If “Smile” is the renaissance of the psychological thriller and “Don’t Look At The Demon” takes the spirit of the demonic possession trope in horror to new levels then Damien Leone’s “Terrifier II” is the modern crown jewel of instant cult classic horror cinema. David Howard Thornton is both imposing and humorous as Thornton’s Art The Clown, an antagonist that could easily find himself being idolized on clothing, video games and figurines.
This macabre monster from the start of the film slashes into the most creative and goriest ways since Rob Zombie’s take on “Halloween”. Fully giving levity to the reason why Bloody Disgusting even decided to distribute the film, “Terrifier II” will make a hemophobic puke and release enough feces to fill their seats.
I am far from squeamish and enjoy the site of a spilled meat bag, so I had a nice box of gas station pizza and a Big Gulp of Mt. Dew before the previews (that I happily ignored while reading the latest Image Anthology) started to roll, but by the second half of the film I started to regret that Big Gulp, but soldiered through. So if you have a weak stomach or bladder, given the run time and content filled with carnage, it is best advised to enjoy Terrifier on an empty stomach to maximize your experience and fully immerse yourself in Leone’s horror circus.
With dated references to molly, a cast of main characters completely composed of Eurotrash, and the common settings of a high school and an abandoned circus “Terrifier II” had plenty of moments where it was on thin ice, but with a dedication to the demented “Terrifier II” was able to break through without sinking. Most teenagers in horror films are fairly annoying, especially when they have some “chosen one” plot device to push them along, but the Shaw’s weren’t particularly annoying (even though I couldn’t believe Fullam’s “Jonathan” still yelling “Mommy!”, even at twelve years old), Sienna’s friends were great foils and Casey Hartnett’s “Allie” had one of the best deaths that this Heavy-R, BestGore visiting aficionado has ever seen on any screen – big or small, real or enacted.
Paul Wiley’s 80’s electronic trance music was so peaceful for a film that had such a chaotic nature. Wiley had the theater sounding like Adult Swim’s Robot Unicorn throughout the montages which provided a needed break from all the on-screen fatalities, though when the blood really started flowing the score could have used a little more rattle in the bass.
Olga Yarlug has created iconic costumes for both Art and Sienna, greatly inspired by comic book franchise players like Red Sonja and DC’s Joker; Yarlug has been able to take these influences and design characters that are bound to sell out merchandise for decades to come.
And as an alvinophilliac I have to personally thank Yarlug for prominently displaying Sienna’s umbilical on screen for so much of the runtime, but even I have to say that Sienna’s resurrection through a belly stab looked and was goofy enough to be featured in a low budget porno. But “Terrifier II” is a certified cult classic, and in that, there is of course, room for camp.
Jackie Hughes and Alana Rose deserve an Oscar for making the blood flow all over the screen as prosthetics ripped and the red red kroovy was spilled in a way only George Stuber could make appear so groovy. “Terrifier II” is a joint effort, crowdfunded and made for that very audience’s enjoyment. And even though you may not want to stay after the credits completely roll up (leave early and you’ll miss the Ayatollah of Rock N’ Rollah Chris Jericho make a cameo as a possible sequel gets teased) for the BTS reveals (I dipped out, I really didn’t want the magic spoiled), this film will have you looking up the contributors behind this feature just to know their names. As cartoony and ridiculous as this slasher can get, “Terrifier II” is handled with a degree of professionalism not seen in any mainstream horror scenes today. Even though the majority of the actors may be green to the green screen, they act like their lives depend on their performance in “Terrifier II” and audiences appreciate when a cast leaves it all on the set.
Art The Clown and the gang are the type of artist owned properties that mainstream companies are going to be eager to pimp in the future, but one look at “Terrifier II” and it will be easily understood why this franchise should stay closely guarded by Leone and his team. “Terrifier II” will leave those who just watched it waiting for an extended cut to drag them back into theaters as soon as possible, because if it took a six year gap for the last one to hit theaters, then that’s torture once audiences get exposed to this picture that will leave them with a bloodlust unquenchable.
Score : 4.5/5
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