Countdown to Halloween: The “Terrifier” Series

FAIR WARNING - This series is not for everyone! Over the past several decades, there have been quite a few popular and iconic horror franchises: “Halloween,” “Friday the 13th,” “Nightmare on Elm Street,” “Saw,” the list goes on. During the last few years an independent cult hit achieved huge mainstream success - the “Terrifier” series.

The plot for the 2016 movie “Terrifier” is fairly simple: a maniacal clown terrorizes three women on Halloween night.

Like I stated before, this horror franchise is not for everyone, primarily due to the very brutal scenes that are scattered throughout the entire series. After checking out the three movies, I think that the 2016 movie is the least brutal (despite the excessive gore this one features). It’s easily safe to say each entry gets even more excessive with the gory moments.

The 2016 “Terrifier” introduces us to a new horror icon - Art the Clown, who can actually be a compelling horror villain. The character is incredibly mime-like and can easily be deeply unsettling. The actor who portrays him, David Howard Thornton, also worked as a mime in the past, which actually works quite well with his character.

The low budget practical effects are truly effective which helps make the brutal moments really scary. The gory effects also serves as a somewhat tribute to the classic grindhouse cinema and feels like a genuine throwback to the 1970s and 80s slashers.

While the 2016 movie received incredibly mixed reactions (primarily due to the over the top gore), “Terrifier” gained a huge cult following once it was available on various streaming platforms.

In the 2022 sequel “Terrifier 2,” after being resurrected by a sinister entity, Art the Clown

returns to the timid town of Miles County where he targets a teenage girl and her younger brother on Halloween night.

Just like the previous modern cult classic, critics and audiences were heavily divided with the 2022 installment. While the first movie is quite brutal at times (OK most of the time), this sequel really kicked the gore factor up a few notches.I’ll easily admit that “Terrifier 2” is, without a doubt, one of the most brutal horror movies in the genre, especially with the bedroom scene. I won’t go into details of this really memorable sequence, but if you have seen this sequel, you know the scene that I’m talking about.

Audiences and most critics also praised David Howard Thornton’s portrayal of Art the Clown, with his silent and unsettling performance. His performance in this movie is what effectively established the character as a new horror icon of the 21st century. The 2022 movie also provides not only a stronger narrative, but also a compelling final girl who is a rather strong and complex character.

In the recent sequel, “Terrifier 3,” after surviving Art the Clown’s Halloween massacre,

Sienna and her brother are struggling to rebuild their shattered lives. As the holiday season approaches, they try to embrace the Christmas spirit and leave the horrors of the past behind.

But just when they think they’re safe, Art the Clown returns, determined to turn their holiday cheer into a new nightmare. The festive season quickly unravels as Art unleashes his twisted brand of terror, proving that no holiday is safe.

Not only is “Terrifier 3” currently the highest-grossing movie of the series, it also pushes the boundaries quite a bit! The opening sequence alone is the most extreme opening of the series, which even causes some viewers to walk out during its theatrical run.

The third entry also adds more to the supernatural elements that were introduced in the 2022 sequel. The supernatural aspects of the movie adds a chilling layer of mythology and depth to the series, while also continuing on with the series’ slasher roots. “Terrifer 3” also continues the series' tradition of truly gruesome moments that can be really shocking.

The “Terrifier” franchise has evolved from a low budget, controversial cult indie into a major box office success. The series is defined by its brutal moments, old school slasher style and Thornton’s portrayal of the new iconic Art the Clown. A fourth installment (rumored to be the last) is currently in production and is currently planned for a Fall 2026 release.

If you are not too squeamish, you can currently stream the “Terrifier” movies on Peacock. “Terrifier” and “Terrifier 2” are also available on Tubi.

• David Howard Thornton, who portrays Art the Clown, has previous mime experience, which he utilizes in his performance.

• Director Damien Leone created Art The Clown because he felt that the 2010s lacked an iconic horror clown. However, he purposely made Art as different from IT's Pennywise as possible. For example, Art doesn't have hair, wears all black & white, uses weapons, and doesn't speak.

• The underground tunnels used in the film were part of the abandoned Seaview Hospital. These tunnels were used to transport the dead out of sight of the other patients, where they were to be cremated.

• During the tunnel scene with The Cat Lady (Pooya Mohseni) where Art The Clown is holding her doll Emily, David Howard Thornton found Mohseni's performance so emotionally impactful that it caused him to cry.

• David Howard Thornton, while on a break during filming, spotted two women arguing in the street. He decided to wave at them in full make-up and costume as Art The Clown to freak them out.

• In later years, Damien Leone has expressed regret at leaving his characters underdeveloped in the quest for gore.

• The movie was a completely independently made production. Money was raised through several sources without the aid of a studio, and writer/director Damien Leone created all the special effects himself in order to cut costs. He was able to be uncompromising in his depiction of violence and gore because there was no studio making demands or insisting on cuts.

• While originally planned for a limited theatrical release for a single weekend, the movie reached top 10 at the box office on multiple weekends, and its theatrical run lasted well past Halloween. The film domestically grossed over $10 million on a $250,000 budget, a 3,900% return on investment, making it the most profitable film of 2022.

• Scenes shot in the "Terrifier" haunted house were filmed in a real haunted house called Fright Factory in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The filmmakers used what was already available to them.

• As Lauren LaVera is trained in martial arts, she did most of her own stunts in the movie.

• Filming of Terrifier 2 began in October 2019 and was almost complete before COVID-19 quarantines.

• The events of Terrifier 1 take place in 2017 and Terrifier 2 takes place one year later.

• Legendary makeup artist John Caglione Jr most famous for working on The Dark Knight's Joker makeup told Damien Leone he was a fan of Terrifier 1 & 2 and offered to work on the film which Leone quickly accepted.

• Director Damien Leone said that several big studios showed interest in financing this movie based on the unexpected success of Terrifier 2 (2022), even without a full script, but he turned them all down because he is certain that they would never let him film the opening scene alone, which he describes as "very controversial". Leone commented that the only reason that he can be so uncompromising in his depiction of horror and gore is because he finances his movies independently, creates all the special effects himself to keep costs down, and has no big studio breathing down his neck to make the movie more mainstream.

• Distributor Cineverse had only one request and that was to make the film under two hours long. Damien Leone who served as his own editor again recalled ripping out pages while filming to make the film shorter realizing it would be too long and not have time to film the scenes. The ending was much longer and was cut down. Despite trying his best to meet this request Damien submitted his final edit at 2 hours and 5 minutes.

• In an interview Damien Leone stated it took 6 years to make Terrifier 2 as he and his producer Phil Falcone were doing every job on the production and underestimated how ambitious it would become to complete. With Terrifier 3 Damien faced a new challenge of writing and completing production within a single year to meet the release date. The production barely made it on time for its September premiere at Fantastic Fest.

• Outgrossed Terrifier 2 (2022) within its first weekend of release.

• Two distribution sources noted that DreamWorks Animation and Universal's The Wild Robot saw a noticeable bump and speculate that teenagers and young teens bought tickets to that film and then snuck into Terrifier 3.