Art is Long, Life is Short

Terrifier 2 (Damien Leone, 2022)

Like any fad, Horror trends eventually outstay their welcome at some point, and this is definitely the case with the dominant wave of folk horror. Damien Leone's mean-spirited Terrifier (2016) was an ultra gory return to the slashers of yore. It was a Marmite film in the horror film community; a crowdfunded slasher throwback with a grindhouse aesthetic that garnered many fans, while its detractors turned their noses and dismissed it as nothing more than a demo reel for Leone's make-up and special effects talents. Personally, I loved Terrifier and it was one of the few Gen-Z slashers worth raving about.

The return of Art the Clown, the demented clown mime, is something that I had almost lost hope on ever since the pandemic hit. He was the main highlight from the otherwise bad portmanteau All Hallow's Eve (2013) and thankfully got his own film eventually. However, it's finally here; the sequel that even trumps The Sadness and Mad God for grossest film of year. Not only that, it conveniently arrives at the same time as the thoroughly dreadful Halloween Ends; saving some lucky folks from another subversive Hollywood shit take. Evidently, based on its box office success, Terrifier 2 has stolen the mantle from Michael Myers' latest outing as this year's Halloween film of choice.

From Damien Leone to Sergio Leone, Dada Debaser can't honestly proceed without a disclaimer regarding Terrifier 2's running time. Clocking in at a whopping two hours and eighteen minutes, this will not bode well for many weak bladdered people. Personally, it goes against my belief that today's films should stick to a lean and trim ninety minutes to maintain interest. Obviously, there have been few exceptions like the recent RRR which have proven me wrong, but as a general observation, pacing issues and filler scenes tend to be more prevalent the longer the film time. In the case of Terrifier 2, the big showdown doesn't really set into motion until after around the ninety minute mark. There's also Art's origin and his connection with Sienna, the final girl of the film, being revealed in the most vaguest way possible. To its credit, I found it way better paced in comparison to the utterly awful Everything, Everywhere All at Once, another film from this year with virtually the same running time and felt three times as long.

Leone took note of all the fan love for the extreme gore featured in the first film and devised the sequel to go even further into depravity. Being a self-taught make-up and special effects artist, Leone did not leave much for the imagination. One scene in particular, inspired by that infamous photograph of Mary Kelly's butchering at the hands of Jack the Ripper will no doubt be discussed by gorehounds for years to come. Marketing gimmick or not, reports of people throwing up from seeing the movie harkens back to good ol' H.G Lewis' movies.

It's not all blood and gore that Terrifier 2 has going for it. David Howard Thornton is genuinely fantastic as Art the Clown and cements his postion as a new horror movie icon. The demonic Marcel Marceau switches from silent action comedy to sadistic brutality in a blink of an eye, which makes him a compelling character to watch on screen. The film's maniacal antagonist is counterbalanced by Lauren LaVera, who resembles a young Annabella Sciora, as the valiant final girl, Sienna. Liking the fact that LaVera's Halloween costume is based around a warrior angel, thus the film's two main characters are symbolic of Heaven and Hell. This is further reinforced by the constant dichotomy of red and blue lighting in the spectacular final act of the film. I also like that Sienna is a real fighter and gives as well as she gets; it's cool seeing her get up after such a beatdown and strike back with such ferocity. The fact that she goes against the current template of final girls possessed of annoying traits with unwarranted accomplishments, makes her a true winner in my book.

There's a lot I love about Terrifier 2, but that running time is going to be a problem for many and it's the main reason why I still prefer its predecessor over it. Still, Leone's achievement is unprecedented. A sequel slasher film with an epic two hours and eighteen minutes is unheard of; but it being an unrated film and breaking into the box office charts with no studio backing, is bloody phenomenal. I do wish it was leaner, there were scenes that could have been left on the cutting room floor, but I still enjoyed this a lot, and I really do admire Leone's unapologetic and loving respect towards a critically maligned film subgenre like the slasher.

Terrifier 2 (Trailer)

(Damien Leone, 2022)