My Terrifier Journey

By Kevin Hoskinson

Entertainment Editor

So, I was a bit late to the Terrifier franchise. As a horror fan, it was something that was on my radar, but I never took the leap into it. I was fully aware of Art The Clown but honestly assumed he was just another psychotic killer behind a mask, something I had seen so many times before. But then something happened, something I wasn’t expecting. Two weeks before the release of Terrifier 3, almost on a whim, we (my teenage kids and myself) decided it was time to dive in. It was the right decision, and if I had one regret, it’s that we didn’t enjoy these films sooner.

The first film doesn’t have much of a story, but it leaves a massive impression. There is an anthology film featuring Art The Clown called All Hollows Eve that precedes it, but Terrifier is the introduction of the definitive version of the character. The movie takes place on Halloween night and follows Art as he terrorizes a couple of young women who are trying to get home after a fun night. It predictably turns into a nightmare, and the shenanigans escalate quickly. It’s a low-budget affair, but it shows you can do so much with so little. I was both shocked and amazed at how creative and gory the kills were. It certainly left us wanting more, and lucky for us, there was another one ready to stream.

Going into Terrifier 2, we were expecting another mindless funhouse of horror. This one feels like two movies at play until they coalesce together in a wave of chaos. On one hand, you have Art doing what he does, and on the other, we are introduced to the Shaw family. With Sienna Shaw and her brother Johnathan, the mythology of the world starts to take shape. We learn that Art is much more than just a psychopath dressed as a clown and that Sienna is the only person who can stop him. The movie is soaked in religious

iconography, and it builds to an epic battle between good and evil. We are also introduced to the Clown Cafe which includes a catchy jingle that will be stuck in your head long after the credits roll. Regarding credits, stick around for a mid-credit scene that explains so much leading into Terrifier 3.

After we finished the first two, we were all in on the series. There was nothing we could do but wait for the third film to hit theaters, and we were excited to experience it on the big screen. That is precisely what we did, and the movie did not disappoint. While the second is still my favorite, this one tripled down on everything that made the other two so good. It is easily the most vile and disgusting of the bunch. It is also the funniest and most shocking. They make it abundantly clear that nobody is safe in this world, which makes it much more intense and terrifying. In other words, it was a great night at the cinema. Seriously. Our theater was packed, and everybody was all in and having a blast. You know when something so brutal happens on screen and you can’t help but laugh because you are so uncomfortable? That was the sound resonating through our showing. There was also real laughter because Art is genuinely hilarious. I’m so glad we got to experience it the way we did.

There is something to be said about a franchise that knows exactly what it is and revels in it. Terrifier never pretends to be anything more than a “trashy” gore-filled good time. They start to introduce story elements as the series progresses, but it never detracts from why we love it. It organically expands the saga, and introducing Sienna was the smartest thing they could have done. We love Art, but in the end, we want somebody we can root for, and she is perfect. She balances the scales, and it’s Lauren LaVera’s strong performance that makes her a formidable foe to David Howard Thornton’s Art The Clown. Speaking of David, his performance is solid throughout all three films. He brings a Charlie Chaplin-like charm to the character as he never speaks but is expressive enough to convey his emotions. He’s a wonderful performer who sells the character in a way that nobody else could.

If you haven’t realized it, I love these movies. What separates them from something like the Saw franchise is that they aren’t trying to be grounded. They are purposefully over the top and are sometimes live-action, blood-soaked cartoons. The artistry behind it all really blows me away. It takes so much work for anything to get made, but doing it with this passion and respect for practical special effects is next level. Director Damien Leone and his crew have created something truly special with the Terrifier series, and I’m beyond excited to see what’s in store for the next entry.

To wrap things up, I know these movies aren’t for everybody, and that’s okay. Some people can’t see past the gore and consider them to be less than. Previously, I referred to them as “trashy,” and that comes directly from criticisms of the movies. As the old saying goes, one man’s trash is another man’s treasure. I’m all in on mindless entertainment, precisely what these are. There have been studies done concerning folks who suffer from mental health issues such as anxiety and the effects horror films have on them. They found that it’s a safe way to experience stress in a controlled environment, which in turn helps the viewer forget about their troubles for a bit. That’s why I love horror and the extremes that films like these reach for; they in no way replace traditional therapy, but they certainly help. I can forget about everything and live in the moment for a while. This zany, horrific world has also been a strange bonding experience with my family, and for that, I am forever grateful.