Terrifier Blu Ray Review (Dread Central Presents / Epic Pictures)
Terrifier is a 2017 horror film directed by special effects artist Damien Leone (All Hallows’ Eve, The 9th Circle, & Frankenstein vs. The Mummy). Terrifier is inspired by the original 2011 short by the same name & the 2013 horror anthology All Hallows’ Eve which introduced most of the world to the main character Art the Clown. I enjoyed All Hallows’ Eve & I thought Art was the best part of the entire film so I was definitely interested when this full length feature was announced for that same character taking the lead this time in this. The Art the Clown character made his debut in Damien Leone’s 2008 horror short The 9th Circle. Mike Giannelli played the role from 2008 to 2013. David Howard Thornton replaced him in this full length feature & the actor used his previous experience as a mime in his performance as the demented clown!
The film opens with a disfigured victim being interviewed on TV talking about their terrifying experience with a real life monster. A vicious serial killer dressed up as a clown known as Art (played by: David Howard Thornton from Nightwing: Escalation, Gotham, The Bravest Knight, & The Exigency) is stalking the New York City streets for some new victims on Halloween. Tara (played by: Jenna Kanell from The Bye Bye Man, Misfortune, The Front Runner, & Blood Type: Unknown) & Dawn (played by: Catherine Corcoran from Return to Nuke ‘Em High Volume 1/2, Caesar and Otto’s Paranormal Halloween, Chuck, & Amityville: Vanishing Point) are going to their car after leaving a party. Dawn thinks Art is just some guy in a costume enjoying the holiday when they first run into him but Tara thinks something might be wrong with the stranger. Art shows up at the same pizzeria as them with a mysterious fully loaded trash bag soon after which makes Tara seem like the more logical one out of the two friends. They are trying to sober up from their wild night & be responsible before they go home. The clown isn’t there to eat, he is playing mind games with the two girls while they are both still under the influence. Tara calls her sister Victoria (played by: Samantha Scaffidi from Demon Hole, Sam, American Fango, & Throuple) for a ride after having car problems. Art has made his plans for Halloween night & no one will stop him from enjoying it. The psychotic clown plays a deadly game of cat & mouse with the unlucky victims he picked to terrorize. Other people end up getting in the way of his brutal mission but they pay for their interference. It all leads to an abandoned building where the real games begin on this blood soaked journey into hell!!!!
The evil clown sub genre is starting to get resurrected thanks to the remake of Stephen King’s IT. Terrifier is a completely different beast compared to that watered down mainstream attempt at horror. Art the Clown doesn’t hold back when it comes to terrifying his victims on the worst night of their lives. He also loves using a variety of weapons which is a nice change in the genre. This film has a 80s slasher throwback vibe to it. Cinema has been polluted with so much fake looking CGI these days so it’s a fresh breathe of air to see something with real practical effects in it like this. The body count is very satisfying & it will please any hardcore horror fan while viewing this. All of the brutal kills & gore are shown in great detail so you get the full gruesome experience.
Damien Leone delivers everything that you would want in this type of film. It has you ready for more Art the Clown & it gives you hope for a new horror icon after all these years with not that many options in the modern day. Especially compared to the legends in the past. Speaking of Art, David Howard Thornton is the true highlight of this production with his silent but dominating performance as the unstoppable killing machine! The look & mannerisms are truly unique when it comes to the familiar villain. It’s a great time to be a horror fan with characters like this around. It’s independent horror at it’s highest level.
Let’s discuss the high definition presentation from Dread Central & Epic Pictures. This 1080p (1.78:1) transfer looks awesome on blu ray! Terrifier used every penny that was invested & it honestly looks like it had a bigger budget because everything was planned out perfectly for this low budget production. The set pieces & limited locations really become more than a background in this. The blood soaked special effects really pop out on the screen & the nightmarish visuals keep you focused the entire time. The Dolby Digital 5.1 audio track sounds fantastic especially for being an independent. The dialogue is very clean, all the chaos is elevated, & the music has a nice boost to it. It also has English SDH & Spanish subtitles.
Now let’s talk about the special features on this disc. You get an Audio Commentary with the director Damien Leone & actor David Howard Thornton. Art the Clown FINALLY speaks! They discuss every possible aspect of the production for Terrifier. Both of them have good chemistry so the conversation keeps going the whole time & you end up learning more about this project. 20 minute “Behind the Scenes Featurette” shows what happens behind the camera during the production of this. Since the director Damien Leone is also a special effects artist you get a great inside look on some of the gory scenes in Terrifier. It also has quick chats with various cast & crew members. “Interview with Jenna Kanell” is a 9 minute discussion with the lead actress. She talks about how she met the director when she auditioned for his earlier horror short The 9th Circle. She chats about working on Terrfier & the long hours put into the low budget production.
Two “Deleted Scenes” that end up being a little over a minute. “Art the Clown Time Lapse Makeup”is a 54 second look into David Howard Thornton transforming into Art the Clown. “Stills” is a almost 2 minute look at several photos from the film. Two different trailers for Terrifier, Red Band & Green Band versions. Last but not least, you get trailers for Dread Central Presents which include The Lodgers, Screamers, The Monster Project, & Zombiolgy: Enjoy yourself Tonight. It has a KILLER reversible cover & a DVD copy included in this blu ray release. I was very impressed with this independent horror feature & it comes HIGHLY RECOMMENDED from me! If you are looking for one of the next great villains in the genre then you need to pick this up ASAP, it’s available everywhere right now!!!!
