muppets weren’t real. This behind the scenes photo from The Muppet Movie would certainly take away that little bit of innocence from anyone. On the plus side, it’s a testament to The Muppets’ strength that we still think of someone like Kermit as a character before we think of him as a puppet.

Nightmare hybrid

Dinosaurs are a whole different thing though. Most people watching the Jurassic Park movies aren’t under any illusions that the raptors are real creatures. Still, it’s a little off-putting to see a man – Jurassic Park III effects supervisor John Rosengrant – trying out his velociraptor legs.

Cheer up, alien

Look at this guy. Need a hug, buddy? Sometimes, behind the scenes photos will reveal the vulnerable side of otherwise terrifying villains. In this particular case, what we’re really seeing is Bolaji Badejo’s exhaustion. The Nigerian student portrayed the xenomorph in Alien 3 and never starred in another movie again. Talk about a traumatic experience!

Torso/off

Ahhhhh!!! What the heck! It’s like looking at John Travolta . . . only not. That face-swap surgery sequence in Face/Off is already gross enough without looking behind the scenes. Looks like Travolta actually took the day off when they shot in the operating room.

Yum

Look, let’s be real here: aren’t you happy to see the faun from Pan’s Labyrinth eating regular food instead of, say, children? He even drinks Coke, in the ultimate act of normalization. Of course, film buffs know that’s not a real faun but rather beloved actor Doug Jones!

Marry me?

Fun fact: even though Peter Jackson & his team had the greatest camera equipment in the world when they were shooting the Lord of the Rings trilogy, they still had limitations. Since it was quite difficult to focus on the scripture inside the ring during close-ups, they built a ginormous ring specifically for those shots instead. Ingenuity!

Thor v Slimer

This behind the scenes look at the first time Hulk & Thor clashed in Avengers can be a little deflating. That’s not even Mark Ruffalo playing The Hulk there – or whatever that green creature is, because it’s definitely not The Hulk. Thankfully, a little movie magic dust made it all look better in the finished film. And aren’t you at least relieved to find out that Chris Hemsworth wasn’t CGI’d at all?

Absent B-Coop

Wait, what? We were told Bradley Cooper played Rocket Raccoon! Poking behind the scenes of the Guardians of the Galaxy movie reveals it takes more than a Hollywood star to play the murderous-yet-endearing Rocket. Cooper may give the character his voice, but when it comes to being petted by Drax (and other actions), that’s Sean Gunn wearing the green suit.

Tale as old as time

It’s not like haters of the live-action remake of Beauty & the Beast need any more ammunition but . . . yikes. This behind the scenes look at what Dan Stevens looked like pre-CGI is quite ridiculous. Look at poor Emma Watson: she’s had it with this nonsense. “I used to go to Hogwarts, dammit!”

Bat-smile

There is nothing, absolutely nothing, more disturbing than seeing Batman smile. And we’re talking about any Batman, not just Christian Bale’s. What adds to the weirdness in this behind the scenes pic from The Dark Knight Rises is that Batman is chumming it up with the guy that broke his back! Too much for us to handle.