Art the Clown is scaring audiences out of the theaters.
The first official screening of “Terrifier 3,” the latest project from Damien Leone’s horror-slasher series that follows a sadistic killer clown, took place on Wednesday in the United Kingdom.
The film’s distributor, Signature Entertainment, wrote on X that movie theater staff “reported 11 people walking out and 1 person vomiting” during the screening.
“If the #Terrifier3 event impacted you please let us know if you need more support at this time,” the distribution company wrote in its statement. The message was shared alongside a post from the movie’s official X account that showed an image displaying a warning for “extreme violence and excessive gore.”
It read: “If you are feeling unwell, please find a member of staff. Staff trained in first aid are on site.”
Meanwhile, LADbible reported that 11 audience members left during the film with nine of those people exiting during the opening scene. The outlet claimed that one audience member vomited, per the movie’s public relations team.
Leone shared that article on his X account, replying to the claims that he “did personally witness some crazy stuff at this UK screening.”
In the past, the filmmaker admitted that the movie was so gory that Hollywood turned it away.
“I got to meet with studios, like legit Hollywood studios, who wanted to make ‘Terrifier 3,’ he said, per LADbible. “But before I even had a script, just having meetings and getting the feel that I was going to have eyes over my shoulders, and they were concerned about the levels of gore and this and that.”
Leone added, “I knew they weren’t going to let me make this movie based on the first five pages. Like, that’s how insane ‘Terrifier 3’ is.”
“Mark my words,” he continued. “I guarantee you the first five minutes of this movie is going to be very controversial. But that’s not even the big kill scene. So that’s why I was like, I need to just make this movie on my own, because it’s too insane.”
Touching on Art the Clown’s killing spree, Leone explained that if you thought his “reign of terror in part two was extreme, you haven’t seen anything yet.”
The “Terrifier” films revolve around Art the Clown as he terrorizes teenagers, with actress Lauren LaVera playing the starring role in both the second and third installments. The latest movie is set on Christmas Eve.
Meanwhile, fans getting ill and leaving the theater is nothing new for the “Terrifier” franchise, which began in 2016. By the second film in 2022, the box office performance saw a major increase that appeared to be related to reports of audience members passing out and vomiting at screenings.
In October 2022, Leone claimed those reports were “100% legit” in response to a user who thought it was a publicity stunt for the movie’s marketing plan.
The films are financed by Cineverse and its subsidiary Bloody Disgusting, who reported on Friday that minors under age 18 have been banned from admittance into “Terrifier 3” screenings in France.
The company described the ban as “the equivalent of” the United States’ NC-17 rating.
According to Variety, Leone confirmed that he will make a fourth film during the movie’s premiere at Fantastic Fest in Austin, Texas, on Sept. 19.
“Terrifier 3” hits theaters on Oct. 11.
This post was originally posted by NYPost
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