FearTASTIC Vault O’FUN #138
Terrifier 2 (2022)
Director(s): Damien Leone
Writer(s): Damien Leone
Starring: David Howard Thornton, Lauren LaVera, Elliot Fullam
Alright, you made it past the first Terrifier and decided that the over-the-top violence and gore was something you appreciated, so welcome back fellow freak to chatting about the sequel! First off, something to note is that the sequel came out 6 years after the original, which is a testament to how the fanbase slowly but surely built up until the demand for a sequel was red hot. I appreciate the fact that the need for a sequel felt more organic through slow build up of excitement for an ultra-gory slasher flick. Just like the first movie, this sequel was crowd-funded which allowed the creator, Damien Leone the freedom to keep being his freaky self and oh boy, did this gentleman understand the assignment. With the earned cult following the first movie received, the sequel now had the cash and the thirsty army of fans that wanted to see what bloody shenanigans Art the Clown would get into this time around.
What’s most interesting about this sequel was that the movie decided to go the direction of the supernatural and dare I say, some world-building? While the first movie had Art the Clown being a sadistic and creative slasher, the sequel immediately goes past that line and establishes that there are darker forces that reside in the killer clown. The mystery remains of who Art was in life before the slashing and I dearly hope they keep it that way for a while but within the first couple minutes of this movie you’re already introduced to the idea that there is much more to Art the Clown this time around with ties to the supernatural. I have no issue with slashers being of supernatural origin, I mean, Freddy Krueger invaded your dreams and Jason Voorhees has been through the Acme factory of explosives, acid, etc. so yeah, these are not men walking amongst us.
I like how this second movie picks up exactly where the first one left off even though from a release standpoint, they’re 6 years apart. Some bloody encounters and some interesting scenes we get to the heart of the movie which is art the clown doing what he does best and looking for his new victim. Another interesting thing about this sequel is the main heroine, Sienna is somehow connected to Art the Clown through psychic or supernatural means. Now, I’m not saying I’m the biggest fan of this concept (the deeper you dive into a slasher’s origins, the risk of them being less interesting increases) but at the same time, it is interesting how this movie is trying to build a world where demons and psychic connections exist and again, this is not anything new to the genre because we’ve seen this before in several slasher movies but the way they did it in this sequel was very artistic to say the least. It is quite throughout the movie that the creator/director wanted to give more substance to this world that he’s building and by including this kind of connection between hero and villain through very elaborate dream sequences, you’re getting a sense on how there are greater forces in play beyond the main characters we are seeing on the screen.
It is quite obvious that Damien Leone was working with a bigger budget this time around and he ensured to spread the love between creative new kills but also elaborate sequences and sets that gave more layers to the story and lore of Art the Clown in general. I can empathize with anyone who thinks that there are chunks of the movie that could have made it on the editing room floor, especially the flashier sequences that was meant more for building towards the plot rather than being entertaining. Keep in mind that the sequel had a run time that is 2 hours and 17 minutes which is a whopping 45 min longer than the first flick so again, it’s very apparent that Leone wanted to expand the world that he created for potential future flicks so although some parts of this movie may be perceived as not being necessary, I understand the intention to invest some time and money into making sure we have an established understanding of how the Terrifier world works from a supernatural sense, so I’m not mad about it all.
Having said that, the movie does not skimp on the ultra-violence that made this franchise a success in the first place. As much time this movie spends on elevating the source of Art the Clown’s evil, the character itself remains untouched; Art remains both creepy and creative with him having a whole new set of toys/inventions to unleash on his victims. There is a playfulness to Art the Clown that doesn’t get to Freddy Krueger levels since the character doesn’t speak, but at the same time, you can tell again that they truly enjoy the way the victims are disposed of and when Art does get serious, replacing his grin with menacing glare, you know the person on the other end is in deep sh*t. As with the first flick, this installment also has an iconic scene of such gore that it either results in praise or disgust but super creative nonetheless.
Without getting too deep into the intentions and vision of the filmmaker, I think this sequel is a great example of how to utilize newfound success/fame to elevate the characters and world that you’re trying to build. It would have been very easy to make a copy of the first movie but just amp up the violence and yes, that definitely would have satisfied most fans, but I see this movie more of an investment for the future of the franchise and I think it’s a brilliant way to properly utilize a growing fan base. Does the investment pay off? You’ll have to wait for the next and last installment of this three-part series to find out!
Queue suspenseful music.
Life is FAR more interesting when we take interest in things that scare us.