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Catherine Corcoran has sued film director Damien Leone for allegedly placing explicit scenes in the slasher film “Terrifier” without her express consent. The subject of the lawsuit includes, among other things, nude scenes that Corcoran was pressured into.
“Cheating, sexual harassment and ultimately betrayal”
Corcoran’s lawyers filed the lawsuit in California federal court on October 26, Variety reports. It deals with the “all-too-common story of low-budget film producers exploiting a young actress through fraud, sexual harassment and ultimately betrayal,” it says.
According to Variety, the lawsuit names production companies Dark Age Cinema and Fuzz on the Lens Productions, producers Phil Falcone and Damien Leone, and filmmaker Art the Clown’s production company as defendants. The lawsuit covers seven counts, including distribution of sexually explicit materials, breach of contract and fraud by false promises.
In the horror film “Terrifier,” Dawn, played by Corcoran, dies one of the most gruesome deaths in recent horror history. In one scene, she hangs naked upside down from the ceiling while being brutally murdered. According to the lawsuit, Corcoran was hung upside down by her ankles for “over ten hours in subfreezing temperatures” for this sequence.
No written permission to film her naked?
Additionally, the lawsuit says producers “never obtained Corcoran’s written consent” to film her nude, as required by the Screen Actors Guild. As Variety further reports, Corcoran insisted on being allowed to wear underwear on the day of filming, but was filmed topless without written consent.
It also claims that Corcoran was only given a horizontal platform to rest on between filming and that she was “wrapped in a blanket, which over time became so saturated with fake blood that it no longer provided warmth.”
After filming at night, Corcoran became ill. A doctor diagnosed swelling of the skull and damage to the eardrum. In addition, the defendants are said to have profited from merchandising items that show Corcoran’s naked body.
Deprived of income?
Another part of the lawsuit concerns the royalties Corcoran received for her role. According to Variety, she agreed to work on “Terrifier” at an “extremely low daily rate” with the agreement that she would receive one percent of profits from the film as well as potential future franchises and merchandise, including other intellectual property licenses.
Two sequels have since been produced, which collectively grossed more than $105 million at the worldwide box office, plus income from home video sales, fan events and other activities. The lawsuit states that director and producer Leone “agreed in writing to grant Corcoran a one percent share of all net sales from sales of merchandise related to ‘Terrifier.'”
Only received $1800 so far?
However, as the film trade publication reports, Corcoran claims that in the years following the film’s release and its growing popularity, her royalties “became increasingly sporadic and dwindled to amounts that were far from adequate.”
The actress says she has not received any back payments since July 2024 and has only received $1,816.35 until then – “without an explanation as to why the royalties have stopped or where the rest of the payments are.” In total, the license fees for merchandise items should actually amount to just over $6,000.