Corey Haim could be a poster boy for child actors who fail to launch as adults. This innocent kid from Canada quickly reached the heights of Hollywood fame only to fall just as fast. It was addiction that did him in, but there are some sinister accusations to explain Haim's tragic fall from grace.
1. He Was A Shy Boy
Corey Haim’s birthplace was Toronto, Canada and his date of birth was December 23, 1971. Haim’s mother, a data processor named Judy Haim, noticed something worrisome about her son. He lacked confidence and seemed painfully introverted. If you’re a shy teenager, the last place you want to be is in the spotlight.
Well, Haim’s mother thought that thrusting her son onto a stage would cure his timidity. She signed him up for improv classes and even mime lessons. This, however, did much more than just cure the young boy's shyness.
2. He Outshone Her
Unlike Haim, Cari—his older sister—did want to act. It soon became Haim’s job to go with her to auditions. While Cari found mostly rejection at the auditions, Corey got the opposite reaction.
Even though he wasn’t auditioning, producers wanted to hire Haim. He first did some commercials, and then he got his first role: a Canadian educational comedy TV series called The Edison Twins. It wouldn’t be long, however, before he made the massive leap to Hollywood.
Dream a Little Dream(1989), Vestron Pictures
3. He Got A Role
In 1984, when Haim was 13 years old, he got a role in a movie—but it was a downright nightmare. The movie was the thriller Firstborn. In it, Haim plays the second-born son of a woman who begins seeing a not-so-nice guy named Sam, played by Peter Weller. Although this should have been an exciting milestone for Haim, the set of the film proved to be incredibly terrifying—all thanks to his costar's chilling scare tactics.
4. He Made A Mistake
On his first day on Firstborn, Haim made the mistake of trying to compliment Weller on his acting. Weller, who played Haim's violent stepfather, grabbed the barely teenage Haim and threw him against a wall. He had just one demand: that Haim never speak to him again on set.
Weller later blamed his behavior on his method acting, but Haim found it hard to recover from this ordeal. But this wasn’t the only fiasco Haim faced when filming Firstborn.
Dream a Little Dream(1989), Vestron Pictures
5. They Weren’t With Each Other
Even though Haim’s parents divorced back in 1982, Haim was still hurting. At a crew party for Firstborn, Haim watched sadly as his parents danced—but not with each other. On seeing his parents with other partners, Haim burst into tears.
His supporting actors in the film—Sarah Jessica Parker and Robert Downey Jr—soon came to his rescue. Downey Jr apparently even offered to give Haim a new home. However there wasn’t time for Haim to deal with his sorrow. He had to keep working.
6. He Avoided Him
After a handful of small roles, Corey Haim finally got a lead part in 1985’s Silver Bullet, based on a Stephen King novel. Haim’s co-star was the volatile Gary Busey. Haim, remembering his ordeal with Weller on Firstborn, stayed clear of Busey and instead made friends with Busey’s son.
Haim and Jake Busey spent time together between takes and built a real friendship. Busey later said that Haim was a good friend. He ominously added that this was before Haim became “tainted by the machine” of Hollywood.
7. He Had Star Potential
Haim went from being paraplegic in Silver Bullet, to having muscular dystrophy in his next role. This was the TV movie A Time To Live with Liza Minnelli. Haim received a Young Artist Award for his performance. But there was a huge problem on the horizon.
Suddenly, having his dad as his agent was no longer cutting it. After Dad turned down a role for Haim in The Mosquito Coast with Harrison Ford, producer Stanley Jaffee took the senior Haim aside and told him that his son needed a Hollywood agent—pronto. He took the advice, and his career took flight.
Dream a Little Dream(1989), Vestron Pictures
8. He Fell For Her
Once Haim got his Hollywood agent, he stepped almost immediately into a lead role. Lucas came out in 1986, and Haim was the titular character. Haim plays a nerdy misfit who falls for an unattainable cheerleader. But here's the juicy bit.
