Terrifier isn’t a great movie but it’s a loving tribute to the slasher movies of old.
Once a staple of the horror genre from the 1970s into the early 1990s, the pure slasher movie has been a rare find as of late. Since Scream offered a postmodern take on slashers in 1996, pure slashers mostly receded into the shadows of low-budget, direct-to-video releases. Those that made it to theaters merely aped the formula that made Scream a box-office success.
Terrifier, directed by Damien Leone, is most definitely a pure slasher film. In fact, were it not for the fact that several characters use cell phones, it could have easily been released in the 1980s.
The film opens with two young women, Dawn (Catherine Cocoran) and Tara (Jenna Kanell), walking on the street after leaving a Halloween party. They spot a man dressed as a supremely creepy clown who eyes them up momentarily before disappearing. Since Dawn has had a little too much to drink, the girls decide to get a bite to eat at a nearby pizzeria before attempting to drive home.
As they wait for their food, the clown (David Howard Thornton) enters the pizzeria carrying a garbage bag over his shoulder. He sits at a booth across from them and stares at Tara but says nothing. Dawn confronts him and takes a few selfies with him but he still says nothing. Finally, he gets up, buys a ring from a gumball machine, and gives it to Tara before disappearing into the restroom. As Dawn and Tara eat their pizza, the restaurant’s owner kicks the clown out for making a mess in the bathroom. When the girls return to their car, they find the front tire is flat. And in true slasher film fashion, they don’t immediately think that it’s the clown that’s responsible.
But, of course, he was. Wasn’t he? In any event, the girls call Tara’s sister, Vicky (Samantha Scaffidi), to pick them up. While they wait for Vicky to arrive, Tara enters a nearby building looking to use the restroom. Of course, once they split up, the clown begins to hunt in earnest.
Lest you think I spoiled anything, please believe me that I didn’t. This film has no story. It is simply a series of situations in which the clown, named Art, is allowed to slash, stab, beat, and, uncharacteristically for a slasher movie, shoot his victims. No one is safe from his wrath. And because it makes no pretenses about being anything other than a slasher movie, it serves up exactly what its intended audience would want: jump scares and gore. Lots of gore, in fact. Terrifier has some of the best practical effects I’ve seen in a horror film in quite a while.
Art the Clown may not (yet) be as iconic as other slashers like Halloween‘s Michael Myers or Friday the 13th‘s Jason Voorhees but he’s an unusual and scary killer. The combination of his appearance, mannerisms, and complete silence is the stuff of nightmares.
Because Terrifier is a pure slasher movie, it also falls victim to the usual tropes of the sub-genre. The characters are pretty stupid and everyone acts like they’ve never seen a slasher movie before. (The killer is never knocked out of action with a single blow to the head, people.) But these flaws are what makes a movie like this so much fun to watch with friends and a few beers.
Terrifier isn’t a great movie but it’s a loving tribute to the slasher movies of old. If you miss those types of movies, you’ll love it.
3.5 out of 5.0 stars
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