Terrifier 2 was officially released in October 2022 to widespread acclaim, with most citing the film as a marked improvement over its predecessor, Terrifier. Art the Clown came back in all his silent glory, bringing with him a larger story that expands upon the threadbare plotting that unfortunately brought the original film’s quality down a few pegs. What was once an exploitative slasher is now… still an exploitative slasher, but with some intrigue underneath the comedic antics of a killer clown.
Interestingly enough, Terrifier 2 does a lot more than just bring Art the Clown back for another gore-filled romp. From Art’s first massacre being predicted through a series of drawings, to the leading final girl Sienna being revived with some kind of magical sword, to the sudden appearance of a young companion to Art’s madness, there’s a lot more going on underneath the surface. Unfortunately for us, a lot of these aspects are only gently touched on. Should a third Terrifier film happen, this is what we want to see in it.
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David Howard Thornton as Art the Clown
Bloody Disgusting
Much like how Robert Englund has become synonymous with Freddy Krueger, David Howard Thornton’s equally horrifying and hilarious performance as Art the Clown is hard to top.
For two films now, the caustic clown killer has taken glee in brutally killing just about anyone for any reason, with some exceptions made for those who compliment his frightening appearance. With a bin liner full of metal instruments, Thornton has a blast in utilizing just about all of them to inflict as much pain as humanly possible. There’s not a second that Thornton’s on-screen where he doesn’t steal the show, whether he’s unloading a machine gun into a crowd of performers or swinging a flail made of straight razors.
The expanded scope of Terrifier 2, which allows for a lot more locations compared to the first film, really allowed Thornton’s comedic chops to shine. Whereas some of the more memorable moments of the first film were squarely rooted in Art’s brutality, Thornton was allowed to play with cheap Halloween toys, gory props, and novelty sunglasses in a variety of darkly comedic scenes. Even Thornton’s brutality in playing Art goes so over-the-top in cheerful cruelty that it becomes comedic, almost drawing comparisons to the slapstick violence that was littered throughout the Evil Dead series. At one point, he literally rubs salt in someone’s wounds, all while silently cheering and posturing.
While Art was originally played by Mike Giannelli in the character’s first appearance, All Hallow’s Eve, Thornton’s lanky stature and ability to jump between innocent goofs and sadistic scalping without so much as a second thought make Art a genuinely terrifying presence on-screen. It’d be a shame to see the character recast for the third film, but given the franchise’s success so far, and Thornton’s enthusiasm in playing the character, it’s a safe bet to assume he’ll be coming back.
The Little Pale Girl
Terrifier 2 went bigger and badder for its sequel, not only bringing back Art the Clown from his post-mortem rest but a mysterious sidekick in the form of The Little Pale Girl. Suddenly appearing in a laundromat as Art cleans himself up from his previous night of killing, The Little Pale Girl accompanies Art throughout the entirety of Terrifier 2, playing patty-cake and watching television in-between various shootings, slashings, and stabbings. The girl is initially presumed to be mute, just like Art himself, but later reveals that she can mimic human voices down to their exact cadence and pronunciations.
Much like Art, she also has her own paranormal powers. These include phasing in and out of reality at whim, taking on the appearances of others, though that may be a result of Sienna’s ingestion of hallucinogenic drugs, and conjuring horrifying images of past events. Her eyes also inexplicably change color, presumably based on her mood; for instance, they flashed a crimson red upon the discovery of Art’s headless body towards the end of the film. If you saw the mid-credits scene, you would’ve also noticed that after returning survivor Victoria gives birth to Art’s head, her remaining eye also turns to a similar color.
We aren’t given an explicit reason for her sudden appearance or what brought on her companionship with Art, but seeing as how director Damien Leone has plans to expand upon ideas introduced in Terrifier 2, on top of telling a far more ambitious story compared to the first film, it’ll be neat to see how she plays into an overarching narrative.
Terrifier’s Director Already Has Plans
In an interview with Variety, Damien Leone freely discussed the writing process for Terrifier 2, clearly stating his desire to expand upon ideas introduced in Terrifier 2 that are otherwise not followed up on. The third film will also continue the trend of picking up immediately where the last one left off, according to a report by Looper, meaning that we’ll likely start from the mid-credit asylum scene.
On top of this, Leone also expressed a desire to return Terrifier to its roots in a way, recapturing the same kind of terror that was present in the original Terrifier short film. With Terrifier 2 going out of its way to outdo its predecessor, it’ll be fun to see something a little more subdued in comparison.
Terrifier is shaping up to be a fantastic new franchise for slasher fans. With an iconic villain and a story that’s growing in scale and scope, there’s a lot to be excited for when it comes to Terrifier 3.
