Everything we know about actor suing over nude scene which caused people to vomit in cinemas

An actress who starred in a movie franchise that made cinema viewers physically sick is now suing over a nude scene.

On Sunday (October 26), the Terrifier star Catherine Corcoran filed to sue director Damien Leone, producer Phil Falcone and several production companies on a raft of allegations, from unpaid profits to distributing a sexually explicit nude scene of her without proper consent.

The horror movie series, which was launched in 2016 on a shoestring budget, shot to fame for its gore, special effects and brutal kill scenes. Its 2022 sequel caused some viewers to pass out and vomit right in their seats.

However, almost a decade since Corcoran's on-screen demise as Dawn Emerson, the actress has been battling the franchise for disputes over pay and sexual harassment.

Having filed in a California federal court this week, her attorneys claim the case lends to an 'all-too-common story of low budget film producers taking advantage of a young actress through fraud, sexual harassment and ultimately, betrayal'.

Alongside Leone and Falcone, Dark Age Cinema and Fuzz on the Lens Productions have also been named in the suit.

A lawyer for Leone said he denied all the claims.

The actress has filed a claim for unpaid profits (Epic Pictures)

Here's everything we know about the case so far:

Royalty payments

According to the legal action, Corcoran says she is owed one percent of all franchise profits, covering box office, streaming, merchandise and other revenues, based on a deal she allegedly made in 2015 to make up for her low daily rate during the first movie, which was the-then minimum rate of $100 per day.

The slasher movie soon snowballed into a multi-million-dollar cult classic, with all three movies collectively grossing more than $105 million at the global box office.

Yet despite its lucrative success, Corcoran claims she had only received intermittent royalty payments following the sequel premiere in 2022, totalling around $8,300 before ceasing entirely in July 2024.

She says these payments 'became more and more sporadic and dwindled to amounts nowhere near commensurate.'

When approaching Leone and Falcone about the matter, she claims her concerns were 'brushed off.'

She claims she was suspended upside down while nude for more than 10 hours (Epic Pictures)

The nude scene

Her suit further alleges legal violations over the distribution of sexually explicit material, namely her famous nude scene.

Corcoran can be seen hanging upside down by her ankles before her character is murdered by movie's famous villain, Art the Clown, played by David Howard Thornton.

Producers are required to obtain written consent for such scenes, which the actress said she never gave, breaching union regulations.

The star also claims she wasn't informed that she would be fully nude in the scene and was the only woman on set.

Corcoran claims she requested to wear underwear but was allegedly told she had to be topless for the scene.

Meanwhile, she claims Falcone further photographed her nude body when she was unable to move, being glued to plywood to create a silicone body cast, which she claims also violated her consent and basic regard for her safety and dignity.

Catherine also claims she was duct taped during the ordeal (Epic Pictures)

Union rules on nude scenes

According to media labor union, SAG-AFTRA, employment that involves nudity or simulated sex puts 'performers in uniquely vulnerable situations'.

"This work is, and always should be, something a performer is proud of and something they engage in willingly."

As part and parcel of this, they say performers should be given 'appropriate notice of nudity and simulated sex required from a role and audition process' and be provided with an 'opportunity to provide meaningful, written consent free of pressure or coercion.'

Workers should also be given 'written riders' that outline the nude or sex scene involved, and a 'safe and secure' working environment that is 'not detrimental to their health, safety, morals and career.'

The movie smashed the box office, though the actress claims to have received only minor royalties (Epic Pictures)

Injury and 'real rat feces'

Corcoran says being hung up by the ankles in the scene further caused her physical injury, including cranial swelling and eardrum damage.

She says filming the scene took 10 hours in below-freezing temperatures, all while her mouth was bound with real duct tape.

While Corcoran was at some point given a platform so she could lie horizontally, she spent much of the time hanging upside down.

Allegedly, real rat feces was also placed on her skin as part of a prosthetic effect, the suit continues.

Her lawyers claim the franchise 'would not exist' without her part (Alberto Rodriguez/Variety via Getty Images)

The series 'would not exist' without Corcoran

The Terrifier franchise not only made unprecedented box office success, but also raked in enormous profits from its merchandise, some of which Corcoran said featured her character, and again sometimes nude, allegedly without her consent.

Yet while profits skyrocketed, the actress said she received only 'pennies' in comparison.

Devin McRae, an attorney for Corcoran, said: "Were it not for Corcoran’s willingness to take a risk on this production and receive her compensation on the back-end, the series would not exist as it could not have been made on a shoe-string budget otherwise.

"However, when it came time to pay what was owed, the producers chose to cheat her.”

Larry Zerner, attorney representing Leone and Falcone, said in response: “Damien and Phil deny the claims in the complaint and will vigorously defend this lawsuit.”

UNILAD has previously reached out to Damien Leone, Phil Falcone, Dark Age Cinema and Fuzz on the Lens Productions for comment.