Over the decades, only a handful of films have caused such distress in audiences that they have earned a reputation of being truly horrifying to watch. Among these are cult classics and fan favorites like The Exorcist and Irreversible, which both caused audiences varying degrees of distress – some to the point of the film being re-edited or outright banned from screening. When a film is so scary that it causes sickness, fainting, and running out of the theater in a panic, one has to wonder: how scary is terrifying?
For audiences of Terrifier 2, the answer is all over the internet. Reports of viewers throwing up during the screening, fainting in the lobby, and more have been reported in the wake of the film’s release. Producers have even given warnings about the film’s stomach-churning gore, and cinemas have handed out barf bags to audiences pre-screening. So let’s take a deeper look at Terrifier 2 and see what all the hype – and fear – is about.
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Terrifier 2: A Sequel 8 Years in the Making
Cinedigm
As the title suggests, Terrifier 2 is not the first film in its franchise. On October 15th, 2016, Terrifier was released to avid horror fans across the country. The film was made on a budget of $100,000, which is quite impressive. Lower-budget horror can be some of the scariest, as high-budget films can’t afford to take as many risks. And Terrifier certainly went all in, with enough gore to scare slasher genre fans everywhere.
While the first film in the franchise didn’t scare audiences to the point that its sequel has, the summary of it sheds light on how creepy it is:
Named one of the scariest clowns on screen, it’s clear the summaries and trailers for the Terrifier franchise are merely teasers for what horrors the film holds. Art the Clown is a truly vile villain, and his attacks on women and children in this series of films add to the horrific viewing experience. The first film in the franchise did well enough to warrant a sequel, and eight years later, Terrifier 2 has arrived.
The world of the Terrifier franchise is classic for clown horror films, and audiences who enjoy – or are scared – by clowns will certainly find entertainment in this series. The summary of Terrifier 2 sets a familiar tone:
Going in blind in early screenings, audiences expecting just another clown horror film were sure to be shocked by Terrifier 2. It delivers a scary slasher experience, but beyond that, its blood and gore are likely not what viewers had anticipated from the trailer.
The trailer shows the film’s unique style, hearkening back to other lower-budget horror and masked villain franchises. And while its trailer is even at times comedic, it seems that therein lies the answer. Perhaps Terrifier 2 lured in audiences who weren’t prepared to be as frightened as they were by this film.
A Brief History of Terrifying Horror
Terrifier 2 is far from the first horror film to cause audiences to faint. 1973’s The Exorcist is perhaps the most well-known, causing so much terror in audiences that the film has been edited and re-released numerous times, supposedly to cut out scenes that were too horrific for audiences to watch.
Gaspar Noé’s Irreversible is considered one of the most disturbing feature films ever made, a reputation corroborated by its audiences at Cannes walking out during the screening. The point of Irreversible was to cause audiences to become sick, and it more than achieved that goal, making it an infamous horror classic.
What is the secret to these films that cause so much distress in audiences? A fear of blood, clowns, circus performers, and demons certainly helps amp up the viewing experience. In addition, the environment of a movie theater adds to the terror – the darkness and surround sound allow fear to become overwhelming. When fear reaches a certain point, the emotional response of viewers can lead to fainting, becoming sick, and other side effects of adrenaline and fear.
In Terrifier 2, the amount of gore, blood, and persistent attacks on the young protagonists seem to be the key elements that have caused so much distress in audiences.
There is a long history of horror causing distress in its audiences, which seems to be the point of horror movies. While they’re meant to be scary, when a film is truly terrifying, its reputation proceeds it. As audiences continue to weigh in on Terrifier 2’s fear factor, reports continue to come out about fainting and sick audiences. As genre fans, we’re always excited when a film emerges that is genuinely terrifying – and we’re sure that as more horror buffs flock to theatres to take on Terrifier 2, we’ll determine just how scary this film is.
