Terrifier

Here is a film that will induce a big frown, as a marauding psycho wanders around town, with oversized boots and a dark crooked smile, a bag full of tools to remove and restyle, expresses emotions with gesture and mime, will take all you've got when you've just reached your prime, no mercy or pity, as you beg and you plead, feasting on all features, as you drain and you bleed.

If inflicting and unleashing violence and pain on another individual utilising a range of tools is your thing then step on in and enjoy the disturbing world of Art the Clown as he carves his way through several torsos while teaching Takashi Miike and the butchery trade a thing or two about carcass dissection.

This film really needed a PLOT. And characters, some people to root for. Instead, the poor pacing, lack of tension and suspense made for a kind of dull film experience. Yes, Art is a crazy, vicious clown killer. If that's all you want, then you'll see it here as he wounds, kills and dismembers people. The problem is, he will injure someone--a woman's ankle is almost torn out--and the next scene, she's running. People have their heads bashed in...and later, are able to get up and function. It really doesn't make a lot of sense and since Art seems to pop up in more places than possible, he's never really a surprise--he's overused. Clearly the director knew the story was thin, so every few minutes, Art pops up to attack someone. It really is disappointing since the short films showed some potential but when a whole film is given to Art, he's boring and predictable. I'm sure there will be another one--I hope the screenplay is given as much attention as the gore effects.

I was not keen on seein this as i haven't seen any of the director's previous films. (Cos the killer in this movie is a spinoff).

I saw this after reading a glowing review by Coventry.

This movie is indeed terrifying in terms of brutality n gore but what i liked more is the atmosphere.

Another good aspect is that nothing is shot in dark n one can easily make out what is going on. No flickering lights, no shaky cam n no fast cut editing.

There is a kill in this movie which is way too brutal than the Sean Bean's one from Black Death.

The only thing i wanted to kno more is the background story of the killer, his motives n the some clarity bah the supernatural ending.

Aft liking this, i wanna check out the director's previous films.

The overrated "Terrifier" is a horror film with a promising and funny beginning, with the alcoholic Dawn acting like a stupid and the clown accepting the silliness. Until the moment Tara and Dawn are abducted, the film works reasonably well. However, when Victoria drives to give a ride to her sister and Dawn, she hears that there is a serial killer in the area. But even being aware of the dangerous situation, she begins to take a series of very stupid e clichés attitudes culminating in the awful conclusion. My vote is four.

Title (Brazil): Not Available

Note: On 20 October 2022, I saw this film again.

A brutal, barbaric & bestial horror packed with harrowing kills & senseless savagery, Terrifier is completely devoid of basic narrative fundamentals and exists solely to shock, upset, disturb & disgust its viewers with its endless gore & no-holds-barred carnage but for those with a taste for the extreme, this indie slasher may just prove to be a welcome thrill-n-kill ride.

Written, produced, edited & directed by Damien Leone, the plot is merely an outline with nothing of value brewing underneath and only exists as an excuse for the filmmaker to indulge in the old-school tricks that power the violence & viscera. The make-up & special effects are worth noting but with an absent narrative & no characters to support, the film doesn't cover a lot of distance.

Further hampering the journey are the shoddy dialogues & awful performances, not to mention that it's also lacking in tension and is rather predictable & repetitive. The cardboard characters keep making the idiotic choices throughout the film which only diminish our interest in their fate, if there was any. Nevertheless, David Howard Thornton impresses in his role and is sickening to watch.

Overall, Terrifier is as repugnant & repulsive as it is raw & ruthless and often gets carried away with its scenes of torture & terror. While there is an audience for this kind of cinematic offering, the film remains a forgettable ride for the most part. Still, Art the Clown does exhibit promise & potential to become a horror franchise icon but his character & mythology needs to be fleshed out better than how it's done here.