“That film made me throw up” would normally be a glaring criticism. In the realm of horror, however, making an audience blow chunks is about as prestigious an achievement as winning an Academy Award. Terrifier 2 is the latest film to earn such an honor, with headlines suggesting plenty of moviegoers have been left feeling a bit under the weather as Art the Clown goes on a bloody killing spree on Halloween.
Making audiences feel sick is no new phenomenon in horror filmmaking, though. Films dating as far back as the silent era have wielded a profound ability to disturb viewers to the point of physical illness. From the stomach-churning scares of slasher films, splattering blood and guts across the screen to heart-stopping horror that rushed patrons to the hospital, these famous fearsome flicks proved not to be for the faint-hearted.
‘The Phantom of the Opera’ (1925)
Rupert Julian’s The Phantom of the Opera is legendary horror in every way imaginable. Released almost 100 years ago, it’s one of the genre’s first true masterpieces and remains an icon of the silent era. It also had the visual terror to send cinemagoers of 1925 into a frenzy.
Lon Chaney starred as the phantom, a performance that remains one of the greatest the genre has ever seen, but his skill as a makeup artist defined the film’s enduring ability to terrify. While it may seem tame nowadays, The Movie Screen Scene remarks on how audiences screamed and even fainted in theaters when the phantom was unmasked.
‘Freaks’ (1932)
A year after releasing 1931’s Dracula, director Tod Browning embarked on what was a passion project for him with Freaks. Focusing on the circus, it follows a conniving trapeze artist who agrees to marry a dwarf who works in the carnival’s sideshow while scheming to have him killed so she and her lover can claim his inheritance.
A product of pre-code Hollywood (a period from 1929-1934 when the Motion Picture Production Code was yet to be enforced), Freaks showcased some pretty extreme body horror to audiences who were not prepared for it. According to MentalFloss.com, one woman ran from the theater while another allegedly threatened to sue MGM, claiming the film had caused her to suffer a miscarriage.
‘Macabre’ (1958)
Macabre was by no means a nightmarish horror movie, but it did serve as William Castle's first of many forays into promotional stunts to advertise a new movie. As NME states, Macabre was slated as being so terrifying that patrons received life insurance upon entry to the theater, and fake nurses were employed to watch over the patrons with hearses and ambulances parked outside to sell the gimmick further.
Brilliantly, the ploy worked, and Macabre went on to gross $5 million. There were numerous reports of audience members feeling sick while watching the movie as well. However, it’s believed this was due to men in the cinema trying to attract the attention of the "nurses" rather than anyone succumbing to what was depicted on screen.
‘The Exorcist’ (1973)
The hysteria surrounding The Exorcist is befitting its current status as one of the most terrifying horror movies ever made. The supernatural horror had people braving extreme weather conditions to line up for hours, according to The New York Times. Police in New York and Kansas City were called to quell riots, according to author Jason Zinoman in his novel Shock Value: How a Few Eccentric Outsiders Gave Us Nightmares, Conquered Hollywood, and Invented Modern Horror, from the masses of waiting patrons. However, that was nothing compared to what was happening inside the cinema.
As reported by Far Out Magazine, a number of patrons fainted, vomited, and even reportedly suffered heart attacks while attending screenings of the famous horror movie. Lobbies were often full of people too terrified to finish the movie, and many theaters arranged for ambulances to be on call. The Toronto Star claimed one cinema had to call emergency services four times in one night as viewers quite literally struggled to make it out of The Exorcist alive.
‘Alien’ (1979)
Released over 40 years ago, Alien remains one of the scariest movies ever made, with its imposing atmospheric tension and H. R. Giger’s immaculate designs for the xenomorph. Its ability to evoke genuine terror is the stuff of horror movie legend, with iHorror.com pointing the finger at the chest-burster scene in particular as a source for much of the hysteria audiences endured, from screaming patrons to puking ushers.
It’s hard to see how patrons ever stood a chance of making it through unscathed, given some of the actors struggled while on set. As reported by TheThings.com, Veronica Cartwright fainted after being splashed in the face by blood while filming the iconic scene.
‘The Blair Witch Project’ (1999)
The architect of found-footage horror as we know it today, The Blair Witch Project was one of the best-performing indie films of all time and a rejuvenating success for horror leading into the 21st century. However, despite its reputation as one of the scariest movies of all time, it has very little graphic imagery, so what made audiences so sick?
As it turns out, the unrelenting shakiness of the hand-held camera had an adverse effect on viewers who suffered from motion sickness. The Washington Post wrote that several viewers had experienced dizziness, cold sweats, uneasy stomachs, and even occasional cases of vomiting. While the intensity of the film's suspense would have been a factor in many viewers feeling a little queasy, it's worth noting other found-footage movies, such as Cloverfield, have had similar effects on audiences.
‘Antichrist’ (2009)
Danish filmmaker Lars von Trier is one of the most renowned provocateurs in cinematic history, and his 2009 art house horror film Antichrist is among his most compelling and shocking work. Featuring explicit sex, extreme genital mutilation, a hostile tone, and a deeply unsettling look at depression and grief, it's confronting, to say the least.
The Guardian reported that it prompted several walkouts at its screening at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival, while as many as four viewers fainted due to the violence on display. The polarizing film has also led to other strong reactions, with France banning the picture years after its release while others have declared it a grotesque masterpiece that defines von Trier’s career.
‘The Green Inferno’ (2014)
With Cabin Fever and Hostel among his directorial achievements, it’s doubtful many horror fans went into Eli Roth’s cannibal horror film under any delusions. However, that didn’t prevent one patron in a French cinema from passing out due to the graphic violence on display.
When word got back to Roth that an audience member had fainted during the screening of The Green Inferno, he took to social media to show his joy, describing the incident as the “Best review ever!!!!”. We're willing to bet that the poor French patron wasn't the only person who fell ill while watching this gruesome horror movie.
‘Raw’ (2016)
While her career may be young, French-Belgian director Julia Ducournau has shown she has no lack of talent for getting under an audience’s skin. She made that point emphatically clear with Raw. This coming-of-age horror movie follows a vegetarian in her first semester at veterinary school, where she develops a taste for human flesh.
Not as maniacally gratuitous with the gore as other cannibal movies, Raw is directed with brilliant poise, using the unbelievable achievements of the effects team to have even the toughest of horror fans feeling squeamish. Some viewers at 2016’s TIFF received medical attention after fainting at the screening, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
‘Terrifier 2’ (2022)
The latest in a long line of horror movies to elicit such strong reactions from audience members, Terrifier 2 has burst onto the scene as an unexpected smash hit. Variety has reported that various patrons have passed out or vomited during the movie, while some have even been seen requiring medical attention outside cinemas.
The sequel has garnered more favorable reviews from critics and much more fanfare from horror lovers who have lapped up the film’s intense violence as Art the Clown (David Howard Thornton) embarks on another blood-soaked killing spree. While director Damien Leone has publicly stated he doesn’t want people fainting or getting hurt while watching the movie, we can't imagine there isn't one small part of him loving the publicity it has garnered.