David Howard Thornton as Art the Clown and Amelie McLain as the Pale Girl.Bloody Disgusting
- "Terrifier 2" has made headlines for being incredibly violent and making audiences pass out.
- It follows Art the Clown (David Howard Thornton) after he's resurrected in the town of Miles County.
In the last few weeks, "Terrifier 2" has made headlines across the world because of reports that audiences have vomited and passed out from watching the sequel from director Damien Leone. It's the type of publicity some studio executives can only dream of.
All the chatter about the grisly return of Art the Clown (David Howard Thornton) has led to "Terrifier 2" grossing over $7 million against a $250,000 crowdfunded budget. Killer clowns are good for business — just ask Stephen King.
The film sees Art return to Miles County on Halloween and go on yet another bloody killing spree, while a supernatural force also gets involved in his reign of terror.
After watching the first film a while back, I decided to give "Terrifier 2" a whirl for myself to see if the controversial film is really as gory and distressing as recent reports made out. As luck would have it, I also picked the perfect night to dive in: Halloween. Oh yes.
The first kill sets the tone.
David Howard Thornton as Art the Clown. Bloody Disgusting
I was instantly met with screams and blood confirming that, yes, this was going to be a gorefest as Art the Clown is bizarrely resurrected in a morgue and kills a doctor.
It's a welcome return since it's been eight years since the original "Terrifier," but I'm clearly in for a bumpy ride considering the opening kill is Art ripping said doctor's head in half.
The fact that the infamous clown still refuses to make any noise is incredibly chilling. At least with villains who talk, we can understand their reasoning or get into their heads, but with Art, it's all just so senseless.
He's simply doing this for fun. I've got a relatively strong stomach for gore (thanks to a substantial horror education from my dad as a teenager) but this seems like it's going to push some boundaries…
At least it gives us a fun synth score to go along with the bloody mayhem. Although I have to say, some of the performances are all over the place. This was never going to be an Oscars contender, but yikes.
Art is an unpredictable gremlin.
David Howard Thornton as Art the Clown. Bloody Disgusting
Now look, I already knew that the killer clown would be an unhinged psychopath thanks to the first film, but I am absolutely here for Art being a chaotic little goblin in the sequel. Whether that's sitting naked in the laundrette making friends with a ghost, or playing with toys and trying on sunglasses in the fancy dress shop.
Johnathan Davis' costume store worker definitely speaks for everyone when he asks Art, "Sir, what are you doing?" To be fair, I don't think Art really knows what he's up to. It's all so spontaneous, which is simultaneously refreshing and intense.
The second big kill cements the fact that "Terrifier 2" is scrappy and gross in a way that reminds me why the horror genre can be so great in the first place.
Art gleefully hacking away at the worker's neck isn't the worst kill ever put on screen, but it's got that homegrown, unpolished sense to it that just feels nasty.
Sienna's (Lauren LaVera) role in it all is definitely positioning her as some kind of avenging angel if that outfit she's working on is anything to go by. But she should definitely go into the cosplay business… She'd make a killing at Comic-Con.
Up until this point, I hadn't found "Terrifier 2" scary in the slightest. If anything, I was quite relaxed just watching Art mill around the town being a murderous little scamp. There are next-to-no jumpscares, although the kills are undeniably wince-worthy. But that is all about to change.
The controversy is absolutely justified.
David Howard Thornton as Art the Clown. Bloody Disgusting
The scene that's causing people to faint and throw up is completely unforgiving, and I don't blame them in the slightest. Now, it's worth noting that I didn't watch "Terrifier 2" on the big screen with a loud sound system — I was comfy at home and watched it on my laptop.
I can imagine seeing Art brutally eviscerate Allie (Casey Hartnett) in her bedroom with the inescapable roar of surround-sound speakers and the big screen is a haunting experience, to say the least.
Even on a laptop, it felt like an endurance test. Not only does Art scalp the poor girl, but he breaks both of her arms and even rips one of them off. For gorehounds, it's an utter treat, but for general audiences, it's absolutely relentless.
Even when it looks like Art gets bored of his plaything and leaves, he returns to make her ordeal even more traumatizing.
If I'm being honest, the scene has seared itself into my brain. It's like when you can't stop picking at a scab, or staring at a car crash — even though you know you should look away.
The more I think about it, the more I wince over Art pouring bleach and salt into Allie's wounds.
The likes of "Hellraiser," "The Hills Have Eyes," and "Saw" have nothing on this in terms of its gory scale. This is much closer to the likes of "Audition," "Martyrs," or "A Serbian Film."
The creepy ghost girl's eyes stared into my soul. Great.
Amelie McLain as the Pale Girl. Bloody Disgusting
The film does expand the mythology surrounding Art in a big way thanks to the arrival of a creepy ghost girl whose piercing eyes felt like they were staring into my soul. Thanks for the nightmare fuel, Damien Leone.
Although the finale feels satisfying as Art gets a taste of his own medicine, there are still a few moments designed to make a lasting impact on the audience. One scene, in particular, had me crossing my legs and exhaling in an "oh god" kind of way. Why did you have to go for the crotch, Art?
Ultimately, "Terrifier 2" works like a rollercoaster ride, cranking the tension high, before plunging the audience down to Art's level.
While I didn't pass out, vomit, or need to call the emergency services, I definitely needed to hug my dog as the credits rolled (thanks for the emotional support, Jasper).
However, the director has one last trick for audiences in the mid-credits which is not to be missed. The Marvel Cinematic Universe will never birth something as hideous and disturbing as this tease about the future of "Terrifier," that's for sure.
Good god.