10 Times Movies Got Too Real

Movies regularly whisk audiences away to fantastical alien worlds, throw them into terrifying made-up scenarios, or dump them in the middle of explosive action-packed adventures. But that still doesn't stop these big-screen stories from sometimes getting a little too real for either the folks paying their hard earned cash to watch or the talented folks in front of and/or behind the camera.

Over the years, thespians have found themselves having to deal with very real physical and mental issues in the wake of working on a particularly gruelling project. Then you have those directors who sensed their films were likely too bleak and realistic for their own audience and decided to alter things. And there's also been those times when things got so intense during the making of a slice of horror, the police were brought in to investigate the scene.

Simply put, the stories you see in theatres and at home may largely involve actors pretending and often playing in digital worlds, but the impact they had on the stars, crew, and fans is about as real as it gets.

So, from actors having their lives changed by on-set moments, to thousands of people developing an apparent medical condition after watching a specific blockbuster, these are those movies that got very real for some.

James Cameron's first trip to the immersive world of Pandora was an experience unlike any other.

Audiences honestly felt like they'd just got off a ship and entered into an almost tangible alien jungle back in 2009, and went out of their way to return for more Avatar fun time and again whilst the record-breaking flick was still in theatres.

However, there was a downside to this epic story of Jake Sully and the Na'vi, with some fans actually finding themselves having to work through depression and suicidal thoughts in the wake of exiting the cinema and stepping back into our own harsh reality (via CNN).

It even got to the point where a topic thread was set up on an Avatar fan forum site which gave fans a space to talk about their "Post-Avatar depression syndrome" while other members of the community did what they could to help their fellow Pandora lovers. And due to just how popular said thread became, a second one was created for those feeling depressed after watching Cameron's sci-fi masterpiece.

There were those who thankfully found their depression was fading after spending time talking with others on these forums, too. But for a while there, many simply couldn't escape the feeling of wanting to escape their own reality and be with the Na'vi in this fictional universe post-Avatar viewing.