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Terrifier 2
USA 2022
produced by Phil Falcone, Cairo Ben Amen II (executive), Joshua Anderson (executive), Steven Barton (executive), Larry Bilello (executive), Steven Caruso (executive), Lisa Falcone (executive), Hank Greenberg (executive), Marcus J. McGill (executive), Thomas Smith (executive) for Dark Age Cinema, Fuzz on the Lens Productions
directed by Damien Leone
starring Lauren LaVera, David Howard Thornton, Elliott Fullam, Sarah Voigt, Casey Hartnett, Kailey Hyman, Charlie McElveen, Amelie McLain, Jonathan Davis, Samantha Scaffidi, Leah Voysey, Chris Jericho, Felissa Rose, Owen Myre, Griffin Santopietro, Devon Roth, Amy Russ, Cory DuVal, Staci Dickerson, Marisa Bertani, Tamara Glynn, Reid Richards, Sarah Grace Sanders, Ava O'Donnell, Briana Calcagno, Katie Maguire, Gilbrando Acevedo, Mark Langston, Julie Asriyan (voice), Wesley Holloway, Gloria Jung, Allegra Nina, Spencer Arjang, Fay Emmolo-Johnson, Francesco DePinto, Killian McCole, Phil Falcone, Thomas Rickman, Brit Godish
written by Damien Leone, music by Paul Wiley, special makeup effects by Damien Leone, Alana Rose
Terrifier
review by Mike Haberfelner
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Available on DVD! To buy, click on link(s) below and help keep this site afloat (commissions earned) |
Always make sure of DVD-compatibility!!!
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It's the night before Halloween, and little Jonathan (Elliott Fullam)
is so obsessed with serialkiller Art the Clown (David Howard Thornton -
from the original Terrifier) that he wants to dress up this
Halloween as him - which both his mum (Sarah Voigt) and bigger sister
Sienna (Lauren LaVera) think is a terrible idea. Thing is, Sienna sees Art
in a nightmare, a nightmare she wakes up from to find her room burning.
The fire doesn't cause any major damage other than destroying part of her
Halloween costume, and is quickly extinguished, but from here on mum is
totally strung out and lets out her frustrations on her children. But the
children aren't doing too well as well, as both stumble upon Art the Clown
the following day, even though he's supposed to be dead - of course, the
audience knows by now he has come back to life causing a blood bath in the
mortuary. Still, in both cases Art treats the kids with respect, even if
on other occasions he knows no restraints when it comes to ultra-violence. It's
Halloween night and Sienna goes out wearing a somewhat revealing fantasy
costume with angel wings, parties and gets a little bit drunk - and that
her friend Brooke (Kailey Hyman) has slipped a party drug into her drink
doesn't make things any better. Meanwhile Jonathan runs away after a row
with his mum, and when he comes back he finds mum having been murdered by
the killer clown who promptly takes him hostage - to ultimately lure
Sienna, whose fate is somehow linked to Art, to an abandoned amusement
park, to brutally slaughter her. Now she puts up a fierce fight, to not
only save herself but also her little brother, but then again she's just a
teenage girl and he's a super-strong and ruthless full-grown man fighting
on his own turf - so it needs more than just brawn to defeat him ... Horror
fan faves Felissa Rose and Tamara Glynn make cameo appearances as teacher
and shopping mother, respectively. Now I freely admit I haven't
seen the original Terrifier yet, so I have no idea how this film
compares to the earlier one or whether it's a worthy continuation or just
re-hash - but taken by its own terms, Terrifier 2 has plenty going
for it: For one, it's extremely explicit and gory in its depiction of
violence in a day and age where most of mainstream and indie horror has
restrained itself again after the blood-soaked last two decades of the
previous century. And sure, it's a slasher movie and formulaic to a fault,
with a very easy to pick final girl, but it nevertheless spends its dear
time on character development and even - and that's unusual for a slasher
- mythology building. And even if it's a bit hazy on that and drifts off a
tad into fantasy territory, it's fun to see the film grow its own
mythology - plus it goes well with the fantasy costume Lauren LaVera wears
for the finale. And speaking of Lauren Lavera, it's really her that makes
the movie with a strong yet restrained performance that keeps the film
grounded rather beautifully. It has to be said here though, due to its
violent excesses, this is not a film for everyone, but the dedicated
horror fan is almost sure to enjoy Terrifier 2.
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