In 2016, horror director Damien Leone would unleash his now-cult classic “Terrifier” on the world, which led to 3 films, with a likely 4th, concluding picture in the works. However, Art the Clown wasn’t born in 2016. He first appeared in Leone’s 2008 short, “The 9th Circle,” and then 3 years later in this, Leone’s “Terrifier,” short film. The film, at 20 minutes, is the very definition of indie. Its budget is not displayed. However, from what we see here, it must have been a struggle for Leone to make the film—including its costuming and effects—on its what must have been a pittance (for reference: “Terrifier,” the full-length film, cost $35,0000 to make). Yet the short is not without merit, especially for atmosphere and tone. Still, its overtly misogynist ending feels out of place, wisely remedied in Leone’s full-length films. It introduces us to Art the Clown, his bag of tricks, and, not surprisingly, his immortal nature.
As a standalone short at the time, “Terrifier” has its moments. It fixates on a woman driving home from college (Marie Maser) who, low on gas, stops to fill up. The gas station attendant (a great Michael Chmiel) is missing. He arrives moments later, throwing a man in a clown costume off the property after smearing feces over the walls. This is the same schtick Leone would use in his full-length “Terrifier,” setting up art as fetishist enigma. Of course we’re supposed to laugh at the buffoonery of how helpless the clown looks while getting tossed about; but aficionados of the “Terrifier” world will know better. The clown disappears until his mahem of murder then starts.
Indie, Low-Budget Horror
Reviewing “Terrifier” in 2025 is hard. It’s a grungy horror film that feels like it was shot on home video one minute, then the grainy reels that filmed “Blair Witch Project” then next. Cinematographer Christopher Cafaro and the lighting department make the film feel eerie, even if the music is jarring at times. The frenetic pulse of the film often feels like it’s trying to create madness through hysteria, and you can tell Leone corrected himself in 2016 film by making the film slow-paced and foreboding. We see Art the Clown (Mike Giannelli) appear at the gas station, murder someone, then set off chasing Maser’s ‘woman’ throughout. The way he appears and disappears at whim—finding her miles down the road, inexplicably—is clearly pulling from slasher films of old. Meanwhile, it injects a circus element with its stage-setting and feel.
Most of the screen-time if focused on Maser running from Art, and the film likely does a disservice here. She’s tasked with carrying the film almost solely, interspersed with sighting from Art here and there. Whether from Leone’s direction or her own decision, she plays the woman so hysterical throughout it was hard to focus. I didn’t expect her to overcome the masked killer with ‘final girl’ status or anything like that. But her screaming and crying often becomes too much. When she meets people along the way, it’s understandable why they don’t understand what she’s saying. Any sane person would probably act the same in the circumstance. However, it would have helped if Art’s first kills was a little harder hitting to make us truly fear him. With a scant budget, Leone (who does the film’s practical effects) resorts to showing only the aftermath of kills for 90% of the film, taking away from its suspense and sadism. Art is one of the most sadistic slashers I’ve seen; but, aside “Terrier’s” uncomfortable ending, that isn’t really on display here.
Tonally Grim, but Frenetic
There’s also the fact that Giannelli doesn’t hit the same as David Howard Thornton, who would play Art in all three full-length films. Thornton is a terrific actor, making sense as a miming clown who gets off on his murders. The Art suit here is also a bit bulky and cumbersome, and not as eerily-refined. Still, Giannelli plays him well. I didn’t believe him as much as Art in the earlier scenes; but later (especially a scene involving a plastic bag) he gives the clown an eerie quality I found chilling. Of course, Art’s de facto gadget, a crudely-made cat-of-nine-tails, help cement him as a murdering sociopath.
All-in-all, “Terrifier” is not terrible. It lacks the pizazz and spunk of Leone’s 2016 follow-up (after “All Hallow’s Eve,” his anthology film). However, as a short, it is clear Leone was using this film to test the waters and gear up for his full-length romp. It’s chilling at times, histrionic at others, attempting to instill madness and the macabre. It’s not as gory as the 2016 film, but then again it can’t be. It has the atmosphere of that film—or the beginnings of it—and it’s a shame that after 2016’s “Terrifier” Leone abandoned the eeriness of his pictures to be full-on gore instead. This short film has the right stuff even if it never gets there. It’s doubtful to be scary if you’re watching it for the first time after viewing the main event. But if you’re curious to see Art before he became an enigma, “Terrifier” is a good place to start and only 20 minutes of your time. (Note: I watched the film for free on Tubi).
