Have You Ever Walked Out On A Film?
Have you ever gone to see a movie... only to leave the theater halfway through? What movie did you see and why? Was it one of these 24 films—all notorious for making people walk out?
The Substance (2024)
The Substance, featuring stellar performances by Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley, might be one of the strongest films of 2024—but unfortunately, not everyone agrees.
Working Title Films, The Substance (2024)
The Substance (2024)
This film boasts some of the best body horror cinema has seen in a long time. According to The Independent, it is “a body horror that goes places even body horror aficionados will be shocked by”.
Working Title Films, The Substance (2024)
The Substance (2024)
The Substance has effectively polarized its viewers, with some giving it five stars across the board, while others have abandoned the screenings altogether.
Working Title Films, The Substance (2024)
The Exorcist (1973)
Does anyone ever forget the first time they watched The Exorcist? I remember being completely engaged, unable to turn away—and yet soaked in a cold sweat. However, if you had the opportunity to see the horror film when it first came out in 1973, your viewing experience may have been even more terrifying.
Sunset Boulevard, Getty Images
The Exorcist (1973)
The Exorcist was unlike anything anyone had seen on the big screen. Audiences were so horrified they ran out of the theater. But that wasn't all. People were screaming, fainting, and even experiencing panic attacks. Some even ended up in the hospital because they were so distressed.
Warner Bros., The Exorcist (1973)
The Exorcist (1973)
The religious and satanic themes in The Exorcist must have really hit a nerve with viewers. This, paired with a phenomenal soundtrack and grotesque special effects, made for one of the scariest films ever made.
Fight Club (1999)
Fight Club is one of the most beloved films to come out of the 90s—but most people forget that when it first came out, it wasn't met with the same enthusiasm it enjoys today.
Fight Club (1999)
At the Venice Film Festival, Fight Club received the nastiest response possible. Not only did people boo the film, but some people even walked out. The lead actors themselves, though, had a very different reaction.
Fight Club (1999)
Reportedly, while the chorus of boos filled the theater, Brad Pitt told his co-star Edward Norton, "That’s the best movie I’m ever going to be in". Both of them knew they had produced something very special. They just had to wait a little bit for the rest of the world to catch on.
Freaks (1932)
Released in 1932, Freaks is the oldest film on this list. With the plot centered on a carnival's sideshow performers, the film ended up casting truly disabled people in the roles. However, when it hit theaters, audiences couldn't believe their eyes.
Freaks (1932)
Freaks utterly failed at the box office and enraged viewers. People abandoned their seats and walked out on it. The frigid reception of the horror film effectively destroyed director Tod Browning's career. But that wasn't all.
Freaks (1932)
Though many countries banned Freaks for decades, appreciation for the film has come in renewed waves. The film's exploitation of its actors is still acknowledged, but some have argued that the representation of the characters is far more compassionate than most give it credit for. These days, it has become a cult classic.
Deadpool (2016)
Though Deadpool is a Marvel superhero movie, it is not made for kids. Even Ryan Reynolds made it clear to parents that this film was intended for mature audiences.
Deadpool (2016)
Deadpool, or Wade Wilson, has always been infamously unfiltered and crude. This didn't stop parents from expecting to see a family-friendly action flick—and some were horrified to discover that the superhero had the worst potty mouth imaginable.
Terrifier 3 (2024)
Terrifier 2 was already a brutal viewing experience, but somehow writer-director Damien Leon managed to make Terrifier 3 even more disturbing. The third installment follows the deranged villain, Art the Clown, during another one of his brutal rampages—this time, during the holiday season.
Fuzz on the Lens Productions, Terrifier 3 (2024)
Terrifier 3 (2024)
When people first watched Terrifier 3 at its UK premiere, the disgust was palpable. It took only five minutes before people started leaving the theater. The unspeakable horrors portrayed on screen were just too much for some people to bear. But this was exactly what Leon had aimed to accomplish.
Fuzz on the Lens Productions, Terrifier 3 (2024)
Terrifier 3 (2024)
Leon later shared, “I like to push it up to the line, then maybe step right over it and see if I can get away with something that you don’t typically see. But [I’m] conscious not to go too far in that direction, because then you could really lose yourself in a world of extreme distaste and alienate a large majority of the audience".
Fuzz on the Lens Productions, Terrifier 3 (2024)
Swiss Army Man (2016)
2016's Swiss Army Man really attracted audiences at the Sundance Film Festival. Everyone wanted to see a fun surrealist comedy starring none other than the Harry Potter actor Daniel Radcliffe. There was such high demand for seating that some people had to be turned away.
Swiss Army Man (2016)
However, once Swiss Army Man began playing, audiences quickly realized that this movie was not what they had signed up for. Radcliffe plays a dead man with chronic flatulence, who becomes a companion for a man who finds himself stranded on an island.
