Director – Damien Leone (Terrifier, Frankenstein vs. The Mummy)
Starring – Lauren LaVera (The Hunter’s Anthology, Slash), David Howard Thornton (Gotham, Terrifier), and Jenna Kanell (The Vampire Diaries, WandaVision)
Release Date – 2022
Rating – 3/5
Several years ago I caved in and snagged the horror film Terrifier to review. Something about Art the Clown just didn’t rub me the right way. I like when clowns are innocent looking before flipping the script on the viewer and delivering the real horror hiding behind their face paint. That’s why I think Stephen King’s It is such an effective film. However, scary looking clowns are not hiding anything from you. You know exactly what you are getting and that can be said with the first Terrifier. The film had some amazing effects but lacked story and likable characters.
When news of Terrifier 2 broke I was curious because the first film had some seriously impressive practical effects, but I was afraid that it would be lacking story again. A few days back I received the press release that the film would be premiering on Screambox. I reached out and was able to get a screener link. I had hoped to add it to my October horror binge but I was unable to squeeze it in but that didn’t stop me from checking it out.
**Spoiler Alert** The film once again follows Art the Clown who finds himself alive again in his small town. He once again goes on another killing spree while Halloween approaches. A young girl and her little brother prepare for Halloween but soon learn that their paths are destined to cross with Art and an evil showdown will commence. **Spoiler Alert**
I think that director Damien Leone read some of the reviews for his first film and took what was said to heart. The film was an impressive display of practical effects but it’s lack of story made it an easily forgettable film. It looks like he attempted to give genre fans a story they would never forget but along the way lost focus on elaborating on the many ideas introduced here.
The acting in this one is solid. The characters are fairly flat and generic, but the cast does a wonderful job with what they were given. I don’t find Art the Clown to be menacing but David Howard Thornton really does give it his all. The character is a bit of a one trick pony, but you can’t help but enjoy the energy he brings to the scene. We also get some small cameos from celebrities like Sleepaway Camp’s Felissa Rose and professional wrestler Chris Jericho.
The story for this one is all over the place with no clear direction of where it wants to go. We get a weak explanation as to why Art has been resurrected, we have a gory dream sequence that does very little for further the film’s story progression, and an ending that has more holes than a political argument. A lot of interesting ideas are tossed out at different points in the film but as the movie moved on we find the story progressing but they never go back and explore the more intriguing ideas. Also, the film is over two hours long which is an hour too long in my opinion. The pointless dream sequence and a lot of dialogue heavy scenes could have been cut to make the film more streamlined and enjoyable.
Finally, the film is overflowing with great gore and amazing practical effects. I knew this film would not disappoint the bloody side of genre fans and it did not. We have some seriously impressive effects that really need to be seen to be appreciated. Overall, Terrifier 2 is the better film but it’s not without faults. The story was lacking but it does offer up more than the original. The movie is worth it for the gore alone needs a lot of trimming to get it to a reasonable run time. It’s not perfect but has some fun moments. Check it out.
