In this post we listed Top 10 Horror Movies that made audiences walk out of theaters: How does a low-budget slasher about a silent killer clown become such a sensation at the theaters? Terrifier 2 was only supposed to have a limited release, but ever since Art the Clown hit the big screen, he has taken over cinemas and rendered movies like Halloween Ends and Smile into an afterthought. The silent clown is carving a name for himself in the most graphic way possible. The film is so brutal that, per The Los Angeles Times, it has moviegoers screaming, crying, and throwing up in the theaters. It’s so intense that many viewers fail to make it to the end.
It’s not often that a horror movie comes along and is too intense to be screened in full. The Exorcist was notably one such film that was said to have viewers storming out in fear. It’s even been said that ambulances were called because of people having seizures. The films on this list are some of the most intense horror movies to ever hit the big screen. Whether they are terrifying, pulse-pounding, or just outright gross, these movies have chased viewers out of the room for one reason or another. Everyone’s looking to test themselves this season, and these movies are guaranteed to push the fear threshold just as much as the gag reflex. Here are the top ten horror movies that had audiences leaving the theater.
Here is the list of Top 10 Horror Movies That Made Audiences Walk Out of Theaters
Titane
Julia Ducournau’s recent follow-up to her film Raw is a glitzy yet bizarre tale that graphically explores the body horror subgenre. Titane follows Alexia, a dancer for an underground car show, who received a metal plate in her head following a car accident as a child. As an adult, she impersonates a boy to escape her murderous past. Also, a spate of grisly murders terrorizes the city, leading a distraught fire chief to a reunion with his son he has not seen in a decade. These are the plot points from which Titane was promoted, but no one in the theaters was ready to see a woman having sex with a car, let alone the disturbing self-abortion scene later on. It’s understandable why viewers weren’t able to finish this film. Although the abortion was performed off-camera, the squelching and thumping noises and the pained look on Alexia’s face are disturbing. Even without these moments, there’s also a heap of gore and disturbing imagery to keep viewers up at night. The movie is still on Hulu, but it’s not for the squeamish.
The Devil’s Rejects
The Devil’s Rejects was Rob Zombie’s bloody follow-up to his debut film House of 1000 Corpses and was just as brutal to watch as its predecessor. The Firefly family returned for another blood-soaked rampage while being pursued by a vengeful sheriff willing to stop the murderous gang by any means necessary. Although The Devil’s Rejects relies on the same gore and violence as the first film, Zombie decided to switch up the formula this time. Rather than relying on bloody shock value, he instead focused on more emotionally upsetting scenes, like the one where a woman was forced to wear her husband’s carved-off face. Critics praised Zombie for this turn, but many viewers were left upset by the family’s relentless degeneracy, causing them to walk out before the closing minutes. If there’s one thing Zombie knows, it’s gross violence, and this is arguably his best work.
The House That Jack Built
Director Lars Von Trier has become known for his hard-to-sit-through movies throughout his career, so it makes sense that The House That Jack Built would be a movie made only for those with strong constitutions. This film sees Matt Dillon play a particularly sadistic serial killer who primarily hunts women to kill by graphic, no-holds-barred means. Anyone who thought Netflix’s Dahmer was bad would be appalled to see this film if they can make it to the end. The movie is said to have led to over 100 walk-outs at the Cannes Film Festival, with many uttering their disgust towards the film. From there, news spread quickly, putting this movie’s name on the lips of many horror enthusiasts. Most have probably only seen the theatrical cut, but IFC Films got in trouble for its release of the unrated cut not long before the film’s wide release, further adding to Jack’s notoriety. How does the saying go: Controversy creates cash?
Raw
Ducournau returns to the list with her infamous debut film, Raw. This stomach-churning movie follows a vegetarian college student who gets more than she bargains for when she attends a hazing ritual that sees her forced to ingest raw meat. This, in turn, awakens a cannibalistic desire for flesh that begins to consume the young woman’s life. However, she soon discovers that she is not the only one of her kind. Reviewers were impressed by the director’s feature debut for her art style and ghastly make-up effects. They would have to be pretty good for the film to have gained the notoriety it has since its release. Those able to sit through this film may be able to appreciate Ducournau’s unique aesthetic and storytelling, but she certainly did not make it easy.
