‘Happy Death Day’ Director Says There’s Been ‘Weird’ Sequel Talks

Happy Death Day director Christopher Landon has played down the idea of a third film.

The director of the 2017 black comedy slasher film “Happy Death Day” and its sequel, which premiered in 2019, revealed that while he is eager to begin writing a new script, he has had some unusual conversations with Universal Pictures and Blumhouse Productions.

He said, with a certain tone: “I didn’t compose the script as I prefer not to anticipate outcomes and jump the gun. However, I was prepared to begin writing it, but then it felt unusual somehow.

Initially, our plans were uncertain, with frequent changes from “we might do it” to “we won’t.” At some stage, there was even discussion about it potentially turning into a three-part series on the streaming platform Peacock, which seemed quite unusual.

I responded with something like, ‘Okay, I’m game. Whatever needs to be done.’ However, it disappeared and that was the end of it – a long time ago now.

Landon confessed that he’s still puzzled as to why a third part hasn’t been approved yet, given the achievement of the initial two Happy Death Day movies.

In the opening weekend, the initial movie grossed an impressive $125.5 million on a minimal investment of only $5 million, contrastingly, Happy Death Day 2U made $64.6 million against a production cost of $9 million.

Landon commented: “The experience has been intriguing since both films turned out to be financially profitable. This has led many of us, including the fans, to ponder why we didn’t get the chance to produce a third one.

“But I don’t control the purse strings, I don’t call those shots.”

“That’s entirely up to Blumhouse and Universal, if they have an appetite or interest in it.”

In January 2023, Landon acknowledged that the prospects of his suggested third movie becoming a reality were “becoming less likely.

At one point, he shared with Film: “The allure lies in the fact that my concept for the third film is not confined to any particular window or timeline… Therefore, I could produce it at any point, though as the years progress, I sense that our opportunities might be shrinking.

Landon acknowledged that there’s been “slight progress” over the last few years, but he finds it challenging to inspire the studio to genuinely think about turning his project into a trilogy.

10 Horror Movies So Extreme They Made People Physically Sick

1. The Last House on the Left (1972)

Today, Wes Craven is primarily associated with the thrilling, entertaining horror of “Scream” and “A Nightmare on Elm Street,” series he created that, despite their scary elements, carry a playful undertone. However, his directorial debut deviated significantly from this light-hearted approach and failed to spawn any lasting franchise attempts, except for one poorly received remake. The film, titled “The Last House on the Left,” is a brutal rape-revenge movie that caused quite a stir upon its release in 1972. Four years after the end of the Hays Code, which restricted graphic violence and gore on screen, Craven was given the freedom to depict the brutal acts of the film’s villains and heroes without censorship. The film’s promotional materials warned viewers, “To prevent fainting, keep repeating, ‘It’s only a movie…'”.

2. The Exorcist (1973)

If you’ve watched “The Exorcist”, you might recall scenes that left viewers feeling queasy, causing some to faint, vomit, or leave the theater prematurely. Reports also suggest that a few suffered heart attacks in their seats due to the intense fear. While today’s horror films may seem commonplace after years of pushing boundaries, back then, “The Exorcist” was unprecedented and still sends shivers down spines. A story circulated online about a woman who, allegedly distressed by the film, fainted, broke her jaw on the seat in front, and sued Warner Bros. for psychological trauma due to the use of subliminal messages in the movie. Whether it’s true or not, given the buzz around the film at the time, it seems plausible that such an event could have occurred.

3. The Blair Witch Project (1999)

The Blair Witch Project, known for its groundbreaking promotional campaign and realistic style that blurred the line between reality and fiction, was undeniably eerie. However, it wasn’t the unsettling climax or the gradual accumulation of fear that left viewers feeling lightheaded in their seats. Instead, it was the filmmaking itself that caused this sensation. The entire movie was shot using handheld cameras to mimic its distinctive found-footage home video style. This shaky camera work could even induce dizziness in some cinemas, leading certain theaters to post warnings about motion sickness for ticket holders.

