Terrifier (2016) Review
Well gee, where to start with this one? I guess it helps to say that when I watch horror movies i usually take notes. This time, however, I decided to underline the key bits from the 4 pages worth of them before getting into any slightly major details. I’ll start with the fact that this is obviously an updated version of the 2011 short, from ideas to sets recycled (in fact I think settings from All Hallows Eve are even used again) all throughout. Another anecdote I can add is that I once mentioned how horror movies were one of, if not the, hardest genres to pull off. Terrifier 2016 testifies to that by surpassing even torture porn to prove how extreme the most unwatchable horror film must be today (compared to even the Guignol era) in order to be effective if not relevant. I as far as treated myself to the most disgusting spoilers from this, and I STILL started sweating once I watched them unfold anyway. If that doesn’t prove that watching horror movies is harder than it looks then I don’t understand why people should judge fans of a genre that exists anyway. Not only should people know what they’re getting themselves into they also need to know what to leave at the door (along with bring with them). And that’s as far as I’ve made it with the more underlined bits. My remaining feelings towards the movie are just as crucial if also less. Obviously if you’ve seen the previous Leone films you know what to expect and are STILL in for a dozen twists and turns. In fact one thing that actually took me by surprise was the wholesome moment the Janitor and Tara have before all levels of hell break lose. What works about Art the Clown is that, rather than go for intelligence out in the open like the slashers that have come before him, he just exists. To this day there is still no backstory to him (at least none that I know of yet) because he’s just there to be a pseudo-generic old-timey clown (given his late 19th Century Mime attire) that aims to be as unlikable as a horror villain should be while still maintaining enough disturbing charm to keep going. It’s almost as though he has embodied both the best and the worst of modern horror in a way that welcomes anyone who is attuned to as much him as those who came before him yet is happy to beat you to a pulp with the very barrel they’ve been scraping the bottom off of if that will horrify you. In conclusion these movies are the best kind of nightmare in terms of the thrills they deliver. They’re still very much a nightmare and even go unforgivably far (by non-genre enthusiast standards), but they do it in the best way possible compared to most horror movies.