Stephen King Has Something to Say About Terrifier 2, Which Has Its Viewers Puking
The lineage of splatter gore/splatter horror can be traced back nearly six decades to what many consider the first movie in this genre.
Since its release in 1963, the low-budget film Blood Feast has become a cult classic and a rite of passage for gore initiates. Herschell Gordon Lewis made the film specifically for gore fans, something we see directors like Damien Leone still doing today.
Leone says he made Terrifier 2 for fans of his original Terrifier. With splatter being a niche genre, the moviemaker already knows what the audience wants. Blood & Gore. Blood & Gore. Blood & Gore. Repeat.
Judging from media reports, audiences of Terrifier 2 are getting their money's worth. They might even be getting more than they bargained for. Fans and movie theater staff are saying a number of moviegoers have been physically affected by the film, with fainting and vomiting being the most common reactions.
Terrifier 2 isn't the first film to cause negative visceral reactions. The hallmark shaky camera work of 1999's The Blair Witch Project left so many viewers dizzy and nauseous, people referred to it as The Blair Retch Project. Episodes of audience members passing out and vomiting were also reported at a screening for the 2017 French cannibal film Raw.
One reason such events don't have a more negative impact is due to something movie makers already know. People who never planned to see a movie will go just for the experience, out of curiosity they go to see if/how others react and if they themselves will be affected. Word of mouth and reports such as those swirling around Leone's latest film will likely boost ticket sales.
A surefire way for any horror movie to achieve success is by receiving a stamp of approval from the King of Horror, Stephen King. Terrifier 2 already has the basics:
Evil clown? Check.
Gargantuan amounts of fake blood a la prom-scene Carrie? Check.
The final piece fell into place when King tweeted:
TERRIFIER 2: Grossin' you out old-school.
Although it could be argued this isn't an outright endorsement, that King was merely commenting on these reports, that's not how most see it. It's certainly not the way Leone sees, who remarked that King's words will be added to posters for the film.
Get your motion sickness meds and Pepto ready, I sense a Terrifier 3 ahead!