Audition
When widower Shigeharu decides it’s time to get back into the dating scene, rather than going out to meet people, he instead holds auditions for a new girlfriend. The results see him meet Asami, a sad girl who, on some level, can empathize with his pain. The two initially hit it off well, but that’s because Shigeharu made a massive oversight in overlooking the red flags in her resume. It’s a mistake that he soon pays for as he learns the hard way what happened to everyone else in her life. Audition is notorious in J-Horror and earned director Takashi Miike the most prestigious prize at the Rotterdam Film Festival. Many in attendance for the movie screenings didn’t take as kindly to it, with one woman, in particular, telling the director, “You’re evil!” Audition is a slow-burn mystery, but the climax is intense enough to make anyone gape in horror. But it did inspire the likes of Eli Roth, John Landis, and Rob Zombie, so perhaps it’s worth a try.
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre
Tobe Hooper’s The Texas Chainsaw Massacre from 1974 arguably put slashers on the map. In this film, we see Sally Hardesty and her friends traveling through Texas when they find themselves short on gas. When the local pumps are empty, they soon find themselves at the residence of the Sawyer family, a clan of cannibals who kill tourists for consumption. Doing the dirty work is Leatherface, the family’s chainsaw-wielding butcher who soon makes short work of Sally’s friends. The brazen butchery of this film proved too much for moviegoers all across the world and was banned in many countries. It originally had an X-rating from the MPAA, and it’s not hard to see why. The murder scenes were way ahead of their time. One particular kill lives in infamy and sees the brutish Leatherface impale one of the characters onto a meat hook to later be slaughtered, but not before she’s forced to watch the infamous murderer kill one of her friends with his trusty chainsaw.
Grindhouse
From the visionary minds of Quinton Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez comes Grindhouse, a hard-hitting double feature full of blood, guts, and bullets — everything a horror fan could ask for. The first film in this combo pack sees a dancer and her ex-boyfriend leading a group of survivors as they try to outrun a deadly pathogen that turns townsfolk into mindless psychopaths. The second sees women face off with the deranged stuntman who stalks them in his souped-up murder cars. Both films were every bit the horrifying joyride one would expect from their blood-thirsty directors, but unfortunately, fans had no idea what they were getting into. It wasn’t gore or disturbing visuals that caused viewers to walk out of the theaters, but it was the fact that they didn’t know they were supposed to stay after the first film. Upon realizing their mistake, the directors had their respective movies sold separately, but the damage had already been done. Because moviegoers didn’t understand what they were watching, Grindhouse became a massive box-office bomb.
Martyrs
In the number three spot comes what is widely regarded as one of the most unsparingly violent movies to be made. In it, we see two women on the hunt for revenge against the people who had previously kidnapped and tortured them years prior. However, in doing so, they may very well be delivering themselves right back into the hands of the people who ruined their lives. Pascal Laugier’s Martyrs features some of the most depraved and extremely violent scenes ever put to film. One scene, in particular, sees a character flayed alive to force her to reach a higher plane. Another sees a woman unintentionally removing her scalp. An American remake was made in 2016, and it’s arguably just as relentless as the original.
The Hills Have Eyes (2006)
It’s not often that a remake outdoes its predecessor, and this one arguably does. The Hills Have Eyes from 2006 kept the story of 1977 original, but ramped up the violence tenfold. Viewers watch as a family finds themselves stranded in the middle of the desert after falling prey to a trap laid by a family of mutated cannibals. That same night, they are viciously attacked, but manage to escape with their lives. However, if they hope to make it home, they’ll have to fight back. The visceral bloodshed and mutant deformities alone were enough to make viewers uncomfortable, but what really sent them over the edge was the assault sexual assault of women, one of which was done with a baby held at gunpoint. The film is made to make those watching feel uncomfortable and isolated throughout, so don’t be surprised at the need for a shower after viewing. Some viewers may have been outraged at the more violent aspects of the movie, but the point was to be scared.
The Exorcist
The number one spot goes to the movie that was literally putting people in the hospital. The Exorcist follows an actress struggling to save her daughter after she’s possessed by a malevolent spirit. The demon tortures the young Regan relentlessly, contorting and violating her body for weeks. It’s up to Father Damian Karras to save the young girl’s soul, but what will it cost? Nearly 50 years later, this film is still terrifying viewers. The movie used sympathy for a young girl to scare the daylights out of people as violence against children was, and still is, considered a taboo in horror. It also drew heavily on religious beliefs to further terrify. As said before, the film was so intense that people were not just fleeing the theaters — they were having seizures. This became common enough that paramedics had to be put on standby. While many can debate whether or not this movie holds up by modern standards, there’s no denying the impact The Exorcist had on the horror genre at large. Many notable films may not have been made if not for this movie, and all it cost was a lot of angry moviegoers and a few trips to the hospital.
