Buzz
Whether it's melodies, films, or written works, countless individuals turn to mainstream art for a temporary escape from their everyday routines. However, there are numerous accounts of certain artworks producing peculiar effects on their audiences. Tales of such powerful art have circulated for decades. One pre-World War II legend suggests that 'brown notes,' which are subsonic frequencies around 9 Hertz, can cause a person to lose control of their bodily functions.
Regarding brown notes, the TV program Mythbusters performed an experiment and concluded that they do not exist. Many had already been skeptical of their existence prior to this. Despite the debunking of brown notes, the following ten artworks are said to have elicited some bizarre reactions from their audiences.
10. Avatar
James Cameron’s Avatar holds the record as the highest-grossing movie ever made. The plot blends elements of Aliens and Dances with Wolves, with creatures reminiscent of those in the Star Wars cantina. In Avatar, a corporation attempts to extract a rare mineral from the planet Pandora, leading to clashes with the native Na’vi, a blue-skinned alien species. The film delivers a powerful message, features breathtaking action scenes, and, while some may find it repetitive, it’s far from being described as threatening. Despite its success and inspiring narrative, it’s surprising to learn that the movie has triggered negative reactions in some viewers.
Since its release, a significant number of Avatar viewers have expressed deep sadness over the fact that they can never visit Pandora. One fan, Ivar Hill, shared in an online forum that his life felt empty and devoid of purpose because he could never experience Pandora. Tragically, one man even passed away due to overexcitement while watching the film. A psychotherapist who studied the phenomenon noted that the depression felt by many viewers stemmed from the film’s ability to allow them to externalize their inner sadness.
9. ‘Guts’
Chuck Palahniuk, the novelist behind Fight Club, is also known for his book Haunted, which has reportedly caused some readers to faint. Haunted consists of 23 short stories about 17 individuals attending a secret writer’s retreat. One story, “Guts,” revolves around a slender man who, after engaging in self-pleasure, suffers a gruesome accident involving a pool filter and his lower intestine.
Palahniuk first publicly read “Guts” at a packed bookstore in Portland, Oregon. After finishing the reading and signing books, a store employee informed him that two young men had fainted during the session. Palahniuk initially dismissed it as a coincidence. However, the next day in Seattle, two more men fainted during another reading of “Guts.” By 2005, 67 people had fainted during Palahniuk’s readings of the story, including audiences in San Francisco, Berkeley, Beverly Hills, Columbia University, Leeds, Cambridge, and London. A Publishers Weekly reporter even wrote an article titled “Fight Club Author Knocks Them Out Without a Punch,” highlighting the story’s bizarre impact.
8. ‘Mrs. O’Leary’s Cow’
Brian Wilson, the mastermind behind the Beach Boys’ 1966 album Pet Sounds, which Rolling Stone ranks as the second-best album of all time, had plans to create a follow-up titled Smile. However, a track named “Mrs. O’Leary’s Cow” led Wilson to shelve Smile for 35 years, only completing and releasing it in 2004.
According to legend, in 1871, Catherine O’Leary from Chicago, Illinois, owned a cow that accidentally knocked over a lantern while she was milking it. This incident is said to have sparked the Great Chicago Fire.
Originally titled “Fire,” the track “Mrs. O’Leary’s Cow” was composed by Wilson for Smile as part of a musical suite named The Elements. After recording the song, Wilson and his team noticed a sudden surge in fires around downtown Los Angeles. Convinced that his song was causing these fires, Wilson became so terrified that he destroyed the tape and vowed never to let the song be played publicly. Given the turbulent state of Wilson’s life at the time, it’s fortunate that “Fire” was never widely distributed.
7. Alien 3
Alien 3 is most notable as David Fincher’s first directorial effort, who later helmed iconic films such as Seven, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, and The Social Network. The film garnered a mixed reception from critics.
The unusual effect of Alien 3 was removed during early screenings. The initial version of the movie heavily relied on shifting between high and low frequencies in its soundtrack. During these early screenings, audience members frequently left to use the bathroom. However, when Fincher altered the score, the number of viewers needing bathroom breaks during the film dropped significantly.
