"The theatre called an ambulance." Why people are passing out during Terrifier 2.

If you’re not big on Halloween or horror, you might have missed the movie that’s had stomachs churning all weekend.

Terrifier 2 is the sequel to Terrifier, the 2016 killer-clown film directed by Damien Leone. The gory film seems to have set a new bar for the genre, leading audience members to faint during the film, or rush out of it to vomit.

If that hasn’t turned you off already- here’s everything you need to know about Terrifier 2.

Just saw Terrifier 2. It was an amazing gory mess. The guy behind me passed out cold n crashed into my chair, another guy left because he didn’t feel good, I overheard him say and walking out theatre door I heard a guy puking hard & loud in the bathroom. #Terrifier2 @damienleone

— TJ Barker (@realTJBarker) October 8, 2022

The first film of the small franchise, Terrifier, was released in 2016. It saw the character Art the Clown (who had previously been seen in Leone’s 2013 anthology film All Hallow’s Eve) hunt three young women on Halloween.

It depicted extreme mutilation of its characters, and many other horrific aspects. Although the film received mix reviews, it wasn’t long before a sequel was in the works, with die-hard horror fans celebrating the truly horrifying and gory nature of the slasher flick.

Terrifier 2 is described as falling under the ‘splatter slasher film’ genre, with ‘splatter’ being described as a subgenre that deliberately focuses on graphic portrayals of gore and graphic violence. The film definitely does not disappoint.

It was expected to run for a limited release in the United States, but when reports of the audience’s visceral reactions to the film reached the media, it got an extended run in cinemas.

Fans posted on Twitter, making light of the horror, with one even writing “#Terrifier2 my friend passed out and the theatre called an ambulance. Highly recommend.”

Another posted a screenshot from a scene of the film, writing “Terrifier 2 is the most unbelievable sh*t I’ve ever seen in a movie theatre.”

Eventually, a warning was added regarding the film, where viewers were asked to take ‘extreme caution’.

“This movie contains scenes of graphic violence and brutal depictions of horror. Viewers who are faint of heart, prone to lightheadedness or have weak stomachs are advised to take extreme caution. There have already been numerous instances of fainting and vomiting in theatres. For those choosing to continue, you’ve been warned…” it reads.

"Listen, I would have loved to have a couple of walk-outs, I think that's sort of a badge of honour because it is an intense movie," Leone told Entertainment Weekly. 

"I don't want people fainting, getting hurt during the movie.”

The warning given for Terrifier 2. Image: Dark Age Cinema.

So, what can we actually expect to see if we dare to watch the movie?

Movie-goers have seen graphic mutilation and torture, with one scene showing a woman being scalped alive and doused in acid. Another scene shows a young man being castrated, and a third moment shows a killer ripping out someone’s heart and eating it.

In the final scene (spoiler alert), an institutionalised woman gives birth to Art the Clown’s living head.

Despite the gory nature of the film, fans of the genre have come out in droves to watch it, meaning it grossed $7.7 million at the box office, despite being made for a measly $250,000 budget.

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And now, the film’s excited fans are hoping it’ll attract the attention of the Oscars.

There are suggestions going around that the film should be nominated for the Best Visual Effects category, while others have said David Howard Thornton, who plays Art the Clown, should be recognised in the Best Actor category.

“So when does the @TerrifierFilm Oscar buzz start? David Howard Thornton's performance as Art the Clown is PERFECT, with no dialog he maximises his screen time like no other,” a fan wrote on Twitter.

While we highly doubt Terrifier 2 will come anywhere near the Academy Awards, it will surely remain a cult classic for many Halloweens to come.

Feature Image: Dark Age Cinema.