SAMANTHA MORTON - MORTON IN MYSTERY MAORI CURSE

British actress SAMANTHA MORTON is reportedly experiencing a Maori curse that has jinxed the set of her New Zealand-based epic RIVER QUEEN.

According to reports in British newspaper the DAILY EXPRESS, a full-page advertisement has appeared in a local Kiwi paper warning the film's cast and crew to pay respects to Maori spirits or risk their ghostly wrath.

Shortly after the ad was published, Morton was rushed to hospital with a bad case of flu, which postponed filming and caused co-star KIEFER SUTHERLAND to fly back to America, leaving various scenes with Morton incomplete.

River Queen co-producer TAINUS STEPHENS isn't threatened by the advertisement, saying, "You get disaffected individuals in different areas. Sometimes they just want to make a point."