This Horror Movie Is Causing Viewers To Leave The Theater And Throw Up
The violence and disturbing images in the horror movie The Outwaters are so bad that audience members have had to leave the movie theater to throw up.
By now, we’re all well aware of the fact that some horror movies are too much to stomach — we saw the controversy that The Exorcist generated upon its release in 1973, and then we saw it again in the early 2000s when ultra-violent films such as the Saw franchise, and Eli Roth’s Hostel were making their rounds. As much as we can become desensitized to graphic violence and disturbing images, The Outwaters, which hit cinemas just over three weeks ago, has set a new standard for what’s to be considered unsettling. A recent Mirror article reports that people had to step out of the theater to go throw up due to the disturbing nature of the Robbie Banfitch-directed found-footage film.
There’s something about the found footage sub-genre of horror that makes films more disturbing. We all experienced the phenomenon known as The Blair Witch Project, which followed a group of teens through the creepy Burkittsville, Maryland woods. It was the shaky camera and the implication that the fear that we’re seeing on tape is real that made the film such a legendary example of found footage. The Paranormal Activity franchise has also had a similar effect on audiences for the same reasons. The Outwaters is simply carrying the torch into new territory, and we’re here for it!
The Outwaters follows four main cast members – Robbie, Angela, Scott, and Michelle – and is centralized around footage that was found on SD cards from their cameras. The audience is taken through a harrowing account of their last moments as they were documented on their personal cameras, and the lines between reality and their perception of reality are blurred. Not only is there disturbing imagery of what happened to the four friends in the form of disembodied heads stuck on pikes, but the jarring sound design has been reported to make audience members feel uncomfortable to the point where their heart rates were elevated, and their stomachs felt sick.
It’s one thing to be disturbed by images on a screen, but when the sound design is disorienting, as well as the footage, it takes films like The Outwaters to a whole new level. Twitter user @OhGollyGeeWhat went on record stating, “The Outwaters is possibly the most upsetting movie I’ve ever watched, and I mean that as a compliment.”
Other Twitter users have expressed similar sentiments, like @soundslikerayne, who said, “I don’t really have words at the moment for how scared this film made me. I’m so excited to watch it again. Just holy [expletive].”
For those of you who aren’t familiar with Robbie Banfitch’s work but are intrigued by The Outwaters, you might want to give the rest of his catalog a look. The Outwaters is a culmination of other disturbing past works that he has contributed to, such as Advent, a short about a psychic experiencing horrifying visions while on a walk. White Light, which is another short film produced by Banfitch, occupies similar territory involving mental episodes that blur the line between reality and perception.
While The Outwaters continues to build on Banfitch’s already disturbing style, avid horror fans can only wish we’ll see more films that occupy this territory. Despite its unsettling nature, this bloodbath of a film has seen a 71 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, and only time will tell us what kind of impact The Outwaters will truly have in the long run. So if you’re interested in checking it out, we suggest bringing a barf bag and maybe ordering a ginger ale at the concession stands if you’ve got a weak stomach.
