Key Takeaways
- Art The Clown finds killing spree funny, adding satire and comedy to the Terrifier franchise.
- The movies balance brutality with lighter, comedic scenes to engage gore fans.
- Damien Leone’s revelations during AMA add depth to understanding Art The Clown’s character.
Slasher fans often compare kill counts and how gory each new movie is, and many have been impressed by the Terrifier franchise for those reasons. Sure, a horror movie doesn’t have to be bloody in order to be good. There are plenty of scary supernatural films and impressive suspenseful slow burns. But for those who want something darker, Art The Clown’s rampage has been memorable. It’s impossible to even glance at his creepy grin and not feel at least a little bit freaked out.
Two years ago, Terrifier creator Damien Leone, who wrote and directed all three movies and is working on Terrifier 4, participated in a fascinating and fun Reddit AMA (Ask Me Anything). He answered one question in particular that will make horror fans see Art The Clown, and the franchise in general, in a new light.
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What Did Terrifier Creator Damien Leone Say In A Reddit AMA About Art The Clown?
When Damien Leone participated in a Reddit AMA in 2022, Redditor @howisbulletinaword asked:
“Where does Art’s motivation come from? What made him wake up one day and wanna cause utter chaos?”
Leone replied:
“The fact that he finds it funny of course!”
This is fascinating to hear since Art The Clown is such a violent killer. The idea that he is amused by the killing spree that he goes on in each movie allows audiences to see the Terrifier franchise in a different light. It’s possible to look at the Terrifier movies as a satire of the slasher genre and Art The Clown’s scenes as comedic.Most people would say that the Terrifier movies are dark and serious. However, some horror fans have always found the movies to be hilarious, and so they would agree with Leone’s assessment. When viewed through the lens of the writer/director’s comments, the Terrifier franchise becomes even more compelling. Yes, Terrifier 3 is shocking, and Art The Clown doesn’t hold back when attacking and killing the other characters. But he’s also meant to be funny, at least in some scenes. He’s having a blast and enjoying the havoc that he wreaks. He’s also laughing at the fact that so many people are scared of clowns.
In an interview with The AU Review, Leone talked about the lighter moments in the Terrifier franchise. He said:
“David Howard Thornton and I, he plays Art the Clown, we always try and inject the right amount of levity into the character, sometimes even pushing the boundaries of the levity, seeing if we can get away with a little more.”
In some ways, Art The Clown is following in the footsteps of Pennywise from Stephen King’s It and Ghostface from the Scream franchise. He kills people in more brutal ways than either one of those classic slasher villains. But he does have the same goofy vibe, at least in some scenes. That does help make Terrifier, Terrifier 2, and Terrifier 3 a bit easier to watch. Sure, if people aren’t big fans of gore, they aren’t going to want to sit through this franchise. But even those who are used to watching bloody scenes want some lighter moments to balance everything out. Art The Clown likes seeing what he can get away with and he pushes the boundaries. It will be interesting to see what he will be like in Terrifier 4.
What Else Did Damien Leone Share In His Terrifier Reddit AMA?
Damien Leone’s Reddit AMA had other great revelations about his career as a filmmaker and his love of the horror genre. He shared that he is a big fan of Friday the 13th, Halloween, and Texas Chainsaw Massacre. The Terrifier movies are definitely some of the most engaging modern slasher movies and it’s fun to learn about the writer/director’s favorite films.
Leone mentioned that fans will learn more details about Art The Clown with each movie. He said:
“I think Art’s mystique is essential to his effectiveness but I am revealing more and more as I go.”
Leone also answered a question about saying he couldn’t include all the gruesome kills that he had thought up in Terrifier 2. He said there was one kill that was just too much and explained, “As a writer/creator you can’t help but to think of extremes and throw wild ideas around, especially with a character like Art.” Whether reflecting on the ending of Terrifier 2 or the conclusion of Terrifier 3, horror fans can definitely agree that Art is one of the most savage and vicious slasher villains.
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