TERRIFIER: VOMIT BAG NOT INCLUDED

I remember a Stephen King quote from his excellent book, Danse Macabre: "If I find I cannot terrify him/her, I will try to horrify; and if I find I cannot horrify, I'll go for the gross-out". These words can easily be applied to sum up many of the slasher/survival horror films of late, and in particular, the pair of director Damian Leone's Art the Clown series known as TERRIFIER. These are literally ripping yarns, folks, and if you don't have a strong stomach I suggest you break out your 10-foot pole.

Okay, I admit I watched the first in the series on Freevee, that "free" Amazon streaming service with the annoying ads that pop up regularly during the viewing of your movie. It starts off with a cliché: on Halloween night, two drunk girls, one the typical ditz and one the more serious and practical type, argue about who will drive each other home. In the meantime, they notice a person in a not-so-happy looking clown suit staring at them from down the street. Instead of driving (big mistake, of course), they decide to go to a pizzeria and eat something to sober up. While they are in the restaurant, the clown comes in, sits down and just stares at them. From then on begins a series of wildly gruesome murders. We are party to beheadings, knifings, and one of the most excruciating death scenes I've ever watched -- a naked woman hanging upside down who gets hack-sawed in half. These and another particular scene involving a torso-skinning would even make Ed Gein happy.

But, is TERRIFIER a good film? Besides the buckets of blood and gore, I'd have to say that technically, it is. Redeeming value or not, much care has been taken in the look of the picture, especially the lighting, which is reminiscent of the drenched colors used in Argento's SUSPIRIA. The acting is surprisingly good and David Howard Thornton does a very good job of miming Art's various actions without the use of dialogue. There is plenty of tension and yes, the murder scenes are stunningly vivid.

TERRIFIER 2 has hit the theaters this year and already the buzz is that it's more bloody and horrifying than the first installment. Reports of people fainting and vomiting has only increased its popularity. I don't think I've seen this much hysteria surrounding a horror film since THE EXORCIST in 1973. Even Stephen King has lent it some cred, praising it high on the scale of "old school" gross-out content, per his above-mentioned quote.

The articles below my suggestion for a barf bag to pass out to theatergoers chime in on this most unusual of phenomena.

'Terrifier 2' director reacts to reports that the horror flick made viewers vomit and faint during opening weekend

"Terrifier 2" proved to be too much to handle for some horror fans during its opening weekend. The slasher sequel premiered in theatres on October 6 and climbed to the top 10 at the box office, earning more than four times what it cost to make, according to Yahoo Entertainment.

The second installment picks up where 2016's "Terrifier" leaves off. When Art, the killer clown, is resurrected by a supernatural force, he continues terrorizing the residents of Miles County.

Since its opening, reports of viewers "vomiting" and '"fainting" during the viewing experience have hit social media.

"My friend passed out and the theater called an ambulance. Highly recommended," one Twitter user wrote. Another user wrote, "the guy behind me passed out cold n crashed into my chair, another guy left because he didn't feel good, I overheard him say and walking out theatre door I heard a guy puking hard & loud in the bathroom."

Writer and director Damien Leone recently spoke to Entertainment Weekly about the audience's visceral reaction to his film. 

"Listen, I would have loved to have a couple of walk-outs, I think that's sort of a badge of honor because it is an intense movie," he told the outlet, "I don't want people fainting, getting hurt during the movie. But it's surreal."

Leone went on to warn audience members to watch the first "Terrifier" before braving the sequel. After the reception "Terrifier" received Leone wanted to up the gore level to give the original fans what they want. 

"There is a now-notorious murder scene, a hacksaw scene, in Part I that everyone walks away talking about," Leone told EW. "We tried to rival that scene [in the new film] because the really supportive fan base that we've had this entire time, that has really started to put Art on a pedestal, I mean, those are the things that they really want," he continued.

Leone also announced that the "Terrifier" films are just getting started, and the twisted sequel has a cliffhanger that will leave fans wanting more.

"There's a lot more to explore with Art the Clown for sure," he told EW. 

[SOURCE: Insider.com]

Stephen King's Praise for Terrifier 2 Receives Response from Director

Terrifier 2 director Damien Leone responds to horror author Stephen King’s praise for his disgustingly gory sequel, calling it a “tremendous honor.”

Terrifier 2 director Damien Leone responds to Stephen King's high praise for the bloody horror sequel. Leone's latest installment in his Terrifier franchise released in select theaters on October 6. David Howard Thornton returns as Art the Clown, starring alongside Lauren LaVera, Elliott Fullam, Sarah Voigt, Kailey Hyman, and Samantha Scaffidi, who is also reprising her role of Vicky from the original 2016 film. Terrifier 2 is set one year after the events of the first movie, following Art the Clown as he targets Sienna Shaw (LaVera) and her younger brother Jonathan (Fullam) on Halloween night and goes on a savage blood-soaked murder spree.

Since its release, Terrifier 2 seems to be surpassing the first film in popularity. Not only is the gory splatter film seeing success at the box office, but it has also been met with generally favorable reviews from critics. The Terrifier sequel also earned a badge of honor for a horror film with reports of audience members passing out and vomiting in theaters. Terrifier 2's publicity has reached such a point that even renowned horror author Stephen King shared his review. The best-selling author praised the film with a short tweet that referenced some of Terrifier 2's spectacularly disgusting effects, saying, "Grossin’ you out old-school."

Of course, King's words attracted attention, and Leone has shared his reaction to the King of Horror's review. The Terrifier 2 director responded to King on Twitter and shared his gratitude for the "tremendous honor." declaring that the author's quote would be going on the poster. 

[SOURCE: Screenrant.com]