Terrifier Star Sues, Alleging Fraud and Sexual Harassment
Terrifier star Catherine Corcoran has sued director Damien Leone and the film’s producers, accusing them of fraud, sexual harassment, breach of contract, unpaid royalties, and the unauthorized use of her images during the 2016 film’s production.
Terrifier fans, this one is messy. Catherine Corcoran, who played one of Art the Clown's victims in the 2016 film, has taken the movie's makers to court. The lawsuit is not a small one: money, consent, on-set safety, and merch all come up, and some of it is pretty jaw-dropping if you remember her infamous scene.
The broad strokes
- Filed in California federal court
- Defendants: production companies Dark Age Cinema, Fuzz on the Lens Productions, and a company called Art the Clown, plus producer Phil Falcone and writer-director Damien Leone
- Allegations: fraud, sexual harassment, breach of contract, unpaid royalties, and misuse of her photos
- Deal she says she made: a minimal per diem in exchange for 1% of profits from the Terrifier franchise and related merchandise
- Payments were sporadic; she says she has not received any royalties since July 2024 and that requests for accounting and explanations were brushed off
- On set, she says her big death sequence had her hanging upside down in below-freezing conditions for hours, without proper SAG-required written consent for nudity
- She alleges injuries from the shoot (cranial swelling and eardrum damage), unauthorized nude photos taken on set, and those images showing up on Terrifier merch without her written OK
- What she wants now: a full audit of the film's earnings to figure out what she is owed
How we got here
According to the complaint (as summarized in coverage by Entertainment Weekly and Variety), Corcoran agreed to do Terrifier for very little up front, with the promise of backend: specifically, 1% of profits from the franchise and any related merchandise. Over time, those royalty payments allegedly went from irregular to nonexistent. She says the money stopped in July 2024 and that when she asked for financial records and explanations, she got dismissive responses instead of transparency.
The shoot she says crossed the line
Yes, we're talking about that scene. Corcoran's death sequence has been one of the movie's calling cards, and she says filming it was brutal and unsafe. The complaint states she was kept upside down for an extremely long time in freezing conditions.
"over ten hours in below freezing temperatures"
She also claims the production did not secure the written consent the Screen Actors Guild requires for scenes involving nudity. Corcoran says the ordeal left her with cranial swelling and damage to her eardrums.
Nudity, photos, and merch
The filing goes further, alleging that nude photos of her body were taken on set without authorization and later used on Terrifier-related merchandise without her written consent. If true, that is not just a contract issue — it is a major consent problem.
Who she is suing
The lawsuit names multiple players: producers Dark Age Cinema and Fuzz on the Lens Productions, a company called Art the Clown (yes, named after the character), producer Phil Falcone, and writer-director Damien Leone. Corcoran is accusing them of fraud, sexual harassment, and breach of contract, among other violations tied to pay and the use of her image.
What she is asking the court to do
Corcoran wants a detailed audit of the Terrifier earnings to determine how much she is owed under the profit-sharing deal she describes. The complaint also seeks to address the alleged misuse of her images and the on-set conduct she outlines.
It is a lot — money, safety, and consent all tangled together. If you have followed the franchise, you know how iconic that sequence became. This case is now asking what it cost the actor at the center of it.