6. The Rite of Spring
Many recognize Igor Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring from its inclusion in Walt Disney’s Fantasia, where it accompanies the depiction of Earth’s formation and the rise and fall of the dinosaurs. While classical music may seem subdued to some, the piece’s premiere on May 29, 1913, in Paris, was groundbreaking. Music historian Donald Grout highlighted its innovation, noting that Stravinsky combined musical elements in a way never before heard.
Accounts from the premiere describe the Paris theater as nearly descending into chaos. One observer noted that canes were “wielded like weapons.” Numerous eyewitnesses reported that the audience grew riotous after the performance, with some even claiming that objects were thrown and duels were challenged. Many attributed the near-pandemonium to the relentless, pulsating rhythms of The Rite of Spring.
5. Vexations
Erik Satie, a French composer and pianist, was a prominent figure in the early 20th-century Parisian avant-garde scene. He is most famous for his three brief piano pieces known as the Gymnopedies. However, his most unconventional work is arguably Vexations. This piece features a short bass theme repeated four times, played solo with chords. What makes Vexations truly unique is Satie’s instruction that it be performed 840 times consecutively, resulting in a performance lasting over 18 hours.
Reinbert de Leeuw once tried to perform Vexations in its entirety publicly. After playing it 117 times in a small Amsterdam venue, he gave up. De Leeuw reported suffering from dizziness, nausea, and hallucinations. He also claimed that completing the piece would have likely driven him to madness.
4. Irreversible
Gaspar Noe’s 2002 film Irreversible is a brutally graphic and unsettling movie that follows two men navigating the streets of Paris to avenge a woman who was violently raped. Roger Ebert described the film as “so violent and cruel that most viewers will find it unbearable.” However, it’s not the prolonged scenes of rape and violence in Irreversible that have a peculiar effect on its audience.
During its screening at Cannes, over 200 people walked out, and nearly a dozen fainted, requiring medical assistance. While Irreversible is undeniably graphic, its use of music that builds endlessly without reaching a climax adds to its unsettling nature. Composed by Thomas Bangalter of Daft Punk, the film’s 28-hertz sound frequency is believed to have induced unease and, over time, physical nausea among viewers.
3. The Blair Witch Project
Released in 1999, The Blair Witch Project transformed the horror movie genre. Made on a modest budget of $60,000, the film grossed nearly $250 million worldwide. Its unique approach involved presenting the story as a documentary based on supposedly real events in the Maryland woods, diverging from the traditional, scripted horror narratives of its predecessors.
The shaky, handheld footage caused many viewers to suffer from severe side effects, including cold sweats, dizziness, nausea, and vomiting. The regional director of Loews Cineplex Entertainment disclosed that during the film’s theatrical run, at least one person per theater each month requested a refund due to feeling ill after watching The Blair Witch Project.
2. Star Trek: The Motion Picture
Few would link the female orgasm to Star Trek. However, an instrument known as the blaster beam was used in the 1979 soundtrack of Star Trek: The Motion Picture to produce a deep, resonant sound for specific scenes. While recordings of the instrument have minimal impact, live performances are said to have the ability to induce orgasms in women. During a 1990 concert in New York, the blaster beam was played, reportedly causing several women in the audience to climax.
The blaster beam is a 3.7- to 5.5-meter-long (12–18 ft) metal beam fitted with tightly strung wires. Electric guitar pickups are mounted beneath these wires, generating sound when manipulated. The instrument can be played in various ways.
1. Breaking Dawn: Part 1
As the fourth installment in the wildly popular Twilight series, Breaking Dawn: Part 1 grossed over $700 million. While many fans of the franchise appreciated the film, it was panned by critics. However, the movie’s quality isn’t the sole reason some chose to avoid watching it.
A childbirth sequence in Breaking Dawn: Part 1 includes rapid white flashes that triggered seizures in several viewers. Among those affected were moviegoers Brandon Gephart and Kelly Bauman. During the scene, Gephart experienced convulsions, snorting, and difficulty breathing. He regained consciousness on the theater floor and was promptly given emergency medical care.