Later, Haim confessed that he had actually fallen for his co-star and that his longing for her was all too real. A little puppy love never hurt a young actor, but something on the set of Lucas left Haim with lasting scars.
Lucas (1986), 20th Century Fox
9. He Met Up With Trouble
Years later, fellow 80s actor and Haim’s friend, Corey Feldman said that Haim met up with some serious and tragic trouble on the set of Lucas. Feldman alleges that co-star Charlie Sheen touched Haim sometime during the shoot. Of course, Sheen denied these allegations, but he needed someone to back him up.
However, the person who ended up standing up for Sheen shocked everyone.
Sign up to our newsletter.
History’s most fascinating stories and darkest secrets, delivered to your inbox daily. Making distraction rewarding since 2017.
10. She Believed Him
Getting people to believe you’re innocent of assault is always difficult. When you’re controversial actor Charlie Sheen, however, it’s next to impossible. Believe it or not, it was Corey Haim’s sister Cari who stood up for Sheen.
She raised more than a few eyebrows when she gave her reason for believing in Sheen’s innocence. She said that Sheen was too busy kissing her to be messing with her little brother. The accusation against the actor seemed to momentarily disappear—and then it came back again.
Lucas (1986), 20th Century Fox
11. He Confided In Him
In 2017, Sheen was once again accused of hurting Haim while filming Lucas. The report was in the National Enquirer, and the accusation came from actor Dominick Brascia—who worked and became friends with Haim on The Lost Boys. Brascia swears that Haim confided in him about what Sheen had done to him.
This time, Sheen didn’t get support from Haim’s sister, but from yet another Haim family member.
Lucas (1986), 20th Century Fox
12. He Kept It To Himself
When another accusation against Sheen surfaced, Haim’s mother, Judy Haim, decided to speak out. She first said that nothing could have happened on the set of Lucas, because—as Haim’s mother—she would have known about it. Judy Haim then did an about-face and said that Sheen hadn’t touched her son, but it was Sheen's accuser, Brascia who had.
This sounded exactly like what Sheen needed to hear—and that’s why some people believe he paid her to say it. Of course, back then, no one knew anything, and Haim just kept it all to himself. The consequences were devastating.
The Lost Boys(1987),Warner Bros
13. He Rose To The Occasion
In spite of what may or may not have happened on the set of Lucas, Haim’s performance ignited lots of interest. Film critic Roger Ebert thought that Haim was not just a young actor who we’d soon forget. He said that Haim would one day become an “important actor".
Even at this young age, just 15 years old, Corey Haim saw that his star was rising—and he had to do something drastic about it.
Dream a Little Dream(1989), Vestron Pictures
14. He Met Another Corey
With all the excitement around Haim’s career, the young actor decided to leave Canada and move to Los Angeles. Around this time, Joel Schumacher was looking around for hot young actors to play roles in his vampire film, The Lost Boys. Haim was soon signed on and he met someone who would change his life forever—another Corey by the name of Feldman.
Most of the other actors in The Lost Boys were old enough to party, but the Coreys just hung out together watching movies. A friendship began to blossom, but it was also a friendship destined for incredible highs—and lows beyond our imagination.
15. He Had A Poster
In The Lost Boys, Haim’s character, Sam, had a poster of Hollywood heartthrob Rob Lowe on the wall. It seemed strange, to some anyway, that a young teenage boy would have a poster of such a beautiful man on his wall unless he was gay.
Add to this, that Haim’s Sam had an interest in fashion, rode a pink bike, and wore an ear stud. Audiences wondered what Schumacher was up to. Was Sam supposed to be gay?
The Lost Boys(1987),Warner Bros
16. He Wanted Free Publicity
Some filmgoers suggested director Schumacher was trying to make Haim’s teenage character gay. Schumacher, who is gay, denied that accusation. When asked about the poster in Sam’s room, the director sheepishly gave his vague explanation.
