They Truly Fall From the Sky

As the movie Twisters hits theaters, updating a franchise nearly three decades old, the original director Jan de Bont reflects on the challenges and triumphs faced during the making of the 1996 classic, Twister.

In a conversation with Vulture, Jan de Bont recalled the groundbreaking and painstaking work required to bring the original Twister to life. “We weren’t sure at the time if we could even make the movie, because of the difficulty of the effects,” de Bont said. “The hardware and software had to be specifically designed for the movie. It was like two steps forward and one step backward, but it was exciting.”

One crucial test scene, which de Bont highlighted, featured a farm and a family seeking shelter from a tornado. Another important test involved a shot from the inside of a car, portraying debris from a tornado hitting the windshield while the car moved forward. “The studio people were totally stunned at how effective it was. That ultimately decided whether the movie was made. Nothing else. Not the script,” he noted.

The success of Twister was impressive, grossing $494 million globally and earning two Academy Award nominations. The film starred Bill Paxton, Helen Hunt, Jami Gertz, Cary Elwes, Philip Seymour Hoffman, and Alan Ruck, portraying a group of amateur storm chasers looking to deploy a research device during a severe tornado outbreak in Oklahoma.

De Bont explained how he got an “incredible, reality-based response” from actors during storm scenes. “We had two gigantic jet engines, mounted on big trucks, and they were going full blast while debris was thrown in front of them, blowing toward the actors,” he said.

“Of course, you take the softest debris you could find,” de Bont added. “But feeling those powerful winds from the jet engines, you’re really walking against a storm. So, you’re not acting anymore. There’s nothing you have to pretend. You actually react. You respond to the power of the wind, and that makes it all very real.”

The Dutch filmmaker also reminisced about a scene where giant combines fall from the sky, clarifying “that’s not visual effects; that’s real effects.” He said, “We dropped those combines hanging from helicopters onto the road as the car was driving. This makes for the best reaction you can get from the actors because it’s goddamned real.”

“They really fall from the sky, and it’s not a little fall. No, it’s a real combine, and multiple ones. When they fall to the left and the right, and you have to drive around, it looks dangerous from the ground but it was always safe to do it. Using longer lenses, you make that distance seem even shorter, so it looks like it’s really close to the car. Generally, it was always like 20 feet or 30 feet in front of the car. It’s a little close maybe, but it’s just spectacular to watch in real life.”

De Bont previously mentioned to Variety that he’s “not involved” in the new Twisters sequel. The new film is directed by Lee Isaac Chung and stars Glen Powell, Daisy Edgar-Jones, Anthony Ramos, Maura Tierney, and David Corenswet.

As the legacy of Twister continues to unfold with its new installment, de Bont’s reflections provide a behind-the-scenes look at how the original magic was made, setting the stage for what fans hope will be another thrilling journey into the heart of a storm.