Too gross. Too creepy. Too sad… or just too bad. Sometimes a film dishes out more
than we can handle. Whether it’s crazy camera work or unbearable scenes, there are plenty
of reasons that audiences prematurely head to the exits. Here are a few films that were
just too hard to sit through.
The Walk
Even seasoned film critics and industry insiders felt the dizzying effects of French daredevil
Philippe Petit walking a tightrope between Manhattan's Twin Towers in 2015’s The Walk.
The 3D bio-pic recreates the notorious 1974 stunt in ways that past mediums, including
a memoir and a documentary, could not - and that included making people leave the theater
to vomit. CBS News even advised people to avoid large meals before attending a screening,
reporting that at least 10% of audiences were getting physically ill.
All previous footage of Petit's heartstopping stroll between the skyscrapers, which he completed
eight times over 45 minutes without a safety net or harness, was captured from the ground
or the buildings. "The thing that neither the book nor the documentary could do was
actually put the audience up on the wire with Philippe," Director Robert Zemeckis told Vanity
Fair. "We did. And that is what movies are all about." That and, apparently, barfing.
Freaks
Director Tod Browning's pre-code horror film about a 1932 circus proved so shocking that
the original copies were pulled from theaters and destroyed, along with Browning's career.
In the movie, a gorgeous trapeze artist plans to marry and then stop the leader of a group
of sideshow performers to gain his inheritance. The plot pits the "normal" members of the
circus against the "freaks." Browning made the bold choice of casting real circus folk
with abnormalities to play the sideshow performers.
Viewers were supposed to come away with the message that one's looks do not equate to
one's morality, but things didn’t go as planned. "It is impossible for the normal
man or woman to sympathize with the aspiring midget," said a contemporary review in Variety.
The Hollywood Reporter called it "an outrageous onslaught upon the feelings, the senses, the
brains and the stomachs of an audience." Mass walkouts ensued. The film was banned in the
UK, and according to the book Horror Movie Freak, one woman threatened to sue MGM, claiming
the movie made her miscarry.
Comparatively, it's hard to comprehend that level of loathing among today's audiences.
American Horror Story: Freak Show took home five Emmys in 2015. What a difference a day
makes.
127 Hours
In 2003, outdoorsman Aron Ralston became trapped in a slot canyon in Utah for 127 hours, his
right arm pinned by a boulder. To escape, he sawed off his own arm with a dull pocketknife.
In 2010, Director Danny Boyle released a movie starring James Franco about the true story,
but when viewers arrived at that pivotal scene, many couldn't hack it. Movieline compiled
reports of fainting, vomiting, and seizures at film festivals and screenings across the
country.
Franco told Vulture, "It's meant to be an intense, personal, immersive experience. And
when he cuts off his arm, maybe it feels like it's happening to you." Despite the suffering
of moviegoers, the film was nominated for six Academy Awards, including best picture
and best actor, so let’s give the film a hand. It really needs one.
Irreversible
Don't be ashamed if this controversial 2002 French film makes you want to curl up in the
fetal position. Critic Roger Ebert gave the movie three stars, but also called it "so
violent and cruel that most people will find it unwatchable." He was right, but it wasn't
just the brutality that overwhelmed audiences; there was also a scientific explanation for
their abhorrence. Director Gaspar Noé added low-frequency background noise to the soundtrack
of his revenge thriller.
Though such extreme bass waves are inaudible to humans, the BBC reported that infrasound
can induce anxiety, extreme sorrow, heart palpitations and shivering. "Naturally-occurring
infrasound has been associated with areas of supernatural activity, as well as being
produced prior to natural disasters, such as storms and earthquakes."
"Our response to certain kinds of noise is something so profound in us that we can't
switch it off," science writer Philip Ball told the BBC. "Film composers know that and
use it to shortcut the logical part of our brain and get straight to the emotional centres."
The Paranormal Activity franchise and other horror movies have allegedly used this tactic
as well, so the next time you're watching a movie between your fingers, don't fault
your courage. Blame the fear frequency.
Tree of Life
While film scholars called Tree of Life a masterpiece, the man on the street asked for
his money back. Terrence Malick's experimental drama explores many themes: the creation of
the world, the meaning of life, the conflict between science and religion, and the bond
between family... which is a lot for any movie to handle. Tree of Life dropped the ball.
Maybe it was just too much for the average date night, because folks left the movie in
droves. They weren't scared or grossed out. They just didn't like it.
Despite an 85% Metacritic rating, disputes about refunds arose, and theaters scrambled
to make their policies clear. According to The New York Times, The Avon Theater in Connecticut
posted a sign urging customers to "read up on the film before choosing to see it" because
it was not issuing refunds. Other cinemas agreed to reimbursements for those who left
within 30 minutes, and Brad Pitt laughed all the way to the bank.
Cloverfield
If this 2008 found-footage horror film makes you lose your lunch, fear not, you're not
alone. So many people got sick during screenings that some cinemas began posting warning signs.
In the movie, six Manhattan millennials are attending a party when a gigantic monster
attacks the city. Their experience is documented on a personal video camera later recovered
by the U.S. Department of Defense. The footage is so jerky that bucketfuls of popcorn were
regurgitated in cinema seats, bathrooms... and the expanse of floor between the seats
and the bathrooms.
Because instances of nausea were so prevalent, WebMD even wrote an article about the specific
motion sickness phenomenon, stating, "While watching Cloverfield, viewers were sitting
still in their seats, so their inner ear was telling their body they were motionless. But
the bumpy camera movements—and their eyes—misled them into thinking they were moving erratically."
Similar side effects occurred during screenings of The Blair Witch Project in 1998.
Fortunately, Cloverfield's first quasi-spinoff, the 2016 hit 10 Cloverfield Lane, dispensed
with the jiggly camera work, opting for good old-fashioned jiggly John Goodman instead.
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