Before making The Lost Boys, he’d made St. Elmo’s Fire with Rob Lowe—the guy on the poster. So was Schumacher just trying to plug his previous movie with his current one? I guess we’ll never know.
17. He Was One Of Two
The Lost Boys turned out to be a hit movie, and many still regard it as a classic. Corey Haim called it “one of the greatest personal times in my life”. The film also was the starting point of a film partnership between Haim and Feldman. It was at this point that people started calling them “The Two Coreys”.
Haim had found a friend and someone to star in movies with. What could go wrong? In short, everything.
18. They Fooled Around
Haim and Feldman were becoming closer and closer friends. The director of their second film together, License To Drive’s Greg Beeman, said that the Coreys liked to goof around on set, and sometimes they would even disappear altogether. On a positive note, he did add that they always showed up for work on time.
It sounded like just a couple of teenagers having fun, but as we’ll soon see, it was something much darker than that.
License to Drive(1988), 20th Century Fox
19. He Bent The Rules
Licensed to Drive, which also featured Heather Graham, required Haim to drive a car, but there was a problem. He only had a learner’s permit. The permit had a stipulation: There had to be an adult in the car when the learner was driving.
To keep within the law, the producers had an adult hidden in the backseat whenever Haim had to drive. It turned out, however, there were other—more serious—reasons for Haim not being suitable to drive a car.
License to Drive(1988), 20th Century Fox
20. He Was Under The Influence
Corey Haim later said that while making License To Drive, his struggle with addiction was already an issue. He did, however, decide to face this problem in rehab. In November 1989, Haim stepped out of the clinic and wanted to teach kids a lesson. He made a self-promotional video to talk to kids about addiction. However, there was a big problem with this.
Many believed that Haim was under the influence while filming the video. In reality, it was actually a little worse than that.
License to Drive(1988), 20th Century Fox
21. He Was Ironic
Even though Haim couldn’t stop himself from using, he still wanted to save other young people. He set up a hotline for youth at risk of drug misuse. Later, when he went on The Arsenio Hall Show, he confessed to something shockingly ironic.
While he was giving advice to kids about addiction—he was actually high himself. So what had happened in rehab? Nothing?
License to Drive(1988), 20th Century Fox
22. He Switched
As it turned out, Haim may have been high while working on the hotline, but his substance of choice had changed. While in rehab, doctors gave Haim prescription medication to deal with the withdrawal symptoms he was dealing with. Haim now had a serious issue with Valium.
The young actor began popping up to 85 pills a day. At this point, he also started gaining weight. Haim reported that, at one point, he weighed 135 kg (300 pounds). Fans were starting to notice that Haim had a drug problem, and this had an effect on his movies: Nobody wanted to see them.
License to Drive(1988), 20th Century Fox
23. They Spent Nights Together
After losing a good portion of his fan base, Corey Haim started to make direct-to-video films. In one of these movies, his co-star was his girlfriend, Nicole Eggert of Baywatch fame. Eggert says she spent her days on set, acting with Haim. Her nights, however, were spent doing something entirely different.
She and Haim spent most nights in the ER ward dealing with Haim’s addiction. The two did eventually got engaged but broke up before tying the knot.
24. They Were A Family
In spite of his addiction problems, Haim still had a fair chunk of change in the bank and decided it was time to get a decent place to live. He found a mansion in the LA neighborhood called Hancock Park. For some reason, Haim made a strange decision.
He bought the house with his manager Michael Bass. The plan was for him, Bass, and Haim’s mother to all live there together. It was supposed to be one big happy family—except it didn't turn out that way.
Dream a Little Dream(1989), Vestron Pictures
25. It Was A Scam
Sharing a house with his business manager Bass was a mistake from the beginning. Bass, you see, had a past. He’d spent two years in prison after being convicted of swindling. While it’s nice to forgive and forget, Bass didn’t seem to have learned anything from his time behind bars.
