Terrifier
I love ya, horror, but there are times when you just don’t get it right. You know what I’m talking about, and a lot of filmmakers use it like clockwork: When all else fails, fill the screen with gore. But wait – bloodshed and fear are synonymous concepts, right? Hardly. The worst examples of this phenomenon – I’m not going to name names – drive their gory points to extremes that inspire tedium instead of scares. Some do get it, though: in the case of, say, Martyrs or Wolf Creek, violent extremes commingle with craftsmanship, suspense, character, and genuine fear. I’ll admit that the synopsis of writer-director Damien Leone’s Terrifier didn’t thrill me. A murderous clown named Art (David Thornton) stalking nubile young women? Paging 1980s Friday the 13th sequels! Yawn. But word-of-mouth from trusted horror sources prompted me to give the film a spin – if for no other reason than to get in on the chatter surrounding it. I’m glad I did.
The Clown Emerges
Terrifier is a tricky, low-budget effort, and there isn’t much to it beyond the synopsis. After a pre-title sequence in which one of Art’s would-be victims appears on a talk show to tell her story, we cut to the tale of two girls – Tara (Jenna Kennel) and Dawn (Catherine Corcoran) – on the way back to their vehicle after some drunken Halloween-night debauchery. Early on, they notice the spectral presence of the baggy-suited Art, lurking in the shadows. After a scene in a pizza parlor that’s as uncomfortable as it is awkwardly funny, the film begins a rapid descent into nightmare territory. Clowns are another trope most horror filmmakers manage to fuck up – for every It or Killer Klowns from Outer Space, there are a million more lazy-ass efforts that lean on the “ironic” sight of makeup-wearing psychopaths committing terrible acts for pure shock value. Make no mistake: Terrifier features some jaw-droppingly nasty violence, but also renders Art – whose mute presence subsists entirely on body language – a fully-realized boogeyman. It may be blasphemous to say, but I don’t really care: Art out-Michael Myerses Michael Myers. And beats this year’s Halloween to death with a baseball bat.
Not Clowning Around
Similarly, the victims-in-waiting are not the garden-variety bimbos horror fans typically cheer to the slaughter: after their dopey introduction, we get a feel for Tara and Dawn’s friendship, and the talk of their shortcomings as the drunkenness subsides rings accurate and true. Ditto Tara’s sister, Victoria (Samantha Scaffidi), who is portrayed as the smartest and most rational of the trio (she’s introduced while studying in her dorm). Leone is as interested in character as he is in the blood-drenched set-pieces, even giving a lowly exterminator (Matt McAllister) a satisfying arc. But there’s also a sense of craftsmanship in the creation of atmosphere and suspense – most of the action takes place in and around a seemingly deserted apartment block, and the creative camera angles and lighting schemes help differentiate Terrifier from your standard, direct-to-Redbox fare. For those looking to be jolted out of their seats with fear and shock, this does the trick better than most.
4 out of 5 stars
The Plot Sickens: Check out Jonny Numb’s review of Mandy!
Crash Analysis Support Team
Jonny Numb
Jonny Numb (aka Jonathan Weidler) never learned how to swim, so he could care less if you close the beaches. He co-hosts THE LAST KNOCK podcast with Billy Crash, and can be found drowning in Twitter and Letterboxd @JonnyNumb.
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(Terrifier still from Dark Age Cinema.)