Based on Damien Leone's short film from the All Hallows' Eve anthology Terrifier is the tale of two friends Tara (Jenna Kanell - The Bye Bye Man) and Dawn (Catherine Corcoran - Return the Nuke 'em High) at the end of a Halloween night of partying who cross paths with an evil clown with a bin bag full of tasty weapons. Not realising Art The Clown is a sadistic killer Dawn antagonises him playfully as the pair wait for food. Not thinking much of it the pair head back to Dawn's car to find it has a flat tire. As Tara and Dawn await Tara's sister to collect them. Tara, needing to use the bathroom heads to a near by building. This is only the start of a very long and painful evening as Art The Clown has come to get his revenge.
So my first words after watching this film are going to be my first comments here....Well this was fucked up! Holy crap. Taking a leaf out of the book of 80's horror Slashers Terrifier is a welcome return to form for the sub-genre. As a horror fan I have been waiting for the next biig bad who could easily start a franchise of Slasher flicks and right here we have our guy. Art The Clown is truly terrifying. The costume alone sent shivers down my spine but combined with the face paint, the teeth and the fact the he doesn't mutter a word throughout the whole film Leone has created a genuine monster. David Howard Thornton is brilliant as Art, he portrays such brutal emotion and delivers some darkly comedic moments, one of them during a scene where Art is riding around on a small tricycle for no apparent reason. His creepy over the top smile, his wave to his victims, all works of acting gold. He is by far the best actor in this film.
Acting wise this does have a b-movie vibe to it, this is not a bad thing in my mind though. Films like Sharknado thrive on the B-Movie routes and I think Terrifier lives up to what it is trying to be, and that is 80's gore. Out of the main actors in this film (not including Thornton) Jenna Kanell stood out as an actress to look out for. She reminds me so much of a young Neve Campbell back in her Scream days.
For the gore hounds out there you will not be disappointed. This film pulls no punches in the blood and gore department which is very evident in the cutting someone open from the genitals to the head in a slow and sickening moment that will make your stomach churn. This is what you want from a slasher film, and when done right, like for example how it is used in the Hatchet franchise, it makes your main villain so much scarier.
Terrifier is one of the best 80's style modern day horror films I have seen in a long time. Art the Clown is a character I will not forget in a while. The acting at times is a little ropey from the supporting cast and there is some moments that could have used some on screen vomiting (I mean come on who wouldn't throw up after witnessing that cutting in half scene happening before your eyes) but as a whole this film is a must for all horror fans out there!