Terrifier 2

Terrifier 2

Starring Lauren LaVera, David Howard Thornton, Elliott Fullam, Sarah Voigt

Directed by Damien Leone

On December 26, 1973, "The Exorcist" hit theaters, and was met with numerous news reports of people throwing up, fainting, and having to be taken to the hospital due to the intense nature of what they were witnessing on screen. I wish I was alive during that time to see it then, because watching it at home didn't have the same effect, and I wondered if things would've been different if I saw it on the big screen. The moviegoing experience is exponentially different than watching it at home, so maybe the visuals would've been more visceral there then at home (although at home it was still highly unnerving, no wonder it's constantly listed as one of the best horror films of all time). When I heard that "Terrifier 2" had the same effect - people passing out and vomiting - I couldn't wait for it to come to the theater so I could have that shared experience - but I guess I've become too desensitized to the violence, because while it was very impressive and grotesque, I never thought about upchucking my lunch.

One year after Art the Clown (David Howard Thornton) terrorized the small town of Miles County, Sienna Shaw (Lauren LaVera) is shocked to learn her younger brother Jonathan (Elliott Fullam) wants to be Art for Halloween, which also angers their single mother Barbara (Sarah Voigt). Jonathan has a thing for serial killers, and his family worries about his mental health since their father killed himself a year ago. Meanwhile, Art once again roams the streets on Halloween, but he's not alone - he's joined by a demonic girl clown (Amelie McLain), and for some reason they have their eyes set on Sienna and Jonathan - but discover that they're not as helpless as their other victims.

What made "Terrifier" such a cult classic is the fact that it hones in on its grindhouse features - copious amounts of gore, sexual content, and lack of cohesive storyline, along with gritter camera work. At a scant 86 minutes, there wasn't a lot of breathing room to be had, resulting in a gory good time for any true-blooded horror hound, but as it is with sequels, you gotta do everything bigger and badder. "Terrifier 2" more than doubles the original's runtime with an epic 138 minute runtime (the unedited version, because why would you want to watch it edited?), but also somehow amps up the gore and violence to make the first one seem like a Disney film, but it also abandons its grindhouse feel in that there's a storyline, as well as more updated camerawork that makes it more polished, and in a sense takes away from the realism of it all. That's not to say it's bad, but just different - and in some ways it works, while others it doesn't.

Where it works is the gore, which the franchise is best known for. Utilizing practical effects instead of cheap computer generated effects, director/writer/creator Damien Leone offers a more gritty realism than seeing things happen on a green screen, and while the murders are obviously faked (which makes me wonder who really threw up), the art (no pun intended) that went into creating the over-the-top deaths is something to really be appreciated (Leone is also a master at practical effects, which are shown in pure brilliance here).

Also the performances are all personable and heartfelt, even as hearts are literally being pulled out of bodies. David Howard Thornton returns as the non-verbal Art the Clown, who employs his theatrical work to the n-th degree as he must rely on his facial expressions and mannerisms to convey his thoughts, emotions, and feelings - which basically all consist of him gleefully covering himself in the blood of his victims and using unique tools to dispatch them in highly gruesome ways. While Thornton didn't originate Art (he was played by a different actor back when he first appeared in Lorne's "All Hallows Eve"), he is now synonymous with the murderous clown, who makes Pennywise look like a chump by comparison.

Unlike the first film, here Art is given a foe that's strong, determined, and relentless, and that comes in the form of Sienna Shaw, played by Lauren LaVera. Sienna is headstrong and smart, and she never quits when her family's lives are at stake. While she starts off the film as a victim of Art's stalking, she quickly turns the tables and becomes the huntress, every part as strong as Art is maniacal, setting up for a very satisfactory final fight akin to the epic showdowns like Laurie vs. Michael (but not vs. Corey, yes I still won't get over how disappointed I was in "Halloween Ends").

Where the film doesn't succeed in having it offer an actual storyline instead of Art just killing anyone he comes into contact with (which he still does). The story sets up the fight between Art and Sienna, but even at this extremely long runtime, there's still several plot holes that are created. We never know why their father killed himself, but there's a lot of cryptic clues as to his unhinged mental state, which could explain the mental instability of the family. While a witness sees Art playing with himself (not in that way), in Art's mind he's playing with the little girl demon (also not in that way), but then both Sienna and Jonathan can see her too, so we don't know if she's real or not. The story goes all over the place like the writer (well, Leone) had ADHD and kept getting distracted and adding random stuff to the story, such as an elongated dream sequence that wasn't really necessary and could've cut the film by at least fifteen minutes. We don't go to horror films like this for a storyline, and this one felt jumbled and messy - but that's a small consequence when you witness the glorious gore that apparently caused some to visit the porcelain throne.

Bigger, badder, and better in almost every way, "Terrifier 2" lives up to the sequel hype by being longer than its predecessor, and by incorporating a lot more violence, blood, and body parts than the original. Being able to see it on the big screen adds to the experience, which isn't easily forgettable due to the marvelous practical FX work seen on screen, a throwback to the classic horror films of the 80s before computers took over the effects work to varying success. While the kills are obviously fake, it doesn't detract from the bloody enjoyment of seeing a master's hand at work, and despite its flaws with the story, it's one scary good time - and you'll never look at mashed potatoes the same way again.

The Score: B+