Welcome to Blood on my Sofa! Each month I will be providing you with a movie recommendation. It won’t be just any movie, but a movie I watched during the month that really rocked my world. I wouldn’t be me if I weren’t spreading my love of horror films. So for the inaugural edition of Blood on My Sofa, I am singing the praises of Damien Leone’s Terrifier. If you are terrified of clowns, I highly recommend this movie. It’s time to face your fears!
Several films exist that after viewing, I ask myself if I am a sick person for enjoying them. Excision and Mother! are two such titles that conjured that very question. Now, Terrifier has made this list. Directed by Damien Leone, Terrifier reigns as a spellbinding low-budget film that’s full of thrills and chills.
On Halloween night, Tara (Jenna Kanell) and Dawn (Catherine Corcoran) experience car trouble in a rundown part of town. The locale they find themselves in is low on light and happens to be the preferred territory of a maniacal clown (David Howard Thornton). The two women find themselves in a pizza shop, anticipating the arrival of Tara’s sister Victoria (Samantha Scaffidi) but enduring stares from the sadistic clown at the other end of the shop. Stares turn to scares as the clown’s big black bag opens to reveal tools of torture.
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I appreciated the intelligence behind Terrifier. Crew members offered their talents for little more than the guarantee of a memorable film. Cinematographer George Steuber introduced us to Art the Clown’s immensity with wide angles, forcing us uncomfortably close to him and the blood on his costume. Conversely, I read many reviews that commented on the film’s shoddy sound quality. Although I can understand this complaint, the lack of sound was what really stood out to me. Art the Clown never made a sound. Even as he experienced excruciating pain, he remained silent, which heightened unsettling moments. Speaking about unsettling moments, Art the Clown’s creativity with his victim’s body parts left me queasy. Yes, most clowns are good at crafting balloon animals, but Art the Clown excelled at torturing humans and decorating himself with pieces of their remains.
For a while, you suspect that Art the Clown is just a regular human. But at the end, there is a hint of supernatural that suggests Art the Clown could stand toe-to-toe against the likes of Michael, Jason, and Freddy Krueger. Many filmmakers have tried to create a character like this, but Terrifier excelled by leaving the supernatural for the end instead of the beginning or middle, which often destroys the mystery.
Terrifier is one of those low-budget movies that becomes even more priceless with each watch I give it. Nowadays, I yearn for more from Art the Clown even mores that I do for additional appearances by some of the legendary horror icons. Not that I have anything against those horror icons, but Art the Clown left such an imprint on me that I can’t help but wonder what he will do next. Trust me; you will be wondering the same thing after watching Terrifier.
