This is a franchise I've completely come around on. About a 9-10 months before Terrifier 3 was set to come out I finally sat down to watch the first two in a double-feature night (and yes, I know about All Hallow's Eve, but at the time I either didn't, or just wasn't too worried about it. That has changed since though). By the time the credits began to roll on the second movie, I couldn't shake the feeling that I just didn't see what everyone else had seen. I liked the character of Art well enough, thought Sienna was one of the better final girls to come along in a while, and I enjoyed and appreciated all the practical gore on display. But, I just didn't really enjoy the movies as a whole.
But time and reflection is an interesting thing. Even though I didn't initially enjoy them, they wouldn't leave my thoughts. I was frequently thinking about them. So, with less than a month before the third one was to be finally unleashed in theaters, to become a monster hit, I checked out the other films once more. And this time something just clicked into place. I had way more fun with them this time than I did the first time. And I couldn't wait to see the third one. And now I'm chomping at the bit for the fourth entry to come out!
But enough about all that! Let's get to the ranking!
4. All Hallow's Eve
It's not really a shock that this one is here. There are some admirable ideas here, but the package as a whole is definitely. . . rough. Split up into three segments, this anthology film sees two of the chapters featuring Art the Clown, with the third focused on a home invasion with an alien. And each one has some interesting or fun ideas that never quite congeal into a cohesive movie. Although, I do think the wrap around segment is pretty decent, slipping into pretty good by the time we reach the end. I especially like the bit where Art is banging on the TV screen or is shown to be sitting on the couch in the living room, via through the videotape, for the babysitter, Sarah (played by Katie Maguire, who'd come back for the first Terrifier), to turn around to see he's not there. And that's not to say that you can't have a good time with this one. Get a few friends together and it could be just the thing your Halloween party needs.
You'll notice, no doubt, that I haven't talked about any characters. And there's a simple reason for that: there are none. The "characters" are all just fodder for the scenarios they are in. With such a short run time you don't get any insight into any of them. Even the babysitter, who we arguably spend the most time with, doesn't have much. If Tara and Dawn were the bare minimum, then these ones are just basic outlines of the concept of characters.
However, I will mention that it's interesting to see the original incarnation of Art the Clown here. Played by Michael Giannelli, you can see the groundwork being laid out for what the character would eventually skyrocket toward. Also, side note here, I really like the scene in the first segment where Art's face changes and his eyes are glowing; and the part in the third where he comes up from the ground to get to his victim.
I will say though, working my way backwards through this series has definitely been interesting. Seeing where Damien Leone started, knowing where his is both artistically and technically (and hopefully continues to push on from), is really quite fun to watch.
3. Terrifier
This is the first main outing for Art the Clown and while it shows the glimmer of what the sequels will easily surpass, this one for me is kind of rough to watch. First, let's get the positive out of the way; David Howard Thorton as Art is the best thing about this movie. Every one of his mannerisms are spot on and set the stage for the character to only get better with each film. The gore here is as great as it is gruesome, though can look a little rubbery from time to time; but I'll take practical effects any day of the week over digital. And the grindhouse aesthetic permeates and drips from every scene.
That being said, there's no story here. Just a collection of scenes loosely connected together to get the runtime to the 85 minute mark. And after the the 30-40 minute mark you can definitely start to feel the run time. And to round out the negatives, the acting isn't that great and being stuck in basically one location for most of the film doesn't help either.
And while it may not be the movie I grab if I'm in the mood to see Art do his thing, I think it is still worth a watch. If for no other reasons as it sets up the other two films; and, at least one, recurring character beside Art; and you can see how every aspect grows in the following movies.
On a quick side note, I wish the extended scenes were kept in. They’re not very long, only a few seconds at most, but they do add just a little more to the film. Particularly the extended scene when Art is in the car with Dawn.
2. Terrifier 3
The newest entry here and you can see the night and day difference between it and the first film (not counting All Hallow's Eve). Everything on display here is what I like to see in my slasher flicks. It’s a film where you can see where every bit of money went, everything on display here is fantastic and I can’t wait to see what they do for the next one.
And while I wasn’t initially on board with the change to a Christmas setting, that quickly changed. I’ll always prefer my Halloween-set horror movies, but it is a nice palette cleanser after two (okay, three) films being set on All Hallow’s Eve (I like when a pun can come up organically). And it's an aesthetic that not only gives you the feeling of an old Christmas movie, but bleeds into the themes of the Holy versus Demonic.
