Catherine Corcoran, who starred in a notoriously grisly scene in the franchise's maiden outing, is alleging fraud and sexual harassment. Why actress in infamous

Catherine Corcoran, who starred in a notoriously grisly scene in the franchise's maiden outing, is alleging fraud and sexual harassment.

Why actress in infamous Terrifier scene is suing the film

Catherine Corcoran, who starred in a notoriously grisly scene in the franchise's maiden outing, is alleging fraud and sexual harassment.

By Ryan Coleman

Ryan Coleman

Ryan Coleman is a news writer for with previous work in MUBI Notebook, Slant, and the LA Review of Books.

EW's editorial guidelines

October 27, 2025 10:12 p.m. ET

Leave a Comment

David Howard Thornton and Catherine Corcoran in 'Terrifier'. Credit:

Catherine Corcoran, the star of an infamous scene from the first entry in the bloody *Terrifier *franchise, is suing the film's producers, alleging fraud and sexual harassment.

A lawsuit filed in California federal court on Sunday and obtained by * *characterizes Corcoran's alleged ordeal as "an all-too-common story of low budget film producers taking advantage of a young actress," and failing to make good on their contractual commitment to Corcoran's continued compensation now that the ultra-low-budget franchise has become an uber- profitable Hollywood success.

The major claims contained within Corcoran's lawsuit allege that producer Phil Falcone, director Damien Leone, and three production companies behind the film agreed that Corcoran would receive one percent of the profits from any and all *Terrifier *films and related merchandise, having compromised on a low daily rate of the Screen Actors Guild's $100 daily minimum. Additionally, the complaint claims that Falcone and Leone failed to obtain written consent from Corcoran before several nude scenes — a direct violation of another stipulation in her contract.

* *has reached out to representatives for Falcone and Leone.

Catherine Corcoran as Dawn in 'Terrifier'.

Corcoran played a secondary but significant role in the first *Terrifier *film, which was released in 2016. Her Dawn Emerson is the best friend of protagonist Tara Heyes (Jenna Kanell). After Tara is finally captured by the franchise's arch-villain, Art the Clown (David Howard Thornton), he tortures her by forcing her to watch him suspend Dawn upside down by her ankles and saw her in half.

***Get your daily dose of entertainment news, celebrity updates, and what to watch with our EW Dispatch newsletter.***

The lawsuit documents some of the extreme details of the scene's specs, including "long hours in below freezing temperatures in condemned buildings, all without heat and some without bathrooms," Leone allegedly "placing prosthetics with actual rat feces on Corcoran's skin and real duct tape over her mouth," and a "long, painful process" to unstick Corcoran from a piece of plywood she'd been made to lie on to create a silicone body cast.

Corcoran claims Leone and Falcone never received her written consent to film that scene in the nude, and though they acquiesced when she pushed them to be able to don underwear, they told her she was "required" to shoot topless. She also alleges that Falcone did not obtain her consent to take "numerous still photographs" of her nude body while she was glued to the plywood.

The complaint additionally notes that Corcoran was "the only female on set" during the 10-plus hour shoot, which led her to be diagnosed with cranial swelling and eardrum damage due to hanging upside down. To add insult to injury, the complaint also points to merchandise that was subsequently sold bearing images of Corcoran's nude body, "which was obtained without her required informed written consent."****

'Terrifier' director sparks controversy over claim that franchise isn't political

Tyler Perry accused of sexual harassment and assault in $260 million lawsuit

Concerning Corcoran's financial claims, the lawsuit notes that Corcoran was paid her fair share of royalties for a time, but "when the film series' success started to grow exponentially and exceeded the producer's original expectations, the royalty payments became more and more sporadic and dwindled to amounts nowhere near commensurate with the revenues generated."

Indeed, *Terrifier*'s $420,000 gross on a budget of only $35,000 was impressive. But *Terrifier 2*, which followed in 2022, earned an astonishing $15.8 million on a $250,000 budget. Though Corcoran only appears in a still photo in one of the sequel's scenes, and not at all in last year's *Terrifier 3*, her contract ought to have guaranteed a percentage of the franchise's backend profits. But the complaint claims that Corcoran is owed far more than the roughly $8,000 she's been paid to date.

The lawsuit alleges that the producers of *Terrifier *violated a California civil code relating to the distribution of nonconsensual nude or sexual imagery. She is seeking a full accounting of the film's profits in order to put a number to the financial restitution claim.**

Original Article on Source

Source: "AOL Movies"

Read More

---

Source: VoXi MAG

Full Article on Source: VoXi MAG

#LALifestyle #USCelebrities