Skip to main content

Terrifier (2017) - Damein Leone




Terrifier is a 2017 supernatural horror movie from director Damien Leone and Epic Pictures Group. It’s based on a segment that appeared in the Damien Leone picture, All Hallows Eve. The film stars small time actors like Jenna Kanell and Catherine Corcoran alongside character actor, David Howard Thornton as the lead villain Art the Clown. It’s an independent feature that really pushes the boundaries with it’s graphic murders and gory special effects. All packaged up with a grindhouse estetic that makes it all the more creepy and cool.

Tara and Dawn get stranded downtown while heading home on Halloween night. Both are way too drunk to drive and are stuck in a really bad part of town. To make matters worse, they are being stalked by an extremely creepy clown that has a favorite pastime of slicing and dicing his victims. Now, Tara and Dawn have to try to survive the night with Vicky, Tara’s sister, on the way to pick them up.

The special effects in this movie are awesome! Tom Savini would be proud. All practical effects, and nary a drop of computer generated blood. The filmmakers aren’t afraid to let loose with just about every kill. In fact I would hope you could make it past the opening kill. It’s stomach churning in all the right ways. Art the Clown did a great job of being the main stalker in the movie. His kills were brutal and realistic. The live body dissection is the main scene that stands out for most people. It’s gross.

There are a lot of downsides. The writing is a little shoddy and they tend to pad out scenes with filler dialogue and pointless cuts. There is a delusional woman wandering around the picture that carries a doll she believes is her child. Art finds the woman and kills her. But I didn’t really see what purpose she held or why they included her. It felt a bit random. Also, the movie is pointless. There isn’t really a coherent story that’s being told, it’s mostly just killing in a clown outfit with the usual tropes.

Most of the actors leave a lot to be desired. However, David Howard Thornton does a great job as our terrifying clown killer. He is exactly what nightmares are made of. His mannerisms are down to a tee. Watching it back again, I was able to pick out the nuances that Thornton brought to the character. Everything worked so well and he was more than just a freaky clown. Art the Clown is the menacing force that brings the title to life. Terrifier. The other actors are going through the motions of generic horror roles. They don’t bring a whole lot to the party. But who cares!? This isn’t about the acting. It’s a horror movie. You came for the slicing and dicing. That’s just what Terrifier delivers.

Director: Damien Leone
Producers: Phil Falcone, Damien Leone and George Steuber
Writer: Damien Leone
Starring: David Howard Thornton, Jenna Kanell and Catherine Corcoran
Studio: Epic Pictures Group & Dread Central Presents
Release Date: 2017 (Independent Film Circuit)
Running time: 86 minutes
Country: USA
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Ju-On (2000) - Takashi Shimizu

Watching Japanese horror is similar to watching British comedy. If you enjoy dry whit then you probably enjoy the boys of Monty Python in drag. That's the joke, they're dressed like women. Get it? Well, that's British humor. But if you're like most Americans you probably prefer Adam Sandler farting his way across a football field and hooking up with chicks that are way out of his league. Americans usually prefer this more in your face, crass brand of humor. My point is funny in England is different from funny in the US. The same goes for J-Horror. What the Japanese consider scary is very different from what Americans consider scary and it shows in this horror film. Japanese horror is generally slow (a little too slow sometimes), suspenseful and creepy. Ju-On is a creepy effing film. The movie has almost no soundtrack. It is incredibly suspenseful and the pay-offs are pretty awesome, but I think that it was done better in the American version (cultural t...
Post a Comment
Not scared yet? »

Sleepy Hollow (1999) - Tim Burton

Tim Burton's take on the old Sleepy Hollow tale is really interesting. He adds his own flair of course. He delves very deeply into the original story by Washington Irving. The casting is usual for Burton. Johnny Depp of course in your lead. Helena Bonham Carter, thrown in for some flavor. The score is done by Danny Elfman. It's literally just the Ichabod Crane story run through the Tim Burton machine. But in a good way. Sleepy Hollow has a problem with a guy, running around, taking people's heads. Like, a lot of people. The town sends word for assistance and the nervous  Constable Ichabod Crane reports. He starts to unravel clues that take him down an incredibly strange path. With the Horseman still murdering patrons, Crane tries finding who's next before they lose their head.  I've always been a big fan of the Disney cartoon,  The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad . This movie is a far cry from Bing Crosby and quaint animations....
Post a Comment
Not scared yet? »

Le Manoir du Diable (1896) - George Melies

According to Wikipedia in August of 2011, Le Manoir du diable by Georges Melies is the first horror movie. Well, actually its a short film (about three minuets or so) but film was really hard to come by in that time so this counts as a film to me. The plot of the film is basic, you have your hero being tormented by demonic things in a crazy castle room... However, that plot isn't what brought the crowds. The thing that drove the popularity of these films was the fact that you were seeing motion on screen. I suggest going and seeing Hugo. That film is spectacular. It answered so many questions that I had. It really sets the scene and the tone. The film has strong christian overtones and actually ends with Christianity prevailing over the "tides of darkness". I provided a link at the bottom of this review for anyone that would like to see this pioneer in Horror Film. The movie uses very, very early "movie magic" that is an abundance of smoke and m...
Post a Comment
Not scared yet? »