The wild premise turned a lot of people off and they began abandoning the screening.
A Clockwork Orange (1971)
1971's A Clockwork Orange is a praised Stanley Kubrick classic. But though cinephiles might be head over heels for it, the average viewer was likely deeply disturbed by what they saw.
Warner Bros., A Clockwork Orange (1971)
A Clockwork Orange (1971)
The film follows a man named Alexander DeLarge, who is one of the most chilling sociopaths imaginable. He actually enjoys hurting people and forcing himself on women. The difficult subject matter caused audiences to check out. What's more?
Theaters eventually stopped screening the film because it sparked a series of awful real-life offenses in England.
Warner Bros., A Clockwork Orange (1971)
Blue Is The Warmest Colour (2013)
Upon release, Blue Is the Warmest Colour was a major critical success. But though it snagged the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival, many audience members actually walked out of the screening.
Scope Pictures, Blue Is The Warmest Colour (2013)
Blue Is The Warmest Colour (2013)
You see, there is a very drawn-out explicit scene in the film that made some viewers very uncomfortable. And though this lesbian love story initially drew so much adoration, it wasn't long before it also ignited controversy.
Scope Pictures, Blue Is The Warmest Colour (2013)
Blue Is The Warmest Colour (2013)
Allegedly, director Abdellatif Kechiche terribly mistreated the cast and crew, including leading actresses Léa Seydoux and Adèle Exarchopoulos. For instance, the way he handled the film's intimate scenes drew intense criticism. These were the same scenes that had audiences so offended in the first place.
Scope Pictures, Blue Is The Warmest Colour (2013)
Reservoir Dogs (1992)
At this point, nobody goes to see a Quentin Tarantino film and thinks, "Well, this will be a warm and fuzzy viewing experience". In fact, Tarantino is known for including at least one utterly bone-chilling, gruesome scene—and Reservoir Dogs is no exception.
Miramax, Reservoir Dogs (1992)
Reservoir Dogs (1992)
When Reservoir Dogs screened during the Sitges Film Festival, five people stood up and left during the torture scene. Even the famous horror director Wes Craven walked out.
Miramax, Reservoir Dogs (1992)
Raw (2016)
2016's Raw is not for the faint of heart. Directed by Julia Ducournau, the film's main characters go to a veterinarian school and face a chilling hazing ritual. Though she's a vegetarian, she's made to consume raw meat for the very first time. But it gets worse.
Raw (2016)
Raw is an incredibly visceral film—affecting and hard to watch—and it really gets under your skin (no pun intended). The body horror takes an even darker turn when the main character develops a desire to consume human flesh.
The House That Jack Built (2018)
Director Lars Von Trier has a reputation for making films that are quite challenging to take in. The horror film he made in 2018, The House That Jack Built, truly disturbed audiences at the Cannes Film Festival.
Zentropa, The House That Jack Built (2018)
The House That Jack Built (2018)
During the Cannes Film Festival, over 100 people walked out of the theater showing The House That Jack Built—and for good reason. The plot focuses on a twisted serial killer who goes after women. The content was so gratuitous that people couldn't stomach it.
Zentropa, The House That Jack Built (2018)
Alien (1979)
Hopefully parents didn't bring their kids to Alien in the hopes of seeing another sci-fi adventure like Star Wars. After all, the gruesome scenes were enough to intimidate the average viewer.
Twentieth Century, Alien (1979)
Alien (1979)
One of the most defining moments from Alien occurs when an alien bursts out of the actor John Hurt's chest. For some viewers, it was too much to handle, so they opted to dip out of the screening.
Twentieth Century, Alien (1979)
Cats (2019)
When I heard that there was going to be a movie adaptation of the Broadway show Cats, I was excited, even hopeful. But like many other viewers, my expectations were almost immediately dashed.
Cats (2019)
While the musical definitely works on stage, in the film, the anthropomorphism of the cats is deeply unsettling. Something about the animation just didn't sit right. It was enough for many people to end their viewing experience early, including myself.
Cloverfield (2008)
2008's Cloverfield turned off audiences, not because of its content, but because of the style of filming. The "found footage" visuals were very shaky and nausea-inducing.
Cloverfield (2008)
Many who had been enjoying the viewing experience of Cloverfield couldn't make it to the end thanks to its very chaotic climax, which made some experience cinematic motion sickness.
The Neon Demon (2016)
It's hard to imagine that a film starring the beloved Elle Fanning could enrage viewers so much—but that's exactly what 2016's The Neon Demon accomplished at the Cannes Film Festival.
Space Rocket Nation, The Neon Demon (2016)
The Neon Demon (2016)
The psychological horror follows an LA model as she tries to make her way in the fashion industry. But reportedly, some viewers at Cannes were so unhappy, they screamed at the screen, booed, and even walked out.
