13 Horror Films So Terrifying, They Made People Sick, Pass Out, Or Worse In Theaters
More like box-office ~gross~, amirite, guys?
Friendly, somewhat obvious *WARNING*: There are things in this article that may spoil both the movies and your lunch for you, so proceed with caution.
1. Raw (2016)
The story follows a life-long vegetarian heading to veterinary school where she discovers she has a ~taste~ for...let's just go with "non-animal meat" (it's human). Anyway, the film gained attention when paramedics had to be called during its screening at the 2016 Toronto Film Festival because many patrons were feeling physically ill.
2. Psycho (1960)
While many sources cite people "running out of theaters" in terror, Psycho was strictly a word-of-mouth kind of uproar. It was one of the first horror films to enact the kill-of-your-lead-star-halfway-through-the-film surprise. Ask anyone who was alive at the time of the film's debut, and they'll probably tell you just how badly it freaked out the world.
3. The Green Inferno (2013)
Eli Roth, the mind behind Hostel, Cabin Fever, and the most icky fake trailer from Grindhouse, Thanksgiving, continued his gross-out streak in 2015 when he brought us The Green Inferno. As you can gauge from this very excited Instagram announcement, someone fainted during a premiere screening for the film, which Roth excitedly called the "best review ever!!!"
4. Antichrist (2009)
The film stars Willem Dafoe and Charlotte Gainsbourg as a grieving couple whose young son tragically dies. The ensuing story of guilt, violence, and overall shocking imagery is what makes the film nearly impossible to sit through, even for those with iron stomaches. During the initial screening of the film, four people fainted. The film was also BANNED in France following complaints from a Catholic group.
5. The Exorcist (1973)
View this video on YouTube
Many of the people flocking to theaters to see this one were purposely going BECAUSE they heard all of the hype surrounding how many people were getting sick during the film (as seen in this video of audience reactions). People fainted, vomited, or even just left during the film out of fear and waited in the lobby for their friends.
6. Irréversible (2002)
During this French psychological horror's premiere at the Cannes Film Festival, 250 people reportedly walked out before the film was over, a hefty majority of them requiring medical attention. Many have attributed this sickness to the director's use of a low-frequency score designed specifically to invoke feelings of uneasiness and confusion. Though, if it wasn't the soundtrack that got them, the graphic 10-minute rape sequence and ensuing revenge most likely did.
7. The Blair Witch Project (1999)
The weird thing about this one is that, while many people were reportedly getting sick to their stomach during the film (like, literally vomiting IN the theater), most of these cases were caused by motion sickness due to the "found footage"-style, rather than gore or horror. The Blair Witch Project was famously one of the very first films to use this style for the full length of the movie, and most weren't used to it or remotely ready for it.
8. The Human Centipede franchise (2009-2015)
To paraphrase the great Dr. Ian Malcolm from Jurassic Park, these filmmakers were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn't stop to think it they should. Most people never made it through the trailer for the first film, never mind the whole trilogy. In fact, this franchise got to be so gross, the third installment (yes, there are three movies) almost never got made because those who previously worked on it were so disgusted by just THE SCRIPT.
9. Goodnight, Mommy (2014)
The story follows twin brothers who are convinced their Mother is a completely different person when she returns home from a complicated face surgery. “Two people fainted,” co-director Severin Fiala told Indiewire. “That’s the best compliment we’ve had so far.”
10. Saw III (2006)
While it's weird that SPECIFICALLY Saw III caused the most panic of all the Saw films...it's true. There were reports of three separate ambulances being called to theaters in the UK the night of the films premiere after multiple people had fainted or become physically sick. This was mostly attributed to the incredibly graphic brain surgery sequence at the climax of the film.
11. Freaks (1932)
Tod Browning, hot off the insane popularity of directing 1931's iconic Dracula, wanted his next horror film to be even MORE extreme. This film gained infamy for the filmmaker's decision to opt-out of using actors with prosthetics, instead casting REAL carnival performers. After one test screening, a woman threatened to sue MGM over the film, claiming the trauma she experienced while watching caused her to miscarry. Decades later, the film is now a cult classic.
12. Bite (2015)
At the premiere of the film at the 2015 Fantasia International Film Festival, the crew handed out barf bags as gifts, which most people assumed was a funny marketing ploy...but boy, were they wrong. Many people ended up becoming sick mid-film and utilizing their ~gift~. As seen in the above Facebook post from the film's official page, another horror director, Mitch Davis, noted that ambulances were called.
13. The Conjuring 2 (2016)
Arguably the strangest one on the list, this film reportedly caused a man in India to experience severe "chest pains" during the film's climax. The man was rushed to the hospital, where he passed away shortly afterward. That is terrifying enough on its own, but it gets worse: the body reportedly went missing upon being transported for inspection.