Review: ‘Terrifier,’ the Cult Horror from Damien Leone, is a Desperate Grab at Torture Cinema Not Really Worth the Effort

Reviewing a film like “Terrifier” is a chore. The feature film written and directed by Damien Leone — based off the character Art the Clown featured in some of his previous shorts — is a hallmark of graphic exploitation. It’s been referred to as an “‘80s slasher throwback” (it’s not) and a film that “crosses too many lines.”

But even in that department I feel it missed the boat. Following a legion of torture porn films (“Saw,” “Hostel,” “Texas Chainsaw Massacre” reboot, etc.) with infinitely better production value, “Terrifier” feels too-little-too-late. It’s lauded by some for its use of practical effects in lieu of CGI, but even that misses the mark. It’s first 20 minutes showed some promise; but after that, it just devolves into a pointless splatterfest which is truly the only goal of the movie. There’s no story, tension, build-up, suspense, or plot to speak of. As one user remarked of the genre on IMDb, it’s made for hardcore gore lovers, and not the general public. 

Torture Inspiring Torture — an Endless Loop

Art the Clown, played by David Howard Thornton, is scary, I suppose. He’s at his scariest when he does sinister things like smile awkwardly at two soon-to-be-victims (Jenna Kanell, Catherine Corcoran), or lurk in the shadows of this quiet neighborhood in NYC. I did appreciate that the film took place in New York, and not some overdone hamlet; it added a bizarre quality to the film that I couldn’t place. And “Terrifier” does let a good amount of time pass before Art strikes, which adds eeriness to the film’s opening act. Well, to be fair, it’s the next to opening act. Its opening features an interview with a profoundly disfigured girl — supposedly made this way by Art the Clown — that ends in a graphic nature that sets up the events we’re supposedly about to witness. 

It’s clear throughout “Terrifier” that Leone was inspired by “Saw” and other torture cinema (in one scene Art mimics the doll from that series). However, where the film suffers is in Leone’s lack of story, supplanting buckets of blood for anything that resembles a script. Listen — I’m not the type of horror fan who likes torture films. They’re lack of depth, set-up, atmosphere, and suspense — coupled with their depravity and despair — don’t vibe with me. I want to be scared, not revolted. But regardless, I’ve hurled myself through “Hostel 1 & 2,” most of the “Saw” films, the “Texas Chainsaw” remakes, “I Spit on Your Grave” (2010), “The Collector” and “The Collection,” and more. A couple I enjoyed; most I despised. But I do say they accomplish their mission well: they revolt and disgust. 

An Unfortunate Gore-Fest that Misses the Mark

And this is the problem with “Terrifier” — it didn’t. Maybe I’ve seen too much gore in the aforementioned films to care anymore. Maybe I’m desensitized. But heck, even watching Gerard Butler’s “Law Abiding Citizen” this year and it’s one torture sequence (which shows no blood), unnerved me more than this film. (*spoilers*) Art stabs people to death (like really stabs them, often until there’s nothing left), decapitates people, bludgeons people, saws them, whips them with crudely-made cat-of-nine-tails, flays them, runs them over with cars, eats their faces, and even shoots them. Oddly enough, the one gun murder in this film is the only one that made me think Art is really cold. 

The problem is the film is just really unnecessary. It doesn’t have a reason to exist other than to shock. But, by this point, released in 2016, does this stuff even shock us anymore? “Terrifier” lacks any kind of build-up or feeling of desperation, and does nothing to solidify its scenes. It’s like a “Friday the 13th” film subtracting all the scenes of Jason just watching, instead becoming just a montage of stabbing deaths. Is that interesting? Not really. And Leone’s hopeful pièce de résistance, involving a hanging upside down, naked girl, doesn’t even hit as hard as he wants it to. This film wants to shock, but it’s honestly just boredom, sandwiched between splatter and misogyny. 

Too Indie for its Own Good

I’ll say a few nice things. The dialogue isn’t as bad as countless users lament. Friends Dawn (Corcoran) and Tara (Kanell) are believable. Kanell in particular is very likable, and I won’t spoil the way “Terrifier” completely wastes her character. Side characters such as Mike the Exterminator (Matt McAllister) and Tara’s sister Victoria (Samantha Scaffidi) are fine. A kooky neighborhood ‘cat lady’ (Pooya Mohseni) adds eeriness to the film. Taking place all at night was a good move, and the warehouse where Art lures his victims is creepy enough. The score is subtle; it’s not really that unnerving, but I’m not sure what Leone was going for. And Art has one standout scene, as he takes a selfie with a victim, that hammers home what the whole movie should have been trying to do. 

Apart from this, “Terrifier” just really misses the mark. It’s not effective as a slasher throwback, nor even as torture porn. Its elements pass by without impact. I imagine they would affect someone who’s never seen a torture film before, but not many others. Its non-existent budget may be to blame ($35,000), but I think it’s just a case of enough is enough. Even if Leone created the atmosphere he intended, the torture phase just seems long past. As we move toward richer horror in the Box Office, it feels time to leave cleaved limbs, flaying skin, and splattering blood behind. But, as “Terrifier 2” is releasing this month, it doesn’t look like it will happen anytime soon. 

“Terrifier” is available to rent from most streaming services. 

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