Terrifier 2 Director Explains How Iconic Horror Killers Inspired Art The Clown [Exclusive]
"Terrifier 2" caused a stir in 2022 for reportedly making audience members vomit and faint at screenings. But there was more to the success of director Damien Leone's $250,000 indie horror than sensationalist headlines. "Terrifier 2" was memorable for David Howard Thornton's committed performance as Art the Clown, a seemingly invulnerable manifestation of evil who embarks on a Halloween massacre. Thornton had played the character in 2016's "Terrifier," but with the sequel becoming as successful as it did, Art was cemented as perhaps the first original slasher character to make any kind of significant cultural impact since Ghostface.
Of course, it helped that "Terrifier 2" was even bigger, weirder, and bloodier than the original, delivering 138 minutes of unadulterated brutality while still presenting a more fully realized plot than its predecessor. According to horror director extraordinaire Mike Flanagan, "Terrifier 2" was worthy of the designation "MegaSlasher" for the way in which it revels in the complete annihilation of Art's victims. Whether you think the film deserves a distinct genre designation or not, there's no doubt Art the Clown has separated himself from other slasher icons simply by being so overtly sadistic and savage. But there's another element to the character, beyond his penchant for uber-violence, that sets him apart.
In his "Terrifier 2" review, /Film's Chris Evangelista observed how Art "doesn't just kill people, he destroys them, smashing bones, ripping off faces, hurling acid, and more," noting that such savagery was "almost comical in how over-the-top it all is." If you ask Leone, that comical element is actually a fairly important aspect of what separates Art the Clown from all the slasher characters that have come before, and perhaps the secret to his success.
Art's humanity
/Film's Jacob Hall spoke to Damien Leone for the theatrical re-release of "Terrifier 2" on November 1, 2023, and asked the director for his thoughts on how Art the Clown differs from other icons of the slasher genre. According to Leone, a perverse sense of humor is a big part of Art's MO, with the filmmaker explaining:
"As the crazy cat lady says in 'Terrifier,' the original, he thinks what he's doing is funny because he's laughing. He just really gets a kick out of it, he just gets pleasure. He just gets such pleasure and joy out of doing the horrible things that he does. It might be the only thing that gives him some sort of satisfaction."
There's a moment at the end of the infamous Allie death scene in "Terrifier 2" — which happens to be Damien Leone's favorite kill of the series — where Allie's mother walks in to find the butchered remains of her daughter, with Art happily hacking away at her legs before silently chuckling to himself. It's the perfect example of how even the most depraved and sickening acts are hilarious to Art.
Perhaps surprisingly, Leone went on to describe what he sees as a kind of "humanity" in the character, adding:
"It's that humanity that comes through from the character, believe it or not, that I think is what people really gravitate toward so much. You feel like you know what he would be saying at any moment, or what he's thinking, even though he doesn't say a word. And I think it's that sense of humor that really attracts him to people, or people to him."
I guess hacking people to death and being a bit cheeky about it is humanity of a kind ...
Scary funny
It's not just brutalizing Allie that tickled Art. Throughout the "Terrifier" films, he brings an unsettling tricksterish energy to his murderous exploits that serve to make things all the more upsetting. In "Terrifier 2," his subversive energy is notably evident in the costume shop scene, wherein he can be seen donning sunflower shades while Sienna (Lauren LaVera) eyes him from the checkout in a perfectly ridiculous yet deeply disturbing moment. There's also the image of Art almost giddy with glee as one of his victims flails around after being set alight during the dream sequence. It's all just incredibly dark while also being kind of funny.
Much of that dark humor comes from David Howard Thornton's performance, but Damien Leone has previously spoken about intentionally going for laughs, even leaving in outtakes in order to inject some levity between the savagery. At a Q&A, the director said:
"Anything funny that happens in the outtakes I usually put them in the movie. So like [Art] crashing was an outtake, when he's riding the bike, him giving her the finger was an outtake. I yelled 'cut' and the camera was still rolling and she was walking back over to Dave and he gave her the finger and everybody laughed on set. I didn't think twice about it and then when I went back and I was editing the footage and I saw the raw footage of that and everybody laughing I was like 'hmm, if that got a laugh on set maybe it'll get a laugh in the movie.'"
'It's all those characters put in a blender'
Ultimately, the "Terrifier" films are horror movies, so regardless of how much humor Damien Leone and David Howard Thornton inject, it would mean nothing without the scares. Thankfully, Leone is fully aware of that. Just because he plays up the funny clown angle, Art isn't wholly separate from the Freddys, Jasons, and Michael Myerses of the horror world. In fact, Leone was just as inspired by those figures as any other horror fan, explaining how "Art is just a love letter to all of these characters that [he] grew up loving." The director added:
"It's all those characters put in a blender in my mind, and that's really what comes out of it. I mean, he's been the silent stalker, slasher like Jason. He's more gritty like Leatherface. Certainly he's the clown like Pennywise, and he has the personality of Freddy, honestly."
Art undoubtedly has some of Freddy Krueger's dark sense of humor, but he separates himself through the sheer brutality of his kills, which further enhances that sense of dark comedy. However, without those other, straightforwardly evil and malevolent elements borrowed from Jason, Leatherface, and co., none of it would work. It's a testament to Leone's awareness of horror history and what makes a slasher figure work, that he's been able to build such a uniquely successful slasher character at a time when horror fans were starting to feel like they'd seen it all. "Terrifier 2" in particular proved too brutal for even seasoned horror fans, so it'll be interesting to see what kind of diabolically comical gore fest Leone and Thornton have cooked up with "Terrifier 3."