On Sunday (October 26), Catherine Corcoran, best known for her role in the Terrifier films, filed suit against the movie’s producers and director Damien Leone. In the filing, she accuses them of breaching her contract regarding her promised one percent share of all profits and distributing explicit material featuring her without consent.
The complaint, lodged in a California federal court, describes her experience as an “all-too-common story of low-budget film producers taking advantage of a young actress through fraud, sexual harassment, and, ultimately, betrayal.” Her lawyers say the case reflects a troubling pattern in independent filmmaking where performers are pressured into unsafe or exploitative situations.
Corcoran says she initially received some royalty payments after the 2022 release of the sequel, totaling roughly $8,300. However, she claims those payments soon became irregular and eventually dropped to amounts that didn’t come close to what she was owed based on her agreement.
When she confronted Falcone and Leone about the missing money, Corcoran alleges that her concerns were dismissed and ignored, leaving her with little choice but to take legal action to recover what she believes she rightfully earned.
In addition to the financial dispute, Corcoran’s lawsuit also accuses the producers of violating laws regarding the handling and distribution of sexually explicit material. She claims she was not informed that the scene in question would involve full nudity until it was too late to withdraw consent.
The scene in question featured her character hanging upside down before being brutally murdered by the film’s villain, Art the Clown — a moment that has become one of the most talked-about sequences in the franchise.
As stated by SAG-AFTRA, “work that involves nudity or simulated sex places performers in uniquely vulnerable situations. This work is, and always should be, something a performer is proud of and something they engage in willingly.”
The organization also explains that all actors participating in scenes involving nudity or sexual content should be given specific protections to ensure fairness and safety, including the following:
-
- Advance notice about the level of nudity or sexual activity expected for a role and during auditions
-
- A real opportunity to give written consent without being pressured or coerced
-
- Written addendums or riders that clearly define what will and won’t be shown in the final version
-
- A working environment that ensures their safety, dignity, and career integrity at all times
Her attorney, Devin McRae, stated: “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,”
He continued, alleging that: “However, when it came time to pay what was owed, the producers chose to cheat her.”
