What’s up my fellow horror hounds! I’m back again with another piece of insight on a brand new film, TERRIFIER, written and directed by Damien Leone. Since my review of Damien’s All Hallows Eve, I’ve been patiently awaiting the release of Art the Clown’s official debut. To give you a brief overview of the film, here’s the breakdown from IMDB:

“A maniacal clown named Art, terrorizes three young women on Halloween night and everyone else who stands in his way.” 

Having literally just wrapped up watching this film, it’s fresh in my mind and I have quite a bit to say. The premise of the film is entirely focused on stalking and slashing; you can run but you surely can’t hide. This is my favorite type of horror film because it’s creative yet holds all the typically enjoyable tropes of horror. The concept is completely simple and it exercises practical effects to the maximum. Aside from the typical, TERRIFIER takes a suspenseful moment where you’re anticipating one outcome and instead something totally different happens which is something I love. The film kept me on the edge of my seat but still fulfilled that desire to see things you’ve seen hundreds of times before in slasher films.

Although jump scaring is a played out cheap trick that you find in most horror flicks, they worked a different angle in TERRIFIER. Even though you completely anticipate a jump moment, you don’t expect what happens within it. It was mostly cringe moments that followed the jump scares and that is what set this apart in my opinion. Aside from that, Art himself (played amazingly by David Howard Thornton) is completely terrifying. Decked out in black and white clown garb with matching face paint, he meshes with silent film characters which seemed to be the intent since he doesn’t talk and frequently laughs in silence. Did I mention he’s totally armed with a unique array of weaponry? His choice of murder tools is completely off the wall and totally cringe worthy when he puts those tools to work.

Speaking of these tools, his arsenal of deadly appliances range from a whip fashioned with what appears to be human hair tied to a plethora of sharp objects, to a rusty hacksaw, and a scalpel. Ones mind can only wonder the horrors that these torture-esque devices can create. The best part is you get to see them. The practical effects game in this film is seriously STRONG. Considering Art is completely and utterly insane, I bore witness to one of the most disturbing pieces of imagery since the “wish bone” scene in Bone Tomahawk or even Cannibal Holocaust and that’s definitely saying something.

One really important thing to keep in mind is that this film is most definitely not for the faint of heart. If you find yourself enjoying such films as 2008’s Martyrs or 2003’s High Tension, in addition to the endless slasher films from the 70’s and 80’s, than this is going to totally be your cup of tea. TERRIFIER holds evidence of a sequel, or even a series, which I have my fingers crossed for. Look at the Hatchet series, I doubt anybody thought it would create a strong fan based established purely by nostalgic love for horror films, but they just surprised audience with the release of the Victor Crowley film. This gives me hope for more films like TERRIFIER to reach a wider audience so fans can continue to get what they want – that nitty gritty ‘R’ rated gore filled horror film that we all know and love. I can’t wait to get my hands on a copy of TERRIFIER and show it to my friends while I watch their faces twist and turn as Art deals out his full house of twisted horror. Definitely don’t sleep on this film.

• Author
• Recent Posts

Follow Me

Devin March

Co-Host at GoreLords Podcast

Devin is a contributing writer for Nightmarish Conjurings and one of the three Co-hosts of the GoreLords Podcast. In his spare time (when it exists) he's usually cuddled up to his wife binge-watching a TV series, checking out new indie horror films or more recently playing Nintendo Switch. Devin is a huge fan of horror and macabre and it shows in his household. There is a room in his house dedicated to VHS tapes, Disneyland, Vintage Halloween and 80's horror.

Follow Me

Latest posts by Devin March (see all)

• [Movie Review] THE HIVE - October 26, 2023
• [Short Film Review] MEAT FRIEND - March 9, 2022
• [Movie Review] ALONE WITH YOU - February 1, 2022