Michael B. Jordan’s bare-chest in Black Panther broke a girl’s braces
2018’s Black Panther became one of the most beloved superhero movies of the decade. Critics adored Michael B. Jordan as the villainous Killmonger, as did the fans. In fact, one fan adored Jordan a little too much. A 17-year-old girl clenched her teeth so hard her retainer snapped during Jordan’s shirtless scene. When the story went viral, Jordan sweetly offered to pay for the damage.
Terrifier 2 induced nausea and fainting in scores of viewers
When horror sequel Terrifier 2 hit US screens around Halloween 2022, social media saw post after post celebrating the film, mainly how it made audience members throw up and faint. Director Damien Leone took to Twitter to confirm the posts were not an attempt at viral marketing and remarked to Entertainment Weekly, “I don’t want people fainting, getting hurt during the movie… it’s surreal.”
Paramedics were called to the premiere of Raw when an audience member passed out
Writer-director Julia Ducournau’s 2016 film Raw follows a veterinary student and life-long vegetarian who, while going through a hazing ritual apparently designed by Jeffrey Dahmer himself, starts craving the original man-made meat. Paramedics were called to the shocker’s premiere at the Toronto Film Festival, and Ducournau’s friend passed out at a screening in Paris.
Irréversible prompted mass walk-outs due to its extreme violence
Gaspar Noé’s unflinchingly graphic 2002 thriller Irréversible caused 250 people to walk out of its Cannes Film Festival screening. Many who watch the film note feeling discomfort in response to the score, which uses low-frequency osculations and effects, the kind that really resonates in the stomach, which coupled with the content (with extreme violence including sexual assault) makes for an uneasy viewing experience.
The Walk triggered viewers with a fear of heights
The Exorcist (1973)
Satanic shocker The Exorcist is one of the better-known early examples of a movie provoking a truly physical response in some viewers. The film’s scenes of demonic possession are still fairly shocking today, and audiences back in 1973 were woefully unprepared. After widespread reports (and some documented footage) of cinema patrons passing out cold, many theaters are said to have kept ambulances nearby.
The self-amputation scene of 127 Hours was too much for some
Often it’s the true stories that affect audiences, and Aron Ralston’s story is as real and excruciating as it gets. Hiking alone in a Utah mountain range, Ralston’s arm became pinned by a loose rock, eventually forcing him to sever his own arm with a penknife. Three viewers fainted at the premiere, with one reportedly suffering a seizure.
A woman died watching The Passion Of The Christ’s crucifixion scene
Mel Gibson’s 2004 film The Passion Of The Christ prompted huge controversy, thanks in no small part to its unflinchingly graphic depiction of the slow, torturous death of Jesus. The crucifixion scene caused a 56-year-old woman from Kansas to suffer a fatal heart attack. One Christian news site suggested this happened as a result of the imagery, claiming the woman had no prior health conditions.
A man died after watching The Conjuring II – then his body vanished
Although nothing exceptionally gory happens in 2016’s The Conjuring II, a man from the Indian state of Tamil Nadu started experiencing chest pains while watching the horror sequel, and sadly later died in hospital. What makes this particularly spooky as that, according to a report from The Guardian, both the man’s body and the person transporting it vanished afterwards.
Screenings of Pink Flamingos supplied audiences with ‘barf bags’
Director John Waters’ 1972 film Pink Flamingos was seemingly made with the expressed purpose of making viewers feel sick. An official ‘Pink Phlem-ingo’ barf bag was handed out at screenings, as audiences gagged through scenes containing vomit, dog excrement and un-simulated sexual activity. Though censored and/or banned in some countries, Pink Flamingos also sits in the US National Film Registry for its cultural significance.