4. Irréversible (2002)

At the Cannes Film Festival, films can sometimes become quite tumultuous, with boos and exits being frequent occurrences. However, the screening of Gaspar Noé’s movie, Irréversible, which included a distressing scene of violence involving Monica Bellucci, was an event that left attendees utterly unprepared. As many as 250 people chose to exit before the film ended, with some even requiring medical aid from local firefighters who had to administer oxygen to those who fainted. The film was labeled as “sick” and “gratuitous” by many of the walkouts, but it still garnered a five-minute standing ovation from those who persevered until the end.

5. Saw III (2006)

It’s not surprising to find “Saw III” on this list, given its gruesome traps. As reported by BBC, there were several instances where viewers in UK cinemas fainted during its premiere, with some requiring hospitalization via ambulance on a busy Friday night. A representative from the East of England Ambulance Service cautioned, “If you’re sensitive to gore, it might be best to stay away.” Thus, we can add causing a mass fainting among British moviegoers to Amanda’s long list of transgressions.

6. Antichrist (2009)

The film titled “Antichrist” stirred up quite a commotion during its pre-release festival rounds, not all of it pleasant. If you’ve seen the movie, you might recall the gruesome scenes that left viewers feeling queasy at TIFF and on the brink of panic at the subsequent New York Film Festival. Some spectators initially mistook these reactions for seizures. The screening was halted, police were summoned, and the affected individual was escorted out, yet he seemed unscathed shortly after. Minutes later, the movie resumed, with Charlotte Gainsbourg continuing her harrowing performance. Even when viewed at home, “Antichrist” is a film that could easily make one feel nauseous. In the heat and excitement of a glamorous film festival premiere where everyone’s sweaty and on edge? I suspect we would all faint too.

7. 127 Hours (2010)

It’s quite astonishing that among the films on this list, the one with the most verified instances of audience physical reactions isn’t a horror film, but rather 127 Hours. This movie stars James Franco as Aron Ralston, a mountaineer who resorted to self-amputation when his arm was pinned by a boulder. Yes, you read that right – the film does indeed show the entire procedure. The numerous accounts of audience members reacting physically during its festival run led Movieline to publish a timeline of fainting incidents, which included 16 faints, three seizures, one panic attack, and some unconfirmed instances of discreet vomiting. All this occurred before the movie was even officially released!

8. Prometheus (2012)

Without watching “Prometheus”, you might still be familiar with the intense scene towards the end involving Noomi Rapace performing an emergency C-section using a spaceship’s medical device due to the developing alien embryo threatening her life. This scene is so distressing that it caused one fan to faint, as they described in a detailed post following the movie’s release, stating they “flopped my head back with open eyes and hanging tongue for almost five minutes”, waking up later with numb limbs and blurred vision. It’s fortunate they didn’t have to escape from the hungry newborn alien after that fainting spell.

9. Titane (2021)

At the Sydney Film Festival premiere, the French body horror drama “Titane” left many Australian viewers feeling uneasy. The film’s disturbing scenes, such as a character masking their face by smashing it against a bathroom sink and explicit sexual content, led nearly 20 people to faint or leave early. One viewer who fainted recounted that the theater security guard had been particularly busy that night. Other attendees reported feeling nauseous, hungover, and suggesting that festivals should provide trigger warnings for films with extreme content like “Titane”.

10. Terrifier 3 (2024)

Similar to how ‘Saw’ earned its spot, it’s no wonder that a ‘Terrifier’ film found its place on this list. This slasher series is based on what can be described as gruesome entertainment provided by a sinister clown with poor dentistry, and following the initial buzz, it became something of a test of endurance for audiences to determine their tolerance for the series’ gory exploits. The latest installment, ‘Terrifier 3’, once again targeted the Aussies, leading two viewers to exit, both nearly collapsing as they tried to flee up the movie theater stairs from Art the Clown’s grisly actions, according to one report. Apparently, the film also caused a viewer in the UK to retch, which would undoubtedly bring even more delight to Art’s grotesque grin.

2025-03-27 17:24