You see, Bass intentionally rushed the purchase of the house, so he and Haim could host a charity benefit for Toys for Tots. According to sources, the benefit was a big scam. But this was only the first red flag of many.
License to Drive(1988), 20th Century Fox
26. He Was Firing
About a year after moving into the house together, Haim and Bass had an argument. Haim was actually trying to fire Bass as his manager, but Bass wasn’t leaving. During the conversation, Haim wasn’t just firing him, he was also firing BBs at a target. Bass went to the authorities and reported Haim, who ended up behind bars.
Haim was in detention and needed someone to post his bail. The other Corey soon swooped in and paid the $250 needed to get Haim out. I guess that’s what friends are for—in Hollywood anyway.
Dream a Little Dream(1989), Vestron Pictures
27. He Was His Guest
A year after this episode, Haim's friend Corey Feldman defended Michael Jackson as he faced chilling allegations in court. When Jackson settled out of court with his 13-year-old accuser for $25 million, he wanted to thank Feldman for his support. Jackson invited the actor to spend a few days at Neverland.
Feldman asked if he could bring Haim, and Jackson agreed. This was the first time Haim had met Jackson, but, as we’ll soon see, this friendship was headed for controversy.
28. He Wanted A Favor
Over the next years, Haim and Feldman appeared in a large number of—and mostly just plain embarrassing—straight-to-video films. In an effort to get back into mainstream films, Haim auditioned to play Robin in Joel Schumacher’s Batman Forever.
Haim probably hoped that Schumacher would remember when they made The Lost Boys together. Apparently, Schumacher didn’t remember, and Chris O’Donnell got to play Batman’s sidekick instead. Clearly, Haim was counting on help from friends like Schumacher, but his behavior made this absolutely impossible.
Lucas (1986), 20th Century Fox
29. He Helped A Friend
Still hurting from his failure to get the part in Batman Forever, Corey Haim agreed to appear in Feldman’s directorial debut Busted. This 1997 film was a comedy, and working on it must have been a bit of a no-brainer for Haim. He felt comfortable with comedy, and he knew the director and his costar—Feldman—personally. What could possibly go wrong?
30. He Had To Let Him Go
While Haim started work on Busted, his addiction spiraled out of control. Even though the film was a silly, low-budget comedy, Feldman took it seriously. He realized that he couldn’t have a lead actor who was frequently absent and even occasionally high on set. Feldman had to do it—he had to fire his best friend.
Feldman later said it was one of the hardest things he had ever had to do. Getting fired from a movie is one thing, but what happened next was so much worse.
The Lost Boys(1987),Warner Bros
31. He Didn’t Come Clean
In 1996, Haim was about to make Paradise Bar and needed to fill out his insurance form. Haim hesitated over the question about any pre-existing medical conditions because addiction was on the list. He didn’t tick the box, and trouble soon followed.
When the producers of Paradise Bar realized they had a user on their set, they checked Haim’s insurance form. The producers then got Lloyd’s of London to sue Haim, and he had to pay them $375,000—all for not ticking a box. As it turned out, this wasn’t the only debt that Haim had.
License to Drive(1988), 20th Century Fox
32. He Was In The Hole
Haim simply had to add the money he owed Lloyd’s of London to a pile of other debts. He owed the IRS $100,000 and another $100,000 to various other people. And what about his assets?
Haim had a hundred bucks in cash, an Alfa Romeo Spider, his clothes, and a small pension fund. To make matters worse, he was unemployable due to his addiction problem. In July 1997, Haim did the only thing that he could: file for bankruptcy.
License to Drive(1988), 20th Century Fox
33. He Went North
To get out of his financial hole, Corey Haim returned to Canada. He managed to get a role in a low-budget film called Universal Groove about people involved in the techno club scene. Unfortunately, disaster struck. There were post-production problems, and they lost most of the footage. In 2007, the film had an online release.
