Damien Leone | Craig's Movie Report

Viewed – 10 November 2022 online rental

The first Terrifier was a gory little slasher with a striking villain in the shape of ‘Art the Clown’, and had a tongue-in-cheek humour to it that helped gloss over any shortcomings in acting or budget. This bigger and bolder but still fairly low budget follow-up has the psychotic clown return to stalk a fresh set of victims on Halloween night.

With a run time of a surprising 138 minutes, this is far more ambitious than the first movie. It further develops the mystique of Art the Clown by introducing a haunting, freaky little girl version of him. The plot revolves around a teenager as she prepares to enjoy Halloween, creating a costume for the night etc. Her younger brother however seems obsessed with the stories of the killer clown from exactly one year earlier. The movie is a bit all over the place plot-wise throwing in dream sequences and hinting at a back story that’s never fully explored. However, director Damien Leone delivers a constantly freaky, unnerving and at times downright nasty experience. His style is very grind-house but there’s clear skill behind the camera. He was also partly responsible for the excellent practical effects and with that let’s get to the gore… oh my god! This has to be one of the most unrelenting and brutal slasher movies I have ever seen – seriously, no matter your disposition, there’s several scenes of savage violence here that are simply hard to watch.

The big failing though is that the plot doesn’t go anywhere, with any deeper lore kind of forgotten about as the movie nears its end. It’s also not as darkly funny as the first movie, preferring to be intense and nasty. Acting isn’t great either, with the younger brother especially cringe. That being said Lauren Lavera is at least a decent, gutsy heroine and her look and personality do stand out. Yet of course the star here is David Howard Thornton’s ‘Art’ – who cements his place in the halls of horror icon infamy. At over 2 hours this was too long and often felt self-indulgent… but as a movie it certainly packed a punch.

Verdict: Good+

Viewed – 02 June 2016 online-rental

They say be careful what you wish for. I grew up in the eighties, a golden era for horror, but also a time when censorship was rife. I recall watching slashers like Halloween or Friday the 13th and wishing those kills had been more graphic. Yeah, I was that kid; a bit of a gore-hound. These days it’s different. Censorship hasn’t got the strangle-hold on the genre it once had, and that can be a good or bad thing depending on your taste. For me it’s an all you can eat buffet!

Terrifier is my first introduction to freaky homicidal clown ‘Art’, initially showcased as part of the short ‘All Hallow’s Eve’. Here he stalks a bunch of individuals on Halloween night, picking them off in increasingly brutal ways. Immediately I found this is an effective horror icon and one of the most messed up looking creations I’d seen in a long time. His sheer presence makes the movie, let alone the way he playfully despatches his victims. The characters, as wafer-thin as they are, managed to get me routing for them and wondering who might survive. Unlike similar movies they’re not all that annoying either (apart from one drunk girl).

Director Damien Leone was clearly working with a low budget, with all the cash obviously put into some decent practical effects that thanks to the help of some slick editing make each kill really pack a punch. The acting varies from passable to very amateurish, and the movie seems to wallow in it’s clichés a bit too much. Yet we do get some great camera work and an effective, grainy 80’s aesthetic, meaning I still came away impressed. Certainly not for everyone, but if you’re serious about horror, this is one to see.

Verdict: 3.5 /5