No, we are not being facetious or cynical. Reports have surfaced concerning the birthing scene in Breaking Dawn: Part 1, the latest Twilight movie which opened last Friday, that people who are susceptible to seizures might be triggered by the effects used during the scene. It has nothing to do with the script, or the acting, or the existence of this franchise in general. No, seriously — this movie is sending people to the hospital and giving them seizures.
In Sacramento, California, Brandon Gephart was being a prince of a boyfriend and accompanied his girlfriend, Kelly Bauman, to a showing of Breaking Dawn. However, during the graphic scene during which Bella (Kristen Stewart) gives birth (graphically), the added special effects triggered an epileptic seizure. Gephart suffers from photosensitive epilepsy, meaning that certain effects — like that of a strobe light — will cause seizures. Apparently, this scene used rapid flashes of red, black, and white, which caused him to lose consciousness in the theater. He was taken to the emergency room and is now seeing a specialist.
But Gephart’s case is not that unique. The couple said that they did a search online and found other cases of people having seizures during the same scene. And back in the late 1990s, an episode of Pokémon did the same thing to young children. Doctors say that wearing glasses with “cheap blue lenses” will help filter out the red, the main culprit in causing seizures.
Fortunately, Gephart is doing fine. And he should be commended for being chivalrous enough to take his girlfriend to see the movie in the first place, at the expense of his physical well-being, no less. CBS also reports that Bauman has relieved him of seeing any future Twilight movies. A happy ending for all!
(CBS Sacramento via Bleeding Cool)
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