One of the most famous moments in writer/director Damien Leone’s slasher Terrifier (read our review HERE) involves Art the Clown (played by David Howard Thornton) sawing Catherine Corcoran‘s character Dawn in half while she’s naked and hanging upside down. Unfortunately, Corcoran feels she has not been properly compensated for her contribution to that film and The Hollywood Reporter has learned that she has filed a breach of contract lawsuit against Leone and the film’s production company, Dark Age Cinema, claiming they have not lived up to a backend deal that was agreed upon.
According to the filing, Corcoran signed on to appear in Terrifier for “the then-SAG minimum daily rate of $100 but reached a deal that pays 1% of profits generated from Terrifier, which includes box office, streaming, live events and merchandise, among other things.” Corcoran started receiving intermittent royalty payments after the release of Terrifier 2, but those payments came to an end once Terrifier 3 was released. According to the filing, her backend deal was meant to remain in effect for a period of two years and has, so far, earned her roughly $17,000. Corcoran allegedly confronted Leone and producer Phil Falcone about the issue, but was simply told “the production doesn’t keep records.” The Hollywood Reporter goes on, “Corcoran’s lawsuit 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. Per the complaint, Corcoran wasn’t told ahead of shooting that she would be fully nude in the scene in which she’s killed, in violation of SAG rules, which require producers to obtain written consent from talent for such sequences. The lawsuit also details allegedly grueling working conditions during filming. To mitigate the pooling of blood in her head while suspended by her ankles, Corcoran shot the scene in 40-second increments across ten hours, with a platform placed underneath her at some points so she laid horizontally. She says her doctor had told her that she suffered cranial swelling and eardrum damage as a result of being upside down.“
Leone and Falcone are represented by entertainment lawyer Larry Zerner, who’s best known for playing the Jason Voorhees victim Shelly in 1982’s Friday the 13th Part III back in his acting days. Zerner told The Hollywood Reporter, “Damien and Phil deny the claims in the complaint and will vigorously defend this lawsuit.” Corcoran’s lawyer Devin McRae said, “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.“
The folks behind the Terrifier franchise have always seemed to be a rather tight-knit group, so it’s sad to see that there’s trouble behind the scenes. What do you think of this lawsuit news? Let us know by leaving a comment below.
The comment section exists to allow readers to discuss the article constructively and respectfully, focused on the topic at hand.
What’s Not Allowed