Here lies young Renee Shin-Yi Chen. Renee died at 6 years old during the making of John Landis' Twilight Zone: The Movie.
Known as The Twilight Zone Tragedy, Renee, along with Vic Morrow and My-Ca Dinh Le, were tragically killed on set the night of July 23rd, 1982. Renee and My-Ca were both hired illegally by director John Landis to film the final scene at 2:30am. Since children are prohibited from working at night, and near explosions, both Renee and My-Ca were hidden from the fire safety officer in their trailers. When it came time to film their scene, a helicopter was in place, hovering only 25 feet overhead. As the explosions were detonated, the tail rotor of the helicopter was above the blast, causing the tail to detach. Both Vic Morrow and My-Ca Dinh Le were decapitated by the blades. Renee, however, was crushed to death by the skids.
Their deaths lead to stricter safety standards within the film industry, and this event marked the first time in history a director was charged with a set death. In 1987, John Landis was found not guilty. But despite the verdict, the Directors Guild of America began to discipline directors for safety violations. This had not been done previous to The Twilight Zone Tragedy, and as a result of stricter standards, set deaths dropped 69.9%. The children's scene was ultimately deleted from the movie entirely, and neither My-Ca nor Renee were listed as cast members.
My-Ca rests at Forest Lawn Cypress, while Vic Morrow is at Hillside Memorial in Culver City.
To locate Renee's gravesite, ask for a map at the front office and navigate slightly uphill from the Great Mausoleum to the lawn of Everlasting Love. You will find a marble canopied sarcophagus; park here and begin walking up the hill of the lawn across from this structure. Renee rests in lot 3707.
Happy hunting.
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