An actress from the Terrifier series has sued the franchise over a profits deal where she claims to have been underpaid.
In a new lawsuit (as per The Hollywood Reporter), Catherine Corcoran alleges that she had a deal to receive one per cent of all profits access the franchise, but claims she has only received $8,300 (£6,286) so far.
The series follows Art, a serial killer who tortures and kills his victims. Corcoran starred in one of its most iconic scenes as one of Art’s first victims. She claims she agreed to SAG minimum daily rate of $100 (£76) at the time, but adds that she reached a deal paying “one per cent of profits generated from Terrifier,” which includes all profits from areas such as box office ticket sales, streaming, live events and merchandise, according to the lawsuit.
Since the film’s 2016 release, the film became a smash hit, earning around $100million (£76million) from an initial budget of less than $2.5million (£1.89million).
Corcoran, who stars in an iconic killing scene in the series, claims she hasn’t received her fair share of the profits, and filed court documents in California last Sunday (October 26). The actress accuses producers of the film of breach of contract over the deal.
In the lawsuit, Corcoran claims that when she confronted director Damien Leone and producer Phil Falcone, she was allegedly “brushed off” and was informed that the production “doesn’t keep records”.
A lawyer for the film’s team of Damien Leone and Larry Zerner, stated: “Damien and Phil deny the claims in the complaint and will vigorously defend this lawsuit.”
Corcoran’s lawsuit additionally brings several claims for, and related to, breach of contract, as well as some “alleging violations of laws over the distribution of sexually explicit material,” as per The Hollywood Reporter.
“This case presents an all-too-common story of low budget film producers taking advantage of a young actress through fraud, sexual harassment and, ultimately, betrayal,” the lawsuit added.
As noted in the complaint, Corcoran claims she wasn’t told ahead of shooting that she would be fully naked in the scene in which she appears – something that would be in violation of SAG rules. In this, producers are required to obtain written consent from talent for such sequences.
The lawsuit also claims that working conditions during filming left Corcoran with health issues including cranial swelling and eardrum damage as a result of being upside down for long periods during filming.
The lawsuit added: “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. However, when it came time to pay what was owed, the producers chose to cheat her.”
Back in August, it was revealed that Terrifier 4 will explore Art the Clown’s origin story in a “Lynchian” way, according to creator Damien Leone.
The fourth film in the horror saga is currently in development, and Leone shed light on the creative direction he is taking this time around back in August.
Asked by Collider if he worries about living up to expectations, he said: “Of course. I worry about everything. 90 per cent of my day is worrying. That’s a huge concern. I love the mystique. That’s the most important part, even if people don’t realise it because they’re just so hungry to know what his deal is. I think a lot of people don’t realise the reason he works so well is because of the mystique. If you pull the curtain back too far, and you lose that mystique, it’s over. You’re not supposed to see the wizard behind the curtain. It’s almost always a disappointment.”
Although he promised that Terrifier 4 would provide long-awaited answers, he also vowed to protect what makes the iconic clown work. “So, I think there’s a way with his origin to have my cake and eat it too, but we’ll find out. I am taking a bit of a risk, but I’m very well aware about losing that mystique at the same time, so we’ll see if it plays out. I think the majority of people are going to be very cool with it.”