This Terrifier 2 Scene Was Too Brutal To Film
This article contains major spoilers for "Terrifier 2."
In a horror movie season dominated by Michael Myers ("Halloween Ends"), killer grimaces ("Smile"), and hellish Airbnbs ("Barbarian"), Art the Clown (David Howard Thornton) has earned a spot among the greats with "Terrifier 2." Earlier in the fall, the sequel to director Damien Leone's 2016 splatter flick received not only positive reviews but great word-of-mouth buzz that took Art from a genre curiosity to a full-blown pantomime slasher superstar. Its theatrical release garnered headlines about people who either fainted, vomited, or needed an ambulance called while watching it. The closest "Terrifier 2" came to actually making someone sick on set was AEW star Chris Jericho while devouring a disgusting plate of spooky gelatin.
It was those reports, in addition to the power of Leone's show-stopping practical effects, that turned "Terrifier 2" into a massive success for independent horror. A one-week theatrical run turned into an entire month, and with it, a flick that cost $250,000 ended up raking in over $11 million at the box office. The unexpected boom comes as a surprise when you factor in that this was a loving ode to the grindhouse era of horror in mainstream theaters, which rarely happens on this scale.
"Terrifier 2" is a wholeheartedly better film than its predecessor, as it features Lauren LaVera's Sienna, an excellent new addition to the Scream Queen roster. But the truth is that Art and his gory reign of terror struck a nerve. That's the whole reason the film truly caught on with general audiences. They had to see what the fuss was all about.
When it came to bringing these stunning kills to the screen, there was one that even Leone had to put a pin in before it went too far.
Anatomy of a Member
Right before Art chases Sienna through the Terrifier haunted house, he has to dispense those responsible for her ride to the abandoned establishment. He just can't help himself. The character of Jeff (Charlie McElveen) steps outside of the car to drain the lizard and instead drains just about everything else in his body. Art pulls a nasty sneak attack by stabbing him directly in his nether regions multiple times. You get a harrowing close-up of the blade making contact, too. In a hilariously bit of irony, Jeff is wearing a T-shirt that says "Just the tip. I promise" while all of this is going down.
In an interview with Variety, Leone talks about how the already brutal dismemberment could have been much worse. "We had conversations of things he could do once he took the guy's penis off. We explored those and joked about it, but then we said, 'No, that's way too far. That's too distasteful,'" says Leone.
What else could Leone possibly think to do with Art pulling a literal dick move? As it turns out, Thornton's master of scari-monies nearly took the stabbing a step further by giving into his clownish nature:
"Possibly making a balloon animal out of it, or something like that. But we absolutely can't do that. It was actually [Art the Clown actor] Dave's suggestion. We're always trying to one-up each other and come up with sick things, but that was too far for me."
Terrifier 2 hilariously leaves nobody unscathed
Given that "Terrifier 2" was already bordering on a 2-and-a-half-hour runtime, which is unheard of for a slasher flick, it really wouldn't have made a difference, but it's easy to see where they had to draw a line. If anything, the balloon gag would have worked with Art's ability to make you laugh, while committing some of the most heinous assaults on the human body you'll see in any recent horror movie.
Once the shock of what's happening wears off, you almost find yourself laughing at the sheer lengths this killer goes to when it comes to making his unfortunate victims suffer. The bedroom kill earlier in the film goes on for a shockingly long time, as Art flays Allie (Casey Hartnett) beyond belief. After the scalping, limb severing, and eye slicing, she's still alive. Then, as if he didn't do enough already, Art hilariously rushes back into the room with a bottle of bleach and a container of sodium, literally rubbing salt on the gaping wound.
After a three-minute kill like that, whatever insanity Leone and Thornton have in store would feel right in line. Promptly after the dick stabbing, Art corners Sienna's friend Brooke (Kailey Hyman), caves in her chest, and eats her heart. You might as well go for the full monty at that point, but it wouldn't be too surprising if Leone is saving the cursed balloon for the all-but-inevitable "Terrifier 3."
"Terrifier 2" is currently streaming on Screambox.