A new horror movie is so terrifying that people are fainting and vomiting

Terrifier 2 is taking horror cinema by storm. The low-budget slasher is reportedly causing people to faint and vomit at screenings – with the director shooting down suggestions that it’s all a marketing ploy.

"My friend passed out and the theater called an ambulance," one moviegoer reported of the horror sequel, which sees returning villain Art the Clown (David Howard Thornton) terrorize a teenage girl and her younger brother on Halloween night.

"Just saw Terrifier 2. It was an amazing gory mess," another said. "The guy behind me passed out cold [and] crashed into my chair, another guy left because he didn’t feel good…I heard a guy puking hard & loud in the bathroom."

Writer-director Damien Leone also took to Twitter to confirm that these reactions aren’t stunts to increase word of mouth.

"To everyone saying that reports of people fainting and puking during screenings of Terrifier 2 is a marketing ploy, I swear on the success of the film it is NOT," Leone wrote. "These reports are 100% legit. I wish we were smart enough to think of that!" Terrifier 2 producer Steve Barton had previously posted a warning that the film contains "graphic violence and brutal depictions of horror."

The reactions aren’t all squeamish, however. Others have praised the horror as a "masterpiece." One said, "It has been a long time since I have enjoyed a movie this much in the theaters. That high you get watching has to equal when Nightmare on Elm Street came out the first time. 10/10 perfect, perfect, perfect."

Terrifier 2 has been given a theatrical release at over 700 screens in the US and will be available on DVD and Blu-ray in the UK from October 24.

For more scary thrills and spills (hopefully without the need for sick bags), check out our curated list of the 30 best horror movies of all time.