When characters are hanged on screen, what keeps them from actually dying?
My guess was a body harness that goes up the back and through the rope, but I've heard that that's not how it's done.
If you don't know, don't bother using a search engine, you'll get a bunch of crap about Ted Noose and "The Noose Hangs High."
I'm not sure how it's done, but I heard that Brendan Fraser passed out during the hanging scene in the Mummy because the noose was too tight.
Don't muck with it! - Steve Irwin (RIP Stevo)
I think it's a non-tightening noose, but Michael J. Fox passed out during BTTF3 when he was being hanged
shareI remember many years ago on the Tonight Show they had a guest who demonstrated on Johnny how movie hangings were done. Carson was wearing a harness. The rope had a hidden hook which the "hangman" would stealthily clip onto the harness while placing the noose on the condemned man. Carson's weight was supported by the harness via the hook in the rope and the noose itself bore no weight. They actually gave Johnny a short drop to demonstrate how safe it was. Carson remained motionless for several moments and the audience was subdued. However I could see by the look on the hangman's face that he knew Carson was faking an accidental hanging.