Terrifier (2016) review

14. Terrifier (2016)

Directed by: Damien Leone

Produced by: Damien Leone, Phil Falcone, George Steuber, Joe Patrick Marshall

Screenplay by: Damien Leone

Starring: Jenna Kanell, Samantha Scaffidi, David Howard Thornton, Catherine Corcoran

Most movie-going audiences know about the Joker, Pennywise, and “Killer Klowns from Outer Space,” but right now it still seems like mainly just horror fans know of another evil clown making a name for himself in the genre. The character is Art the Clown (David Howard Thornton), and the movie is “Terrifier,” an independent film that made the festival rounds starting in 2016 before being released on DVD two years later. Made on a reported budget of $35,000, it’s about three girls who run afoul of Art while out on Halloween night; he initially just seems like a silly clown causing mischief, but before long he’s busting out an armory of gruesome weapons and going on a brutal killing spree—all with a shit-eating grin on his face. It’s a movie that doesn’t spend much time establishing characters and motivations, going straight for the bloodshed and gore; and on that level, it’s pretty damn good at it.

The story begins with friends Tara (Jenna Kanell) and Dawn (Catherine Corcoran) drunkenly leaving a Halloween party, stopping at a pizzeria to sober up. There they meet Art, carrying a garbage bag and exhibiting disturbingly odd behavior before the owner chases him out. When the girls discover Dawn’s car has a slashed tire, Tara calls her sister Victoria (Samantha Scaffidi) to pick them up before entering an old apartment building to use the bathroom. But while she’s inside, Art attacks and terrorizes both of them, and eventually Victoria in a myriad of grotesque methods; and to quote an old slasher classic to describe a new one, who will survive, and what will be left of them?

Art was a character who originated in filmmaker Damien Leone’s short films “The 9th Circle” and “Terrifier,” which were both incorporated into his feature debut anthology “All Hallows’ Eve,” but he’s already achieved slasher icon status just as much as Jason Voorhees or Freddy Krueger. In a way, he’s sort of a mixture of the two, because he’s as much a silent killer as most of those masked maniacs, but he also has a wicked sense of humor, only shown more in body language and his hilariously demented expressions. This is something closer to what I wanted from Pennywise, because in both adaptations of that character, he’s either not scary enough or not funny enough. Art maims his victims in the most graphically abominable ways, yet you watch him shrug bashfully with that toothy smile or roll his eyes at such an annoying inconvenience as running out of ammo—which makes him one of few masked movie killers to use a gun, by the way—and it’s hard not to laugh, then feel guilty about. He’s played by David Howard Thornton, a former mime; apparently, he got the role in his audition by acting out tasting a beheaded victim’s blood, and then adding salt to it.

I don’t have nearly as much to say about the protagonists, but I mostly like the camaraderie between Tara and Dawn; what’s interesting is that they both incorporate traits of ditziness and sensibility depending on the situation. Dawn goes with the flow when they see Art at the pizzeria and even takes selfies with him despite Tara being creeped out, but Tara enters an eerie-looking building when Dawn recommends staying in the disabled car. I don’t know if this is inconsistent writing or not, but regardless, Tara is still an enjoyable character, putting up a hell of a fight against Art. I think it’s a bit of a downgrade when Victoria gets in on the action; she’s not bad, just not nearly as fleshed out or interesting as Tara. There’s also this weird Cat Lady (Pooya Mohseni) squatting in the building who sees a baby doll as her daughter, and she’s pretty forgettable. I actually really like Gino Cafarelli as Steve the pizzeria owner; his scenes are brief, but as someone who’s been in a lot of pizzerias, he’s pretty authentic in this role.

For a budget on the level of “Carnival of Souls,” which came out more than 50 years earlier, this is an impressive product by Leone, who’s established himself as one of cinema’s auteurs, because he not only directs, writes and produces, but also edits and does the makeup and special effects. I do think some of the pacing could be cleaned up a little, but while the suspense is generally good, the gross-out visuals are really turned up to 11, featuring a lot of awesome practical methods. By far the most memorable kill of the movie is when Art has Dawn suspended upside down and saws her in half, but not in the way magicians do it. It gets a little over-the-top at times, but if you have a strong stomach for on-screen carnage, you will marvel at this; the overall look of the film is solid, with the color scheme on Art particularly striking in contrast, and a mood that has no qualms about being weird and bizarre.

A lot of horror movies in the 21st century have tried to pander to old school fans with certain thematic settings, but “Terrifier” is one that works at being contemporary while also fitting the same mold as the ones that inspired it; this is a film that succeeds where something like “Hatchet” fails. It’s far from perfect, as I think the dialogue is dull and the characters are underdeveloped; but let’s be honest, you’re not going to watch a movie like this relying on those aspects to give you a good time. You’re there to enjoy the ride, and this is a ride that can only happen at a carnival from Hell; well, it was such a popular ride that it spawned two sequels, the most recent coming out in theaters earlier this month, and there’s one more in development. I’ve never found clowns that frightening, but if any of them were like this clown, I’d find the closest circus nearby and burn it to the ground; make of that what you will.

My rating: 7.5/10