I figured it was time to hop on the Terrifier bandwagon. I had seen All Hallows Eve (the first appearance of Art the Clown) and was not a fan, so had steered clear. But with the recent hype, I decided I should reconsider and give Terrifier a try.
The story is very simple. A killer clown (Art) stalks a couple friends on Halloween and kills everyone who gets in his way.
Where Terrifier excels is with the effects. The kills are very graphic and are amped up for maximum shock value. There’s obviously a small budget but writer/director Damien Leone works some incredible magic. It looks amazing. If you have a weak stomach, this may make you queasy. If you’re a fan of blood and gore, this is right in your wheelhouse.
I also admired the performance of David Howard Thornton as Art the Clown. It’s over the top with exaggerated expressions and movements, and mostly entertaining in the maniacal glee with which Art does everything. However, the clown act did become tedious and sucked some of the tension out of the movie. It became a little too much for me. Seeing him ride a tiny bike around his victim was my breaking point and where the movie started going downhill.
But it’s the lack of an interesting story or compelling characters that weighs the movie down. While slasher films aren’t generally not known for their story, I want more than just people being killed. This seems like a later installment of a franchise where the pretense of any story is dropped. Character wise, everyone is just fodder for Art, another waiting victim. And the performances are not very good. That’s not atypical for a low-budget slasher, but I was hoping for at least one character to root for. In Terrifier, there just isn’t one.
Ultimately, I guess I’m somewhat indifferent on Terrifier. I see the appeal and can appreciate the brilliant artistry of the effects, and the performance from Thornton. But the lack of any kind of story or compelling characters holds it back. It was fun at first but became tedious. However, I do understand why this developed a following. If you’re into the blood and gore, this will appeal to you. Just don’t expect a whole lot else.
Have you seen Terrifier? Are you planning to? Let me know your thoughts in the comments.