Every film fan has had an experience once in their life where they’re so upset by a movie that they don’t want to finish it. While the age of streaming has made it easier to simply shut off a film before it’s completed, walking out of a theater is a major decision that cinephiles don’t take lightly. Even a bad movie is generally worth appreciating as a guilty pleasure, and walking out removes the possibility ofenjoying a potential camp classic.
However,there are many reasons audiences walk out of a movie they are anticipating. Sometimes, the level of gross content can be too much for them to handle. Other times, it’s all about the pace and execution, while other times, it has to do with the disturbing or overly realistic quality of the plot. Whatever the reason,these movies made people leave the theater, unable or unwilling to finish them.
10‘L’Avventura’ (1960)
Directed by Michaelangelo Antonioni
L’Avventuraisone of the best films thatMichelangelo Antonioniever made. It perfectly mixed a clever critique of capitalism with a twisty storyline that made audiences split on what they were supposed to think of the characters. While it has been subsequently accepted as an all-time classic, the debut ofL’Avventurawasmet with both boos and walkoutsfrom dejected cinephiles who viewedthe film as pretentious and upsetting.
Antonioni was not interested in pleasing viewers, and his willingness to subvert expectations established his reputation of being an uncompromising auteur.
As it turned out, many viewers simply didn’t want to spend time with self-absorbed characters in a film that putmore emphasis on atmosphere than narrative progression. Despite the initially divisive response,L’Aventurawas ahead of its time with its transgressive qualities. Antonioni was not interested in pleasing viewers, and his willingness to subvert expectations established his reputation as an uncompromising auteur dedicated to his unique visions.
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9‘A Clockwork Orange’ (1971)
Directed by Stanley Kubrick
Stanley Kubrickis known for courting controversy, butA Clockwork Orangesparked outrage from the moment that it was released. As one of the few major motion pictures of the time to get an X-rating in the United States,A Clockwork Orangeshocked viewers with itsgraphically violent and sexual content, including a very disturbing sexual assault scene and instance of torture.
Backlash and walkouts became so prevalent in the United Kingdom that KubrickremovedA Clockwork Orangefrom circulationso that he wouldn’t have to deal with the chaos. Time proved to be on Kubrick’s side, as the film ended up earning him Academy Award nominations for Best Picture and Best Director. Today, the message about the dangers of censorship and the inability of the government to curb youthful violence makeA Clockwork Orangefeel more relevant than it was during its initial release.
A Clockwork Orange
8‘The Exorcist’ (1973)
Directed by William Friedkin
The Exorcistwas one of the first horror films to be truly appreciated as a great work of art and not just a guilty pleasure that appealed to those seeking jump scares. DirectorWilliam Friedkin, who had a background working in documentary films, added a level of realism that madeThe Exorcistfeel more authenticthan most horror movies.
However, the makeup and visual effects inThe Exorcistproved to be so effective thatsome audiences literally became ill watching itand chose to leave the theater. It speaks to the brilliance of Friedkin’s vision thatThe Exorcistbecame such a cultural touchstone that itsparked debates about its content and themes. Although the content proved too much for some to handle,The Exorcistbecame very profitable and scored Academy Award nominations for Best Picture and Best Director.
The Exorcist
7‘Alien’ (1979)
Directed by Ridley Scott
Alienwas marketed off the premise that it was “Jawsin space,” serving as a combination of the horror genre with the space opera that had been popularized in the wake ofStar Wars. The most memorable scene inAlieninvolvesthe infamous chest burster, which took directorRidley Scottand his impressive makeup department many weeks to pull off convincingly.
Although it was a moment that was forever seared within the minds of impressionable moviegoers,the chest burster scene made some moviegoers ill,forcing them to leave the theaterbefore they could finish watching Scott’s masterpiece. While there are many disturbing moments in the largerAlienfranchise, including the infamous birth moment inPrometheus, no other scene has sparked quite as visceral of a reaction from audiences as the iconic moment in the immortal 1979 classic.
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6‘Reservoir Dogs’ (1992)
Directed by Quentin Tarantino
Reservoir Dogsset a high standard forQuentin Tarantino’s career, proving that he was not afraid to include the sort of graphic content that could never be allowed in non-independent efforts.Reservoir Dogsis a very entertaining film filled with memorable dialogue, butthe infamous ear-cutting scene proved too disturbing for viewers with light stomachs.
