Go Viral Story presents: scary movies that made audiences hurry out of theaters
The Lumière brothers are known for causing a stir with “The Arrival of a Train at La Ciotat,” their 50-second short film that premiered in Paris in 1896. The audience, who wasn’t used to the sensory experience of moving footage, panicked when the train seemed to be rushing toward them.
Years went by, and several filmmakers made people flee from the theaters. The storyline, the music, the plot, and the main characters were all situations that made people feel a jolt of panic when watching the new films.
We wanted to know more about the scary movies that made audiences hurry out of theaters, so we did our research. We discovered a couple of films that the public found so disturbing that they couldn’t take them anymore and had to leave. Are you curious to know more? Then keep reading!
1. The Blair Witch Project (1998)
“The Blair Witch Project” is an independent film directed by Daniel Myrick Eduardo Sánchez and is considered a scary movie that was quite hard to digest.
This cinematographic production launched the found-footage genre with a low-budget story about filmmakers being attacked by an invisible supernatural force in the woods. It was a big box office blockbuster and is still one of the most profitable movies ever ($22,000 budget, $240 million gross).
It was filmed in a documentary-style format, which featured actors falling or jogging while holding a camera, and this caused waves of motion sickness in the restrooms, lobbies, and hallways.
Many movie theater managers from Atlanta complained that people threw up like crazy due to the motion sickness effect the scary movie created, and a theater manager in Cambridge, Massachusetts, politely told the audience before showings to vomit outside the screening room.
By the time other scary movies were shocking the audience, several theaters posted signs warning people of the “roller coaster” effect the 1998 film had. However, instead of giving people barf bags, the theaters handed out refunds.
2. Reservoir Dogs (1992)
If you’ve watched Quentin Tarantino’s cinematographic productions, you already know that he tends to make some pretty scary movies. They might not be scary per se like you won’t see ghosts or any supernatural effects, but the details he includes and the plot can give someone chills.
“Pulp Fiction” (1994) lost some of the audience after Uma Thurman experienced an adrenaline rush. But what “Reservoir Dogs” had for the public wasn’t everyone’s cup of tea. The most disturbing scene was when, during an industry show, Michael Madsen’s character started amputating a hostage’s ear without permission.
Sources say that Wes Craven, who created “A Nightmare on Elm Street” and “The Last House on the Left,” left the theater when he saw the detailed scene. What do you think about Quentin Tarantino? Do you like his cinematographic style? Let us know in the comments below!
3. Irréversible (2002)
Now we’ll talk about a scary movie that isn’t shocking due to its plot, but because of its special music. Criticized for portraying a vicious attack, filmmaker Gaspar Noé’s revenge movie made audiences run for the exits.
The director used a bass frequency of 27 hertz for the first half of the film, which can’t be picked up by the human ear. This is known as infrasound, and it can cause you anxiety and terror. It’s very similar to the vibrations caused by earthquakes, so no wonder why it made people hurry out of the theaters.
Did you know that the film “Paranormal Activity” (2007) used a similar technique? That’s quite a scary movie if you ask me.
4. The Exorcist (1973)
There were long lines for the movie version of William Peter Blatty’s best-selling book about a little girl who is taken over by a demon. But little did the public know about what they came to see: a scary movie that was next-level. Or probably a horror film they couldn’t wait to be over.
News footage showed horrified people running out of the theater, but that’s not even the worst thing that happened. Sources say that one person passed out in the foyer, while others said that they couldn’t watch it anymore. It was more than they could handle.
When this movie premiered in London, the staff wanted to make sure that all the audience members were safe, so they called ambulance services and had a couple of cars parked outside just in case someone needed help.
5. 127 Hours (2010)
This is the you-get-what-you-pay-for department: people who screamed and got sick when watching hiker Aron Ralston do something necessary but terrible. He got stuck in a cave and couldn’t move his hand, so he had to amputate his arm with a pocket knife.
Sources say that some people passed out, some puked, and others needed help from the ambulance. However, what’s interesting about this not-so-scary movie, with scenes that can make someone emotional or sick, is that after people didn’t feel good watching, they rushed out of the theater, only to come back and say the film was “amazing.”
Keep reading to discover other scary movies that made people run out of the theaters!
6. The Walk (2015)
Viewers of the 2008 documentary “Man on Wire” were introduced to Philippe Petit, a rope walker who made headlines in 1974 when he traipsed between the Twin Towers in New York. Pretty impressive and scary, right?
In 2015, director Robert Zemeckis, known for directing “Back to the Future,” dramatized Philippe Petit’s story with a crazy movie called “The Walk,” and he gave the main character role to Joseph Gordon-Levitt.
While the documentary relied heavily on still images and reenactments, Zemeckis used a different technique, and he employed digital wizardry to place the audience on the rope alongside Petit. In IMAX, no less.
Not everyone in the audience was ready for such strong motions and scenes, and some people found the effect so disorienting that they experienced anxiety and even puked. Would you like to see this scary movie? I have to say that although it isn’t for everyone, you should still check it out and see whether you like it or not! Click here to watch it tonight!
7. Freaks (1932)
This isn’t exactly a scary movie, but the effects it had on the audience were very disturbing, and we had to include it on our list. The audience was terrified by Tod Browning’s notorious portrayal of a circus sideshow.
Even though it’s not a horror film, its big ensemble of “real” circus artists gave it a spooky feel, and not everyone reacted well. When the movie was first released, there were large-scale walkouts from the “Freaks” because people were afraid of the missing limbs.
What’s even more disturbing is that MGM insisted on re-editing the movie after a woman said she became so shocked by the movie that she suffered a miscarriage after watching the screening.
8. The Lion King (1994)
How can you say that the gorgeous film “The Lion King” is a scary movie? Well, while adults didn’t say anything like this, children sure did. When young Simba learns to fend for himself after his father is trampled during a stampede, Disney continues to show how strong their characters are by maiming his parents.
Younger viewers, which are Disney’s target audience, were so affected by the animated tragedy that they had to be taken to the lobby until they calmed down and could watch the movie again.
What are your thoughts on these scary movies? Have you ever watched any of them? Or do you plan on doing that anytime soon? Which one is your favorite? If you have any scary movie recommendations for us, feel free to share them in the comments!
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