Most horror fans have heard of or have seen The Gallows, which opened in theaters last summer. In the paranormal film, a young man died during a freak accident in a school production. On stage in front classmates and parents he was hung.
The Gallows 2015
Now, that scene seems to have come to life. On January 30th 27 year-old Italian actor Raphael Schumacher met a similar fate. During a production at the Pisa’s Teatro Lux a medical student in audience noticed that the actor, who was meant to be hung in the scene while wearing a sack over his head, was really in distress not acting. Along with another medical student they removed the noose, but Schumacher was unresponsive. The scene originally called for a gun, but was changed at the last minute by the actor leading many to question if the accident was a horrible accident or a suicide attempt. Schumacher has since been declared brain dead. His family has now authorized the harvesting of his organs for donation.
There have been several accident in the entertainment industry as of late, including one injured and one killed on the set of Resident Evil: The Final Chapter. It is time that there is an increase of safety measures on both sets and stages.
Our thoughts go out to the Schumacher family during this hard time.
