The Twilight Saga: Breaking Part 1, the penultimate movie in the huge grossing Twilight movie franchise, is being blamed for triggering a number of epileptic seizures in theatres across America.

Californian resident Brandon Gephart was rushed to hospital after falling ill during the movie's climatic sequence - his girlfriend Kelly Bauman later told CBS Sacramento, "He was convulsing, snorting, trying to breathe.He scared me big time". The screening subsequently ended prematurely as paramedics rushed into the cinema and the lights went up. Elsewhere, ABC report how a Utah man, who refused to give his name, suffered a similar seizure while watching the film - he later said, "I didn't really remember what happened after that.I think I blacked out. According to [my wife] I was shaking and mumbling different noises". Medical experts have suggested a scene in which Kristen Stewart's Bella gives birth to her child may be to blame because of its strobing red, white and black images. Dr Michael G Chez told CBS Sacremento, "It's like a light going off because it hits your brain all at once.The trouble with theatres is that they're so dark, the light flashing in there is more like a strobe light".

The movie has already grossed over $140 million worldwide, with that figure likely to rise to $300 million after the coming weekend. Mr Gephart pointed out that he only saw the movie to appease his Twilight-fan girlfriend and has no desire to see the end.