Tags:
Film: Terrifier
Year: 2017
Director: Damien Leone
Writer: Damien Leone
Starring: Jenna Kanell, Samantha Scaffidi and David Howard Thronton
Review:
I had heard a lot of good things about this film and was intrigued as I really like the villain of the film. I had seen All Hallows’ Eve so I definitely wanted to check this film out. The official synopsis for the film is a maniacal clown terrorizes three young women on Halloween night and everyone else who stands in his way.
The film actually doesn’t have that complex of a story. We start off with a woman who is badly disfigured being interviewed on a television show. The interviewer is quite rude and she is attacked by the person she interviewed.
We then shift to a couple of young woman leaving a Halloween party. They are both in costumes. One of them is drunker than the other and it is decided that they will get some food before driving. The owner of the car is Dawn (Catherine Corcoran) and her friend is Tara Heyes (Jenna Kanell). While they are deciding, they see a clown with a garbage bag. This is the iconic Art the Clown (David Howard Thornton). He creeps out Tara and Dawn mocks him.
They go into a local pizza shop and Art comes in as well. He just creepily stares and smiles at Tara. To make the situation worse, Dawn takes a selfie with him sitting on his lap. The workers freak out and kick him out after he goes to the bathroom.
As the two women go to leave, they find they now have a flat tire. They call Tara’s sister, who is up studying to come pick them up. Victoria (Samantha Scaffidi) agrees to come when her roommate comes home drunk with a guy. While they are waiting, Tara goes into a building to use the bathroom. Mike the Exterminator (Matt McAllister) lets her in. The problem is that Art also gets in and uses the building for his sick form of pleasure.
If you have read previous reviews from me, then you know that I am really big on the story of films. This film is definitely lacking in that department as this film doesn’t really have much in that aspect. Surprisingly though, I didn’t mind that. It is really creepy as to what is going on. I do think there are plot-holes though. Like how did the murders in the pizza shop get reported so quickly. If they did, there should be cops all over the place and we don’t see any. I just think that this couldn’t go on as long as it did with a crime like that in the area. There is also a point where the police are called and I think they would have shown up much quicker. None of this really ruins the film, but just things that I found odd.
The film is actually paced very well. It really gets right into it and with a low running time, it moves at a really good pace. I was never bored and it kept me interested throughout the film. I will say that the ending of the film as well as the first scene felt a little bit out of place for me. I get what they are going for and I definitely could see it happening. It just doesn’t seem that it fits in the grand scheme of the film.
The acting for the film was also pretty good. We don’t get a lot of character development, but for a film like this, it really doesn’t need it. I thought that Kanell was good. She definitely is distrustful of things around her and I liked it. It’s not even that she is overly feminist, but I picked up that she knows her plight and is trying to keep herself safe. Corcoran on the other hand is just having a good time and we see what happens when she is tempting fate. Scaffidi is just trying to help out and she gets punished for her kindness. I thought all three were good and were easy on the eyes. Thornton kills it as Art and I loved his performance. He does so much without talking. It is eerie that he doesn’t say a word or make a sound when laughing. The rest of the cast round out the film well also.
The other strong part of the film was the effects. They looked to be done practical and which I am big fan of. There is a lot of blood and I thought it looked pretty realistic. It isn’t just red but does have a darker look to it. On top of that, there is a little bit of gore, but not as much as I thought there would be. The deaths are also done pretty realistic and I found it to have a good mix so it doesn’t get repetitive.
The final thing to talk about would be the score of the film. It really didn’t stand out to me, but it definitely fit for what they needed. It never took me out of the scenes, which is really all I can ask for. I know I have already touched on it, but I do like that Art doesn’t make a sound. It really makes him even creepier.
Now with that said, I would recommend giving this film if you are into blood and some gore. The film is really lacking in the story department, but I don’t mind that. It really is focusing on Art the Clown and I loved that. His performance is great and he is really an iconic horror character now in my opinion. I would like to see him in more films for sure. The acting is pretty good as well. The effects and the pacing of the film are good. The score didn’t stand out, but it also doesn’t hurt the film. Overall, if this sounds interesting definitely give it a viewing. I found this to be a good and entertaining film.
My Rating: 8 out of 10