by Foster Harlfinger, Contributing Writer
Though dominated by unexpected success stories like Everything Everywhere All at Once or Top Gun: Maverick, no film better makes the case for the value of good, old-fashioned word-of-mouth praise when it comes to 2022 releases than the gruesome Terrifier 2.
Following in the footsteps of the original 2016 film, Terrifier 2 tracks the grisly antics of Art the Clown, an instantly iconic horror villain whose playfully mischievous personality lends itself to a delightfully blood-soaked serving of creative violence and brutality. “Should I be laughing or should I be scared?” will be the overriding question on most audience members’ minds as they experience the unrelenting onslaught of writer, director, and practical make-up artist Damien Leone’s nightmarish vision.
Judging from the film’s surprising box office performance, it seems unlikely that the majority of audience members will have seen the original film, nor is it necessary in order to follow the plot of Terrifier 2. The original 2016 Terrifier, a rough-around-the-edges slasher with impressive, low-budget effects work and a highly memorable antagonist, acts less as a standalone film than it does as a proof-of-concept for what Leone would later achieve in the sequel.
Where the characters in the original film largely function as horror movie fodder for Art the Clown to mutilate in increasingly gory ways, Terrifier 2 dedicates a respectable allotment of time to genuine character development for its protagonists. Led by actress Lauren LaVera in a star-making performance as Sienna, the newly introduced final girl of the Terrifier universe, the film orients itself around a central family as they gradually find themselves pulled into the twisted web of Art the Clown.
Even more so than your typical Evil Dead-style slasher, Terrifier 2 revels in its depiction of fantastically over-the-top violence, making it a difficult film to recommend to casual filmgoers. When divorced from behind-the-scenes knowledge of the film’s creation, this could understandably lead to a feeling of ickiness about the societal implications of audience members who get a kick out of seeing folks butchered on screen for their own entertainment. However, the film’s indie approach to filmmaking and the behind-the-scenes passion from all involved should earn the respect of even the most hardened critics. The realism and attention to detail in Leone’s use of practical effects makes Terrifier 2 the new gold standard as far as the use of make-up in film is concerned. It is no exaggeration to say that his outstanding efforts in this film deserve to be mentioned alongside such iconic works as An American Werewolf in London or The Thing, particularly when one considers that Terrifier 2 achieved this with less than 5% of those film’s budgets.
Though David Howard Thornton’s portrayal of Art the Clown — a demonic hybrid between Freddy Krueger and Charlie Chaplin — is entirely silent, Thornton’s hilariously vile facial contortions and Leone’s gnarly character design more than suffice. As much fun as Terrifier 2 may be with an audience, the film is undeniably overlong and feels more like a director’s cut than a theatrical release. Those uninitiated with the world of low-budget horror may also find themselves rolling their eyes at the more campy supporting performances or over-the-top lines of dialogue, but it’s all par for the course. It is easy to overlook these flaws when the film is anchored by LaVera and Thornton’s genuinely great performances set to the backdrop of Leone’s ever-improving visual eye and the film’s synth-inspired soundtrack. One hopes that the film’s wonderfully bonkers mid-credits scene will serve as an accurate indicator of what’s to come in the inevitable followup to the film’s unexpectedly successful theatrical run.
Expanding on the lore of the universe just enough to leave the audience craving more, upping the slasher violence, and substantially fleshing out its lead characters, Terrifier 2 is a massive step up from the original film in every conceivable way. Though it goes without saying that the film will not be for everyone, Terrifier 2’s continuing box office climb is a massive win for low-budget and genre filmmaking. Those not deterred by buckets of blood or the film’s two-and-a-half hour runtime will be in for one of the most genuinely boundary-pushing horror films in years. Terrifier 2 is a film of extremes, and you are either all in or all out.
Score: 7/10
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