HallowRewind Review – Terrifier (2017)
Well…that was disturbing.
I’m content, though. I didn’t click onto Terrifier (currently on Netflix, at the time of writing) expecting a master-class horror piece. It’s Halloween—I want gore, ghouls, and glucose. With this movie, I got one, possibly two out of the three. Let’s discuss…
A spin-off of a pre-existing series—All Hallows’ Eve and its sequel—featuring the same killer “protagonist”, Art the Clown, Terrifier is…intense, to say the least. I think it might be the goriest movie I’ve ever seen. Going as far as someone being bisected down the middle—vertically, from palette to pelvis—with a surgical saw, this movie has a lot of cool practical effects. Honestly, some of the best (and worst, from a certain, semi-squeamish point-of-view) SFX in a slasher. Lower budget than Elm Street, but it definitely focuses on the shock value. The grindhouse look—grainy film quality, shooting angles, color schemes,et cetera—and overall lack of CGI add to the aesthetic of that schlocky, ‘70s-style slasher aesthetic.
Jenna Kanell… I need to seek out more of her stuff. Apparently, I cared so little for The Bye Bye Man that I didn’t even recall her being in it (until I consulted IMDb). She has a cool look about her, and an even cooler head—at least, with the character she plays here. Tara is like a little Ripley: practical, intelligent, doesn’t take any shit laying down. Even though the story’s not all about her, she was one of my favorite things about this movie.
Art is cool, too; as I mentioned earlier, he’s, essentially, our “protagonist”. He gets the most screen-time, for one. He’s (not) the first character we’re introduced to, but that comes up at the end, when we realize the twist: This movie begins at the end—a fake-out which I’m so glad for. I never thought a throw-together gore-flick could throw me for a loop like that.
The score is unnerving, too, and as unpredictable as Art’s next attempt on a life. Some obvious bloopers are present—one close to the end that stares us right in the face—but it never pulled me out. I set out to watch a cheesy, if unexpectedly-gruesome, holiday-themed flick, and I got that in spades. If you’re a slasher fan, do yourself a favor and give it a watch. Just don’t eat anything before you do.
Final ‘Risk Assessment: ***/**. By the end, I got a pretty good grasp on what the rest of the All Hallows’ Eve movies look like. The first, anyway, is on YouTube right now—may give it a watch, as well.
So… Is Art the Clown paranormal? A cousin of Pennywise, perhaps? The ending doesn’t offer us any answers, and, frankly, I don’t know, don’t care, and it doesn’t matter. The terror is in the here-and-now—it doesn’t have to make sense in the grand scheme of things, because the horror is that we’re alive until someone (or something) says otherwise.
That’s what I got out of Terrifier, and I’m satisfied with that much.
Next review: Bohemian Rhapsody (Nov. 2nd)
