Talk of audiences losing their composure during screenings are nothing new when it comes to horror movie marketing. Part of the reason Damien Leone’s “Terrifier 2” fared so well at the box office in 2022 was down to reports of audience fainting, vomiting, and even leaving screenings in ambulances. The optics, as they like to say, were perfect. “Terrifier 2” was seen as too brutal for even seasoned horror fans, and as such represented a challenge to those very fans. But again, this is hardly the first time this sort of thing has happened.

The idea that these films cause physical harm has been seen as a real USP for purveyors of horror throughout the history of cinema. All the way back in the 1950s, director William Castle actually offered audiences a $1,000 life insurance policy against “Death by Fright” for his 1958 film “Macabre.” Hardly the same as using vomiting as a reason to watch a film, but the same principle nonetheless.

In the case of “Longlegs,” you see the same thing but a much more tastefully restrained version. What’s more, reports of the film inducing some torturous physical reaction seem a lot more organic. Claims of the very atmosphere of “Longlegs” being enough to create a palpable sense of terror are much more widespread and coming from reputable sources such as this fine website itself. As such, you start to believe in the unique terror this film promises.