Cast:
David Howard Thornton (Art the Clown), Lauren LaVera (Sienna Shaw), Elliot Fullam (Jonathan Shaw), Samantha Scaffidi (Victoria "Vicky" Heyes), Margaret Anne Florence (Jessica), Bryce Johnson (Greg), Antonella Rose (Gabbie), Chris Jericho (Burke), Daniel Roebuck (Santa Claus), Tom Savini (a bystander), and Jason Patric (Michael Shaw) Directed by Damien Leone (#2271 - Terrifier, #2272 - Terrifier 2)
Review:
“Yeah, I do set boundaries on myself. I would say there’s no subject matter that’s too taboo that I won’t tackle it, if I really feel it’s necessary to the story or something. But then if I decide to go in that direction, it’s my responsibility to execute it in a tolerable way and to see if I could still make it palatable somehow—because we could certainly make these scenes 10 times worse than they are. But then you’re really going to alienate everybody. And ultimately, I want this to be a fun experience for the audience, even though that’s—of course, taste is subjective and we’re clearly going beyond the boundaries of what some people feel is accessible, acceptable, and what their taste is.”
...I really should kick myself for not inquiring earlier about the Terrifier films. No, really, I should. These are films that Damien Leone clearly put his soul into when it comes to making clear-headed horror film that ended up far better than I expected them to be. The interest for these films is a hell of a thing to think about. Leone aimed to make sequels that would not simply just be gorefests for its mime clown killer but instead build on the weird journey that arises from having both gore and humor. Leone has stated countless times about the kind of curiosity that the films have generated for its fans, ones who really are "trying to find ways to deal with the horrors of reality". You don't always get horror sequels that increase their budget (apparently $2 million here) from before, but this is one of them, complete with deciding to be a Christmas-themed horror movie. It also begins with a cold open because Leone aimed to remind one quickly about the creep factor intended with this lead character right then and there from someone who has stated their appreciation for Black Christmas and Tales from the Crypt's "And All Through the House". The aim of gore and disgust for a certain type of audience was the perfect bait for me to watch on opening night, but I would like to personally thank Cinemark for having a "one-day only" double feature of the second film and this one so I could make up for my stupidity. A fourth film apparently is in development, so we shall see where that could go in gut-churners.
I wonder sometimes why I enjoy certain kinds of "depraved" movies. Mayhem is fun when you are ready for where it is going to go in terms of enthusiasm from the person behind the camera, and I think certain people go for these kinds of movies because they like it as a vessel of release from what they see in their own life. You could see garbage or flowers in the proverbial field of life, but you sure need something to deal with what you see day after day, and movies are quite the way to confront that itch. With Art the Clown, we have a guy who awakens after a five-year sleep to go right back to the craft of dedicated, equal-opportunity mayhem that seems to reflect the viewer when it comes to dedicating time to the craft. It is the kind of movie to inspire the same amount of wincing (if not more) when it comes to the execution of carnage in a 125-minute venture for relative curiosity. LaVera and Scaffidi are the key returning (speaking) people returning for this film, and each do a pretty useful job in showing the reflection of what it means to live in the shadow of terror (if one forgets, the second film ended with a birthing scene). One can either be chilling or resourceful when it comes to coping with seeing the face of their plight then and back and again, and each are committed to making those moments engage with the audience. This is an atmosphere of strange swords and possessions that I enjoyed seeing play out to the end for 125 minutes because it pushes that envelope just a bit further beyond having a Santa impersonator get their beard ripped off (think "bomb" and go from there). While it might not make as much of a splash as it would like when it comes to examining the after-events of terror, but it has enough energy to rise above say, an average 80s slasher (complete with Clint Howard showing up for whatever reason), and it is clear from its ending that no matter where it ultimately ends up, one probably won't be shortchanged. I do think there will be a fun debate over just which sequel is the standout feature (the second might be a smidge better). You don't get many sequels that seem to polish further on the previous venture, particularly since the second already polished what had come before in the first film. But here we are with a movie I enjoyed pretty well and look forward to getting around to again maybe a few years down the line when thinking back to gory yuletide stuff.
Overall, I give it 8 out of 10 stars.
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