He earned almost nothing for starring in the film, so he moved on to another.
Dream a Little Dream(1989), Vestron Pictures
34. He Closed The Place Down
Haim’s next Canadian feature was Without Malice—but don’t confuse this with the much better film Absence of Malice. They filmed this thriller—set in the Canadian wilderness—in a remote location called Waskesiu, Saskatchewan. The tiny town had one bar, and apparently, Haim closed it almost every night.
The actor also behaved strangely on set. He would constantly stop the filming in order to call home and make sure his dog was still alive. This erratic behavior made Haim stand out—but not in a good way.
Without Malice (2003), Minds Eye Entertainment
35. He Hit Rock Bottom
By 2001, Haim had hit rock bottom—and E! True Story Hollywood was there to help rub it in his face. The TV special showed Haim living in Santa Monica in a simple apartment, above a garage, with his mother. But that wasn't the saddest part.
An interview with a local pawnbroker resulted in a story of Haim begging for $3, just so he could get a piece of pizza. Haim was clearly desperate for money—and he'd go to devastating lengths to get it.
Without Malice (2003), Minds Eye Entertainment
36. There Was A Reunion
In 2003, comedian David Spade made Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star. While Dickie Roberts is a piece of fiction, the film is populated with many real stars that failed to make a successful leap to adult stardom. Haim and Feldman are there along with some of the kids from The Brady Bunch, Eight is Enough, and others.
It was certainly a time for these ex-stars to poke fun at themselves. For Haim, however, it was a way to make some much-needed cash.
Wikimedia Commons, dodge challenger
37. He Was Number Eight
Even though Corey Haim was not really making movies anymore, in 2006, VH1 ranked him as number eight of the Greatest Teen Stars. This gave Haim an idea. If people were still interested in him after all these years, what about a reality TV show about the two Coreys? Haim pitched the idea to Feldman and off they went.
The show, however, went in a direction neither of the stars could have predicted.
The Two Coreys(2007-2008), A&E
38. He Gave Him A Ring
To start The Two Coreys on a positive note, Haim bought matching rings from Tiffany’s for Feldman and himself. But what was the show actually going to be about? The idea was to have Haim living with Feldman and his wife and watch as Haim tries to get his career going.
What shocked audiences was not that Haim still wanted to act, but something much more visible.
The Two Coreys(2007-2008), A&E
39. He Wasn’t Recognizable
Audiences who tuned into The Two Coreys got a shock: They barely recognized the former teen heartthrob, as Haim’s addictions had severely altered the way he looked. This, however, ended up being the least eye-opening aspect of The Two Coreys. The series was about to open up some very real and painful wounds—and it wasn’t going to be pretty.
The Two Coreys(2007-2008), A&E
40. He Opened Up
At some point in the show, Haim opened up about a man who touched him inappropriately when he was 14 years old. If this news wasn’t horrible enough, it was about to get much darker. The man was a friend of Feldman’s...and Feldman knew about the situation. He knew about it for the two years that it continued.
This was just a little too much reality for a fluffy reality TV show, but the show had to go on, didn’t it?
The Lost Boys(1987),Warner Bros
41. He Sunk So Low
After this startling disclosure, the camaraderie between Haim and Feldman disappeared, and the show just felt too uncomfortable. Because of this, the two actors took a hiatus from The Two Coreys. Winning a Canadian Gemini award for his work on his reality show didn’t help Haim economically, so he fell back on his last resort.
Haim attempted to sell tufts of his own hair—and even a tooth—in order to make money. The failing actor needed something to hope for—and luckily, it was on the horizon.
Dream a Little Dream(1989), Vestron Pictures
42. They Didn’t Want Him
Corey Haim must have felt pretty darn excited when he heard they were making a sequel to The Lost Boys. Surely he wouldn’t even have to audition. After all, he was an original lost boy. When Haim asked the producers when they wanted him on set, their reaction devastated him.
