Terrifier (2016)
Plot
Two young women, Tara and Dawn, are returning home from a Halloween party when they are followed by Art, a sinister clown. Initially passing off his antics in a pizzeria as harmless, the girls quickly find out that they have entered an escalating nightmare where the end game is murder.
Back in 2016, I don’t think anyone could have imagined just how the antics of Art the Clown would have become a worldwide phenomenon but here we are at the time of writing this review in 2024 and Terrifier 3 has become the most successful unrated horror movie of all time. I did miss out on Terrifier at the first time of asking and my copy of it had been sat around gathering dust for years, always towards the bottom of the pile when it came to my next watch as I assumed it would be some sort of IT knock-off given the remake was all the talk back then. After reading reports of Terrifier 3 forcing audiences to leave in disgust, I thought it was time to instantly check it out and here we are, about two weeks later, having sat through all three films and wondering not only why I hadn’t checked them out sooner but why they’ve become ingrained on my mind since.
Finishing the film with a feeling of puzzlement and bewilderment at what I’d been sitting through, it’s probably a testament to Terrifier’s appeal that its exactly the kind of response it’s trying to get – something that lingers in the mind long after viewing. Director Damien Leone’s love letter to the 80s slasher is far more than a simple homage, despite the A Nightmare on Elm Street style montage over the credits with Art tooling up ready for his night’s work. Leone messes around with what we’ve come to expect from such a genre formula with some extreme torture porn modernism and a genuine sense that anything can happen. Rules are ripped up. Anything goes, and believe me, anything goes. This isn’t an updated slasher; this is like a video nasty straight out of the grindhouse era. When you hear the stories about people walking out of the film and its sequels, rest assured it’s not hard to imagine.
Terrifier is all about the titular character and from the very first scenes with Art, you just can’t take your eyes off him. He’s a terrifying force of nature, unpredictable, malevolent, and hilarious at times. David Howard Thornton is mesmerising as Art, managing to switch between such inner rage and childlike innocence within a few blinks of an eye. The character is a mime and so he relies on exaggerated expressions and plenty of body language to convey Art’s emotions. The silence makes the character so much more intimidating. I’d argue that Pennywise has nothing on this guy as far as the scariest cinematic clown goes. There’s no rhyme or reason here, no backstory or character development to get your head around (not here, however the sequels have begun to explain the character a little bit). He’s just a brutal killer and once he has his target, he’s relentless.
Nihilistic and unforgiving, bordering misogynistic at times with its treatment of female characters, Terrifier’s set pieces pull no punches in the slightest and are the biggest selling point and claim to fame. I’ll have seen thousands of film characters gets sliced, diced and dismembered on-screen before but there’s something about Terrifier’s kills which really makes them stand out. Perhaps it’s the ordeal that Art puts his victims through. These aren’t instant kills and the clown takes perverse satisfaction in making his targets suffer like never before until he puts them out of their misery. Terrifier doesn’t flinch away from the violence either, gleefully wallowing in all of the carnage in full view – whether you’re salivating at the screen with how disgusting the make-up effects are, peeking between your fingers or throwing up in a bucket, it doesn’t care. The film contains arguably the most graphic, horrifying kill I think I can recall in a horror film as a girl is sadistically sawn in two with a hacksaw. Scratch that, the girl is absolutely destroyed with the hacksaw and it’s a scene which will leave the most hardened gore hounds feeling that they’ve crossed a line. The levels of cruelty do go too far – not one character in the film deserves the fate that Art has for them and this does leave a sour taste afterwards.
Don’t get me wrong – Terrifier is not a great film. Whilst the two leading actresses at the start of the film are great to look at (Jenna Kanell pulling off a sort of goth Neve Campbell vibe), some of their lines are particularly cringy. The script forces them, and other characters, to make some really stupid decisions throughout the film simply to further the plot. Take their reactions inside the pizzeria. If some lone guy was creeping out a pair of good-looking girls in revealing clothing that late on a night, I’m sure either the girls would confront him and warn him off or the pizza shop workers would make sure the girls are safe before the police got involved. With so much of a focus on Art and the kills, the flimsy story and scattering of characters are given short shrift. The budget, what was left after spending most of it on buckets of blood, doesn’t allow for a lot of freedom and scope so Terrifier begins to show its limitations with the same repeated cycle of indoor sets. Cinematographer George Steuber does a good job in masking that by filming in a very grey and washed-out aesthetic, reinforcing the 80s vibe and grim tone whilst at the same time accentuating the blood and guts.
Final Verdict
Perverse. Grotesque. Unforgettable. Whatever you want to call Terrifier, the fact you’ll remember it long after watching is undoubted. The film lived or died by its main character and with Art the clown, you have a modern-day horror icon who will legitimately give you nightmares for days. This isn’t for the weak of stomach, nor is it for someone looking for a perfect slasher. But you will not forget it in a hurry.
 |
Terrifier Director(s): Damien Leone Writer(s): Damien Leone Actor(s): David Howard Thornton, Jenna Kanell, Samantha Scaffidi, Catherine Corcoran, Pooya Mohseni, Matt McAllister, Katie Maguire, Gino Cafarelli Duration: 85 mins |  |
|---|