05th Sep2022

Frightfest 2022: ‘Terrifier 2’ Review

by Matthew Turner

Stars: Lauren LaVera, Elliot Fullam, Sarah Voigt, Kailey Hyman, Casey Harnett, David Howard Thornton, Samantha Scaffidi, Amelie McLain | Written and Directed by Damien Leone

Murderous mime Art the Clown returns in this 140-minute sequel to writer-director-producer Damien Leone’s 2016 horror Terrifier. Shot through with black humour and positively dripping with gore, this is an entertainingly gruesome sequel that’s sure to increase Art’s already substantial fanbase.

Other than a brief appearance by Samantha Scaffidi (who played the lead in the original film), Terrifier 2 is more or less a stand-alone affair, so don’t worry too much if you haven’t already seen Terrifier. Those who have had the pleasure of the first film will have some idea what to expect, as Art the Clown (David Howard Thornton) once again murders his way through the inhabitants of a small town on Halloween night, in as grisly a manner as possible.

However, this time round there’s a slight difference, in that Art picks up a worthy pair of opponents. It turns out that teenager Sienna (Lauren LaVera) and her nerdy younger brother Jonathan (Elliot Fullam) have a dark family secret that connects to Art, setting the trio on a violent collision course with an unexpected supernatural twist.

Seemingly on a one-man mission to wrest the title of Scariest Movie Clown from Tim Curry’s Pennywise, David Howard Thornton’s Art is a truly creepy monster, who behaves like a mime. Not only does he never speak, he also stages and presents his kills with the glee of a master showman – you half expect him to do jazz hands at the conclusion of every set-piece, and sometimes he does.

2016’s Terrifier already established Leone as a director who likes a bit of the red stuff, and he’s clearly decided he has a reputation to live up to, because the gory moments in the sequel are spectacularly nasty, going above and beyond on numerous occasions. Consequently, there’s a commendably high kill count, and Terrifier 2 isn’t afraid to kill off supporting characters that you might have assumed would make it to the final credits. Speaking of which, stick around for a lengthy post-credits sequence that is truly deranged, ending the film with a belter of a final image.

Thornton is clearly the main attraction of Terrifier 2, but LaVera and Fullam both do terrific work as de facto clown hunters Sienna and Jonathan – they have an appealing brother-sister rapport that ensures that you’re fully rooting for them to survive, despite the fact that Art seems largely unkillable. There’s also strong support from Sarah Voigt (as Sienna and Jonathan’s mother, Barbara) and Kailey Hyman as Sienna’s best friend Brooke, who really ought to know better than to be getting her buddy wasted when there’s a murderous clown about.

Clearly sensing a franchise, Leone’s script does a decent job of expanding the mythology, adding in some decidedly unexpected touches that essentially give the film a comics-friendly background. However, one particular element, involving a character listed in the script as Demon Girl (played by Amelie McLain) falls flat, because it raises more questions than it answers (e.g. some characters can see her and some can’t)

Remarkably, despite its arse-numbing running time, Terrifier 2 never feels like 140 minutes, which is a testament to Leone’s sense of pace, even if it does occasionally get a little repetitive. Hopefully, the inevitable (and, it has to be said, not entirely unwelcome) Terrifier 3 will have a slightly more ruthless editor.

*** 3/5

Terrifier 2 screened as part of this year’s Arrow Video London Frightfest.

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