Beyond that I think this is some of the best gore so far for the series. Some of the rubbery look from the past films isn't as prevalent here (though there is a fun, almost comic book, charm to that) and there seems to be way more detail with all the mangled body parts.With it all being in service to the series's more creative kills. Everything from the infamous shower/chainsaw scene to a face basically being de-gloved from the skull. And as gnarly as it all gets, it never crosses too far past some of the controversies it sets out to tackle. The film manages to be nasty and mean spirited where it needs to be, but never forgets to make sure it's fun and everyone is having a good time with it.
David Howard Thorton is every bit as fantastic as Art as he has ever been. Bringing back the humorous maliciousness we all love at this point, but managing to still push his performance just that little bit further to continue to bring new surprises. Lauren LaVera is great here as well, showing us a more damaged and traumatized version of Sienna after her first encounter with Art. And Samantha Scaffidi, as Vicky, steals just about every scene she's in.
But for all the positives here there are some negatives for me as well; at least enough to place it in the number two spot on my ranking. The biggest one for is that it feels like Art's and Sienna's stories don't really come together all that much until the last 20-30 minutes for the movie. They are basically doing their own things until the movies finally decides to have their worlds collide once more. Then it's a race to the end with little time to let the finale breathe and let these two characters (Three if we're counting Vicky) share the screen together. My other negative was having Jonathan sidelined for most of the movie when he had a bigger role previously. I understand what they were trying to do here, but I don't think it really works, especially with what happens to him by the end (or didn't happen. You decide).
Ultimately, though, it's still a fun movie; one that I'm happy to put in my Christmas movie rotation! And very much recommended!
But, there's one last entry in this franchise that has yet to be topped . . .
1. Terrifier 2
For me this is the best the franchise has to offer so far. Everything that came before was vastly improved here. And while some aspects were further refined in the third, I think this installment got it right. From the opening scene that picks up in the morgue, right after the end of the first movie, you can instantly see the improvements. Everything is already on full display and firing on all cylinders, moving at a pace that already outshine the entirety of that first movie.
And while the movie is almost an hour longer than the first, the pacing doesn't get as bogged down as it's shorter predecessor does. I think a large portion of that is because Terrifier 2 had the budget to allow for more locations. And I'm not saying a movie set in a singular location is a bad thing, just that if you're not careful things can start to feel stale. But, here we have a Halloween costume shop, a couple of schools, various houses, a party, and of course the theme park, with the Terrifier fun house. All these places help breath new life into the story and allow Art to be a bit more creative in each one.
But these new locations wouldn't mean much if we didn't have characters we care about inhabit them; something that unfortunately, again, the first one really didn't have. Here we have our introduction to Sienna, a Final Girl that fairly quickly rose up the ranks as one of my favorites. She is immediately a character we can get behind and is thankfully set up as a character to not just be fodder for Art. She has a journey that we can all enjoy as she embarks on it, giving Art a run for his money by the time we reach the finale. Jonathan is fine as the almost annoying little brother, that seems to be a little too interested in death and serial killers. But, he never gets annoying and you don't want to see anything really happen to him. Their mom, Barbara, is an exhausted widow; and while I think all her extra shouting is a little over the top, you still understand why she is the way that she is and luckily the movie gives us a sprinkling of her more caring side. Some of the other characters, while fine, are more clearly intended to be there just to up the body count. Brooke and Allie, while played well by both Kailey Hyman and Casey Hartnett respectively, are mostly just there to add to that aforementioned body count. And I'm not saying that's a bad thing per se, just something to note if we're looking at the movie critically.
However this is Art's movie through and through, and David Howard Thorton is at his best here. Everything good he did in the first movie is done to perfection here. This is for me the best version of Art the Clown. Able to switch from funny and silly to mean and nasty, sometimes in the span of a single moment. There are just too many great Art moments in this film, but I think my favorite has to be the Halloween shop. Everything from him interacting with Sienna by standing there just creepily staring at her, to then putting on goofy glasses as she becomes increasingly uncomfortable; then messing with the sales associate by comically emptying his bag of weapons and putting them on the counter while looking for money to pay for his horn; then we get a pretty brutal kill, only to be followed up by Art pretending to be a Halloween display while holding the clerks severed head. It is far and above my favorite scene in a franchise that so far has a lot of great ones to choose from.
But, that's going to do it for my ranking of the Terrifier franchise. A series that went from something I just didn't understand the appeal, to now being some of my favorite slasher movies of all time. I cannot wait until Terrifier 4 comes out! I can't wait to see how Damien Leone, possibly, wraps up his series. And if its anywhere near as good as the other entries on this list, I think the fans will witness one of the best horror franchises ever made. One, that while not perfect, exemplifies the power of creativity, both from a independent ARTistic viewpoint and a financial one.
What are your thoughts on the Terrifier movies? Which is you favorite? Let me know in the comments below! Have a great day!
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