'Terrifier 2' director says it's 'surreal' to hear of viewers passing out, vomiting over horror film

By Ariadne Night

With less than two weeks before the end of the spooky season, recent release Terrifier 2 is proving to be one of the most gruesome (and dare we say) terrifying movies of the year. Flipping a $250,000 budget into over $2 million in box office profits (and counting), and currently holding an 87 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, the sequel to the 2016 cult classic Terrifier finds our murderous friend Art the Clown back for blood and chuckles. 

"I had this idea of a clown terrorizing a woman on a city bus," writer-director Damien Leone told Entertainment Weekly about his creation of Art the Clown. "She's all alone, coming home from work or whatever, in the middle of the night, and then this clown gets on, and sits across from her, and starts staring at her and toying with her. It's awkward and uncomfortable, and maybe even funny, but then it gets progressively more intimidating and aggressive. I thought that was just an interesting, weird idea. When it came to making my first short film I said, ‘`you know what, I'm going to use that, that's going to be the opening’."

Not everyone has been so ecstatic about Art's return, however. “My friend passed out and the theater called an ambulance,” one Twitter user commented after seeing it with his friends. They’re not the only ones. Social media has lit up with stories about audience members  unable to make it through the film's (impressive)  2 hour, 20 minute runtime. Another moviegoer noted that “the guy behind me passed 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”. 

But not even vomit and fainting can keep new and old fans from Terrifier 2. For his part, Leone is of many minds but ultimately suggests that moviegoers stay safe while watching. To Entertainment Weekly, Leone continues: “Listen, I would have loved to have a couple of walk-outs, I think that’s sort of a badge of honor because it is an intense movie. I don’t want people fainting, getting hurt during the movie. But it’s surreal.”

Be scared, but do so responsibly — and maybe skip that heavy dinner if you're planning on checking out the Terrifier sequel. Just to be safe.

Looking for more gory kills and terrifying twists? Check out new episodes of Chucky, airing every Wednesday on SYFY and USA.