There was no role for him in Lost Boys: The Tribe. The producers did throw him a bone, however. They offered him a cameo. But even that went wrong. Sadly, Haim showed up on the set impaired, and they sent him home. This served as a wake-up call for Haim, and he resolved to do better.
Crank: High Voltage(2009), Lionsgate
43. He Worked, A lot
Against all odds, Haim did actually become a busy actor once again. When the third installment of The Lost Boys franchise came calling, Haim said he didn’t have time to participate. He was busy with films like Shark City, Crank: High Voltage, American Sunset, and Decisions. There were also several more films in 2010 that he had lined up.
Haim was now asking for a “clean set”—in order to avoid temptations and it seemed to be working.
Crank: High Voltage(2009), Lionsgate
44. There Was A Visit From A Doctor
Early in 2010, with so many projects on the go, Haim became ill and complained of having flu-like symptoms. A doctor made a house call and took Haim’s temperature. The doctor’s conclusion was that there was nothing to worry about: He really just had the flu. But despite the positive diagnosis, something was seriously wrong. Haim’s condition continued to worsen.
The Two Coreys(2007-2008), A&E
45. She Found Him
Even though his doctor said there was nothing to worry about, there clearly was. A few days after the doctor’s visit, Haim got out of bed but fell directly onto his knees. When Haim’s mother found him, Haim was unconscious. She immediately called for help, and paramedics rushed him to the hospital.
In the early hours of the next day, 38-year-old Corey Haim passed. The doctors there called it an accidental overdose.
46. He’d Amassed A Collection
It turned out that Haim had used false names to get prescriptions for medication. Using these prescriptions, Haim had bottles and bottles of Valium, Vicodin, Soma, and Haloperidol. It’s no surprise doctors assumed it was Haim’s misuse of these that caused his passing. The real cause, however, was something else entirely.
It was officially said to be damage to his lungs and pneumonia. Whatever the cause, Haim was gone, and his mother had lost her only son.
Crank: High Voltage(2009), Lionsgate
47. She Had Nothing
Sadly, Haim’s mother did not have the money for a funeral. It seemed, however, that organizations were almost fighting for the right to pick up the tab. The City of Toronto had a fund for destitute cases. In addition to this, a memorabilia site, where Haim had sold some personal items, stepped up to pay.
In the end, however, it was the funeral home itself that paid to lay Haim to rest. Once it was over, the tragic question arose: What had happened to poor Corey Haim?
The Two Coreys(2007-2008), A&E
48. He Was A Victim
Ten years after Haim’s passing, Corey Feldman released a documentary about the lives of the two Coreys. In it, there are allegations against many men who Feldman says preyed on one or both of them. Included in the list are Charlie Sheen and Alophy Hoffman, who ran a nightclub for child stars.
Feldman also claims that there is a group called “wolfpack” that works on discrediting victims like Haim and himself. While many people find Feldman’s accusations far-fetched, others believe that something sinister happened to Haim and Feldman. While Michael Jackson wasn’t on the list, he certainly could have been.
49. Neverland
Remember, Feldman introduced Haim to Jackson. Feldman says that his visit to Neverland with Haim consisted mostly of go-kart rides and watching movies in the theater. Years later, however, something more disquieting rose to the surface.
The Two Coreys’ producer, Ed Meyer, says that he has on tape, Haim saying that Jackson had touched him sometime after that initial meeting. Whether Feldman knew about this is still unknown.
50. They Forgot Him
Feldman has since stopped defending that now-deceased Jackson although there’s a poster of him in Feldman’s home. Feldman still contends that he and Corey Haim were victims of high-profile predators, and he’s convinced that Hollywood just wants to brush what happened to the two teen stars under the carpet.
He may have a point. In the year of Haim’s passing, the producers of the Academy Awards omitted Haim’s name from the “In Memoriam” section of the Oscars. The forgetting had already begun.
