Phil's Halloween Horror Watch: TERRIFIER (2017) from Dread Central Presents - October 16, 2018

TERRIFIER Blu-Ray

TERRIFIER
Starring David Howard Thornton, Jenna Kanell, Samantha Scaffidi, Catherine Corcoran, Katie Maguire, Matt McAllister
Screenplay by Damien Leone
Cinematography by George Steuber
Edited by Damien Leone
Produced by Larry Bilello, Phil Falcone, Damien Leone, Joe Patrick Marshall, George Steuber, Adam Weber
Directed by Damien Leone
Released by Dread Central Presents

Hello everybody and welcome to Day 16 of my Halloween Horror Watch! So, there's a lot of people in the world who are deathly afraid of clowns. And to be honest, clowns are pretty damn creepy. Even though they're somewhat funny and are there for the kids, adults have grown to be scared of them, and rightly so. There have been some terrifying clowns in the horror genre, such as Pennywise from IT, the space clowns from KILLER KLOWNS FROM OUTER SPACE, and Captain Spaulding from THE DEVIL'S REJECTS. Now you can add Art the Clown from TERRIFIER from Dread Central Presents to that lengthly list.

The film's official synopsis: Based on a character from the cult anthology, All Hallows Eve, the gory 80's slasher throwback takes place on Halloween night as the demented Art the Clown sets his sights on terrorizing two girls and anyone else that gets in his way.

After watching the film for the first time in the comfort of my home, I was thinking to myself, "What the fuck did I just watch?!?" Yeah, this is one fucked up horror movie!! It has that old school, 1970's grindhouse horror film aesthetic that the movie nails you to the back of the theater and doesn't let go till the end credits. It's also super nasty, meaning everything about it makes you feel dirty watching it. So afterwards, I took a very long shower! Then, I took another shower!

Credit goes to actor David Howard Thornton for his performance of Art the Clown, one of the most horrifying clowns I have ever seen in a horror film! Thorton was a trained mime and brings a lot of this experience to his character. He doesn't speak a word and he doesn't have to: his body language, his mannerism, his facial expressions, every little thing he does adds to mystic to his role as Art the Clown. If he doesn't get some kind award for his acting, then there is no justice in the world! He is that damn phenomenal!!

Original Theatrical Poster (2018)

Also contributing to Art's night of horrors are actresses Jenna Kanell and Catherine Corcoran as Tara and Dawn, respectively. As the first two female victims of the night, they are put through the ringer in terms of being attacked, tied to a chair, and hung upside down naked while being sawed in half while still alive!! Holy shit that was fucking sick looking!! Both Kanell and Corcoran are amazing in the film, as is Samantha Scaffidi, who plays Tara's sister Victoria. Scaffidi had the pleasure of being the only survivor of Art the Clown's reign of terror, but the aftermath has left he severely scared! Congratulations to these fine ladies for being part of the film!!

The movie was written, directed, and edited by Damien Leone, who also made the 2013 film ALL HALLOW'S EVE, which is where Art the Clown originated. Leone bring an intensity to his directing style: it's unflinching, in-your-face, uncompromising, and unrelenting! His camera does not shy away from the violence at all! We are forced to see everything, which will put off some but it's nonetheless effective storytelling. The story is also straight-forward, and doesn't offer much as for Art's motivation and why he does what he does. Truth be told, we don't really need to know this. Do we need to know why Michael Myers wanted to kill Laurie Strode? No we don't, so we don't need to know why he's killing all these people. He's just a fucking psychotic individual who kills people! Period! And I'm totally fine with this!

The film premiered at the Telluride Horror Show Film Festival in 2016, and then went on to play at the Horror Channel FrightFest. it was picked up for distribution by Dread Central Presents, an imprint of Epic Pictures specializing in horror, sci-fi, and fantasy films. They released the movie in a limited theatrical release and also in a Blu-Ray/DVD Combo pack. The film was also just added on Netflix back in September.

The Blu-Ray/DVD Combo come with some cool special features, including an Audio Commentary with writer/director Damien Leone and David H. Thorton (Art the Clown), Behind-The-Scenes Footage, Interview with Jenna Kanell, Deleted Scenes, Art the Clown Time Lapse Make-Up Video, Stills, both the Red-Band & Green-Band Trailers, English and Spanish subtitles and Collectible Reverse Cover Art.

TERRIFIER is one of the most shocking, grotesque and insane horror films of the past decade!! This movie is not for the faint at heart! If you like your horror movies outrageously batshit crazy and covered in blood and guts, this one was made for you! I fucking dare you to watch this movie alone in the dark this Halloween!! Just make sure Art the Clown isn't watching you!! Not since the original TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE has a film felt this visceral and disturbing!! 5 out of 5 stars!! Highly recommended!!

TERRIFIER is available in a Blu-Ray/DVD combo pack from Dread Central Presents and Epic Picture. To purchase a copy for yourself, visit their website at epic-pictures.com. The film is also streaming to watch on Netflix. To start your subscription, visit their website at www.netflix.com.


Thanks for reading, and enjoy the horror!