Even though he created all-time great scary movies likeA Nightmare on Elm StreetandScream, directorWes Cravenwalked out ofReservoir Dogsbecause he felt the scene was unnecessary and exploitative.Reservoir Dogsbecame just one of the controversial moments in Tarantino’s career. Although theKill Billfilms andDjango Unchainedalso sparked backlash due to the graphic violence, they didn’t experience the sort ofmass walkouts thatReservoir Dogsdid with its debut.
Reservoir Dogs
5‘The Blair Witch Project’ (1999)
Directed by Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sánchez
The Blair Witch Projectchanged horror cinema forever due to the innovative use of the found footage technique, which made it look like it was an assemblage of documentary footage. The realism thatThe Blair Witch Projectmaintained, along with a clever marketing campaign, made some viewers think that they were witnessingfootage of an actual camping tripthwarted by supernatural forces.
Debates on whether or not it was “real” ended up making it one of the most profitable independent films ever made. The use of found footage camera work proved to be too shaky and erratic for some viewers, wholeft the theaterbecause they were beginning to feel ill. While the found footage subgenre has evolved significantly since the release ofThe Blair Witch Project,no horror movie has managed to spark the same amount of motion sickness.
The Blair Witch Project
4‘Swiss Army Man’ (2016)
Directed by Daniel Scheinert and Daniel Kwan
Swiss Army Manis the definition of a film that is not for everyone.While some fans appreciate the strange philosophy and gross-out comedy of writer/directorsDaniel ShwinhertandDaniel Kwan, others find them rudimentary and sophomoric.Swiss Army Manfollows a lonely drifter (Paul Dano)who befriends a talking corpse (Daniel Radcliffe) who won’t stop farting.
While some reviewers found it hilarious,Swiss Army Manexperienced a record-setting number of walkoutswhen it debuted at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2016. It’s not everyone’s cup of tea, but the film was picked up by A24, who ended up producing the directors’ next project,Everything Everywhere All At Once, a more commercial hit that became the highest-grosser in the company’s short history.
Swiss Army Man
3‘The Neon Demon’ (2016)
Directed by Nicholas Winding Refn
Nicolas Winding Refnis another director known for pushing the boundaries when it comes to content, andThe Neon Demonmay be the single most divisive film of his career thus far.A coming-of-age horror fableset within the world of Los Angeles fashion,The Neon Demoncontains such graphic sequences of cannibalism that many viewers at the Cannes Film Festival chose toleave the theaterin disgust.
Depending on which cinephile you ask,The Neon Demonis either a work of madcap genius or an indulgent messthat satisfies Refn’s worst impulses as an artist.Some viewers chose to walk out because the graphic content was simply too much for them to handle, but others were so irritated by Refn’s pretentious style that they couldn’t bear to sit in the theater any longer than necessary.
2‘The House That Jack Built’ (2018)
Directed by Lars Von Trier
Lars Von Trieris yet another filmmaker who has made a habit of offending audiences with his morose, disturbing films about the frailty of human existence. While classics likeDancer in the DarkandDogvillewere celebrated even by skeptics,The House That Jack Builtimmediately courted controversyand walkoutswhen it premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in 2018.The film is a darkly comedic story about a serial killer (Matt Dillon) who tries to mask his crimes while murdering women.
The controversy surroundingThe House That Jack Builtwas an effective marketing techniquethat drew more eyeballs to the film than it would have likely received otherwise. An “unrated” version that was not trimmed to receive an R-rating from the MPAA was even released in theaters as a limited event, despite concerns from Von Trier’s detractors.
The House That Jack Built
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1‘Crimes of the Future’ (2022)
Directed by David Cronenberg
Anyone familiar with the work ofDavid Cronenbergshould have probably known better than to expect his films to be safe, as he has frequently includedshocking moments of body horrorwithin his films.Crimes of the Futurecourted controversy when it made its debut at the Cannes Film Festival in 2022,as anintense operation scene on the corpse of a child caused manyviewers to walk out.
However, those who walked out ofCrimes of the Futurewere missing a real gem that may be Cronenberg’s best film sinceEastern Promisesin 2007.Crimes of the Futureis a film about the lengths that an artist will go to complete their passion projects, so it’s a little ironic that Cronenberg’s most personal film to date ended up being dejected by some audiences.
