‘Terrifier 2’ lives up to expectations with vomiting and surprises in the epic storyline of this ambitious sequel

The bloodiest clown of recent cinema returns, and we are not referring to Pennywise. That (literal) pool of blood Jessica Chastain promised in “It – Chapter 2” would be rated PG-13 vs. the film that caused vomiting and fainting in cinemas. Damien Leone already showed his creepy take on gore in 2016 with the first ‘Terrifier’ (the saw torture scene is impossible to forget) and even three years earlier, the American director had already presented this figure of the deranged silent clown in his debut, ‘Halloween’s Eve’. Now, after the second installment in the already confirmed Art The Clown saga has gone viral, grossing $11 million in revenue on just a quarter of a million budget, ‘Terrifier 2’ has also come to scandalize cinemas throughout Spain since February 24, highlighting more explicitly its double essence: geek-gore and B-movie.

All the best a sequel can be

Right from the start, the film confesses its slightest shame by not justifying its starting point other than with a totally inexplicable sinister entity who resurrects the bloodthirsty clown to kill a teenage girl and her brother with whom he seems to have some connection. Despite this “magician-made” starting point, ‘Terrifier 2’ strives to be a very worthy sequel, capable of continuing and growing the mythos of the first chapter., proving that it has the potential to be more than a viral clip on Twitter and justify its cult status, in an age where the former prevails more than the latter. Despite doing it with too many concessions of the ‘Halloween’ saga (even in the temporary setting), it manages to represent that black legend of the city with an omnipresent collective trauma in everyone and at all times.

His subscription to the “second parts were good” comes to him staring at the most criticized aspect of the first: being empty. ‘Terrifier 2’ is a very ambitious film, beyond its possibilities, especially in the plots of its two protagonists. On the one hand, Art The Clown’s inner psyche and life philosophy are fully explored in fantastic dream scenes such as those from the TV show and those of the clown girl. All this without saying a single word! David Howard Thornton’s wild performance benefits greatly from the painstaking direction of Leone’s actors. Every gesture is as measured as it is hilarious, making this highly entertaining and chilling serial killer inescapable. because of this full faith in his amoral lethality as that of the Joker, he just wants to see the world burn. This sequel is funnier than many comedies and scarier than many horror films; and all, thanks to a single character who could very well be successful with their own mime act on stage.

On the other hand, the screenplay is as intellectually ambitious as it is brilliant. ‘Terrifier 2’ pays a great tribute in the center of its plot to that fan phenomenon to which it is known to owe; as many singers say, he doesn’t forget his roots and doesn’t sell himself because he’s mainstream. To do so, dare to convey the development of the main character with the creation of a cosplay (with the necessary entity to clearly differentiate it from a costume) and a journal of fanart. These two everyday elements of geeky people in general and Otakus in particular here transform the shy girl into one of those heroes that she draws so much, making an amazing and classic superhero origin story. The director and writer is so generous with the journey of hero and villain, dedicated and without making it easy for anyone, that he manages to create an innate connection like that of Lauire and Michael Myers. This wonderful game of cat and mouse naturally turns into an epic escalation of their rivalry to a thrilling final fight. which does the same as this sequel to the original: retains the essence of everything that has come before and elevates it as if it were a blockbuster.

Both Thornton and Lauren LaVera (Sienna) are obviously above the film, as are powerful personal dramas better targeted than developed. With the excuse of the loss of his father and the radicalization of his brother, Leone dares to launch a very personal current discourse on depression and suicide, and another very social one on the (dis)information of the Internet as the foundation of dangerous ideologies, the paradoxical morbidity towards homicides and its consequent desensitization from an early age. Tangible realities like geeks to whom the film gives enough space until blood enters. With all this, its two-and-twenty hours are more than justified in storylines, speeches, and yes, even a very entertaining gory fest.

yes it was that bad

As intellectual as it sounds on paper, ‘Terrifier 2’ is not an elevated terror and this background is there to make way for the show, but it makes sense. No death is free, they all tie into that dual hero/villain journey to perfectly execute the slasher formula in both form and content. The creativity of the kills is supported by an amazing production design that couldn’t bet better with the cards it holds. Tension is also responsible for paving the way until they arrive. In general, Leone and his clown Art don’t just kill: they play, before, during and after. The expectations of the fan phenomenon and the film itself are fulfilled in a real circus of horrors where only the lazy acting of all the supporting actors are out of place like mere sacks of meat with no interest even from the script.

But how intensely you play with those bags. The final result is not inferior to the expectations regarding the blood: ‘Terrifier 2’ revels in terrifying naturalness in the explicit without cutting out a single shot or detail. It looks absolutely everything and for a long time, to the point that no part of the body remains intact. As much as you’ve ever seen blood before, it’s sure to turn you on, and after so much exposure you wonder if you should watch it and if it’ll leave you thinking too much. Spoiler alert: It won’t. The depth is in the drama and the characters, but not in the slasher. The deaths are as creative as they are superficialthey symbolize nothing but the most adrenaline-pumping shot.

Does being so explicit make it good? Not necessarily; but the way of setting the stage and the dedicated work of make-up and costumes yes. There’s a lot of practical effects work, but also little visual expression. Unlike “Hostel”, there is no attempt to hide the mutilations. Here everything is seen from the first moment as if it were a summer day. Much of that is due to its exhilarating gameplay, but it’s also a consequence of such standard and bright cinematography that it ends up making ‘Terrifier 2’ look like what it is: a B-movie. It also reminds us of this complete renunciation of all likelihood in deaths for pure spectacle. This painful distance from reality is the only escape route to overcome such an aberration, but it’s a pity it’s not as disturbing as it could have been for not being a little more logical. An open body operation might be more traumatizing for its realism, even if the damn game is really fun.

‘Terrifier 2’ is very ambitious and when told it sounds much more powerful than what will later be seen on the screen. This viral phenomenon must not make viewers who are dragged into theaters forget that they will see a film that is closer to a TV movie, bordering on the bleak and unrealistic. It has better approaches than solutions, both in script and direction; in this first case for wanting to be too crazy and in the second for not having many technical resources. But there’s much to celebrate as Series B gets so much distribution in commercial cinemas, especially after the first installment was released direct to Prime Video in Spain. There are already two more confirmed sequels that have a hard time matching the creative, thoughtful and bloodthirsty leap of “Terrifier 2″a phenomenon that has earned the title of cult and that can be seen in theaters in Spain from March 24th.

Note:8

The best: Its ambitious script and exhilarating gameplay with every death so unbeatable. The two protagonists.

Worse: the more than visible limits of the visual quality and interpretations of the supporting actors.