Space Rocket Nation, The Neon Demon (2016)
The Neon Demon (2016)
Tim Robey—a film critic for The Telegraph—went so far as to call it the "most offensive film of the year". According to him, The Neon Demon included a particularly disturbing scene that did not have to be included at all.
Space Rocket Nation, The Neon Demon (2016)
Kuso (2017)
2017's Kuso has a strange and distressing plotline. Set in a fictional Los Angeles that has endured an earthquake, its citizens have become terribly mutated. One critic called it, "the grossest film ever made"—and it seems that many viewers agreed.
At the Sundance Film Festival, it only took 10 minutes of footage for people to start leaving the theater.
Brainfeeder Films, Kuso (2017)
Mother! (2017)
Darren Aronofsky is known for making films with surreal and disturbing elements, but his 2017 film mother! drew some harsh criticism.
Mother! (2017)
During some of the screenings of mother!, audience members not only walked out of the theater, but they also complained and asked for refunds. It was the violence that caused the most controversy.
Mother! (2017)
On the Rotten Tomatoes website, the critics consensus reads, "There's no denying that mother! is the thought-provoking product of a singularly ambitious artistic vision, though it may be too unwieldy for mainstream tastes".
The Blair Witch Project (1999)
The Blair Witch Project was destined to make an impression. It's a horror film shot in a "found footage" style, following the experiences of three students who disappear in a forest while filming a documentary.
Summit, The Blair Witch Project (1999)
The Blair Witch Project (1999)
The film had excellent marketing, so audiences were already excited to see it before it even came to theaters. However, they were in for a double whammy. Not only was the film downright terrifying, but it was also hard to watch.
Many had never seen a "found footage" film, so the filmmaking caused people to feel physically ill and dizzy.
Summit, The Blair Witch Project (1999)
Pulp Fiction (1994)
Pulp Fiction is considered one of Quentin Tarantino's best films, but when it first hit screens, not everyone agreed. By this time, the director was undoubtedly used to people walking out on his films.
In 2017, he spoke to The Guardian, sharing that when Reservoir Dogs came out, he "counted the walkouts".
Pulp Fiction (1994)
At the Cannes Film Festival, audiences made their dissatisfaction with Pulp Fiction known by booing it. The film won the festival's highest prize—the Palme d'Or—and people were not pleased with this decision.
Crimes Of The Future (2022)
David Cronenberg really made a splash in 2022 with his horror-drama Crimes of the Future. At its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival, some audience members were so disturbed by the film, they left the theater. However, those who made it to the end wound up praising it with a seven-minute standing ovation.
Serendipity Point Films, Crimes Of The Future (2022)
Crimes Of The Future (2022)
Crimes of the Future is undoubtedly a weird film. Its plot follows characters who are unable to experience pain. This, of course, invites the possibility for a number of grisly scenes, such as one unforgettable autopsy sequence. In the end, the gore proved to be too much for some festival-goers.
Serendipity Point Films, Crimes Of The Future (2022)
127 Hours (2010)
127 Hours was never going to be an easy watch. It's a grueling biopic following Aron Ralston, a canyoneer who became big news for a tragic reason. While canyoneering on his own, Ralston gets trapped when a boulder pins his right wrist.
127 Hours (2010)
Spoiler alert! The scene that caused audience members to lose their minds was when the main character has to amputate his own arm. Not fun. People were fainting. People were vomiting. For those unfamiliar with this real-life story, they were not prepared.
Irréversible (2002)
2002's Irréversible—a film by the controversial director Gaspar Noé—might be the film on this list to inspire the most dramatic reactions at the Cannes Film Festival.
Irréversible (2002)
Reportedly, 250 people left their screenings, while 20 people were in such distress—they fainted and were even administered oxygen. This was in response to a harrowing scene where a female character is brutally mistreated. However, this wasn't the only reason the film was so unsettling.
Irréversible (2002)
According to the director, the first half hour of the film featured a unique low-frequency sound intended to physically affect its viewers. These symptoms ranged from vertigo to nausea. That said, it's no wonder so many people gave up on it!
Joker: Folie À Deux (2024)
In 2019, Joker was one of the biggest films. Not only was it a box office success, but lead actor Joaquin Phoenix also snagged an Oscar for his impressive performance. However, its 2004 sequel came as a major shock to fans of the first film.
Warner Bros., Joker: Folie À Deux (2024)
Joker: Folie À Deux (2024)
When Joker: Folie à Deux hit theaters, fans and critics came at it with the most vicious reviews. Reportedly, many audiences even got vocal in their seats and booed it, while others chose to just throw in the towel, walking out before the halfway mark hit.
Warner Bros., Joker: Folie À Deux (2024)
Joker: Folie À Deux (2024)
For most people, the fact that the sequel was a full-blown musical rather than a deep-seated drama was its biggest weakness. According to Vanity Fair, the film was “startlingly dull, a pointless procedural that seems to disdain its audience".
