5 Horror Movies So Scary, They Actually Made People Sick

Terrifier 2 (2022)

The film tells the story of a violent homicidal clown who returns on Halloween eve. The way the story is told not only does it terrify the audience but also becomes a test of endurance for them. The 2016 sequel to Terrifier proved so disgusting that some people fainted while others just left the theatres. Several viewers required emergency medical assistance. Director Damien Leone says he didn't expect the move to have such a powerful effect and never intended to cause any harm to anyone. He does admit, though, that he tried to outdo the hacksaw murder scene from Terrifier with the result that the sequel had a lot more blood in it. The sequel assumes viewers are familiar with the original movie and know what to expect.

Despite this, Terrifier 2 has become one of the highest-grossing films this fall. However, you want to think twice before seeing it in a movie theatre.

Raw (2016)

Directed by Julia Ducournau, who won the Palme d'Or for her film Titane in 2021, Raw is an unconventional coming-of-age story about accepting oneself. Our protagonist is a vegetarian named Justine who enrols in a veterinary school and embarks on a new life. Things begin to change, slowly but surely, as the girl first tries raw steak and then graduates to human flesh. The film pulls no punches and is replete with explicit close-ups of blood oozing from open wounds and limbs being devoured: these can be next to impossible to watch. During a screening at the Cannes Film Festival, many audience members felt sick, and two viewers fainted. When the film premiered in Los Angeles, vomit bags were handed out to the audience, and at the Gothenburg festival, more than thirty audience members walked out in the middle of the film. And yet, despite the plethora of cannibalistic scenes, the film was praised by critics. And while the shocking scenes can be overwhelming, the film tells a poignant and nuanced story about the suppression of sexuality that's definitely worth checking out.

The Exorcist (1973)

The 1973 Exorcist is famous as one of the scariest films in the history of horror movies. Based on William Peter Blatty's book of the same name, the film tells the story of a girl named Regan MacNeil who gets possessed by a demon. During the initial screenings in the US, unprepared audiences were so disturbed by some scenes that they walked out. The most impressionable audience members fainted. When the movie opened in London, ambulances were on standby outside the cinemas. The Catholic church was so outraged by the film it tried to have it banned.

As a result, the Exorcist still cannot be viewed in movie theatres in Singapore and the Philippines. Netflix has removed it from its catalogue so as not to traumatise anyone.

Saw 3 (2006)

The Saw is one of the most blood-curdling horror franchises ever made and is clearly intended for people who can keep their cool: scenes of people inflicting injuries on themselves are not everyone's cup of tea. Interestingly, it was the third instalment that people found most disturbing, the one in which Dr. Lynn Denlon falls victim to the maniac.

According to BBC News, at least five people fainted while watching the movie in cinemas across the UK, and one woman in Stevenage needed medical assistance: she ended up being taken to the hospital. Following these cases, East of England Ambulance Service officials issued a statement to the media, advising squeamish and impressionable viewers to refrain from going to see the slasher flick.

Green Hell (2013)

Actor and director Eli Roth, famous for his role in Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds, is a genuine horror movie connoisseur. His insanely intense and violent horror flick Hostel must definitely have traumatised some viewers, but Green Hell takes it to the next level in terms of shockingly blood-curdling scenes. The film tells the story of a group of young people travelling through the Amazon who get into a car accident and get taken hostage by a tribe of cannibals. The movie is tough to watch as the director pulls no punches when it comes to graphic depictions of cannibalism. During a screening at the Deauville American Film Festival, two people fainted, and chances are those were not isolated incidents.