Terrifier 2 Review

Disclaimer: Contains spoilers!

Plot Summary: Art the clown comes back to life to continue his Halloween killing spree, but finds himself up against a new foe.

Review: Essentially, this sequel is a massive upgrade from the first "Terrifier." You have more gore, better characters, an actual mythos forming, as well as a general improvement to production value. Probably the biggest fix is providing purpose to the aimlessness of this series. The Art character has been around for going on 15 years now with shorts that were then put into the "All Hallows' Eve" movie. Part 2 is finally taking him beyond a creepy design and into something that may be be closer to an icon. With that said, this entry presents a different set of problems to deal with.

Starting with what works we can address the direct supernatural elements fleshing out Art and the story. In part 1 Art felt more like a regular human empowered by script contrivances. Here, Art is officially supernatural--resurrected by some kind of demon or whatever. Likewise, this demonic character is implied to be guiding Art to his victims for some greater goal we, as the audience, don't know yet. This notion helps tie together the shenanigans of part 1, and can possibly explain the Art seen within the "All Hallows' Eve" segments.

Next, we have the significant game-changer of introducing the Sienna character. Played by the gorgeous Lauren LaVera, Sienna serves as this franchise's own Laurie Strode or Sidney Prescott. If anything, Sienna is a little more than meets the eye--she both fits the final girl and the chosen one archetypes. I wasn't expecting much from this character at first, but, by the time that battle angel or valkyrie outfit comes on, Sienna transforms into this sexy badass; this is something sorely missing from the genre these days. Ms. LaVera is way too old to be playing a high school kid, but this was definitely a break-out role for her; I'll be sure to keep an eye out for her future horror endeavors.

As for the element that most wanted from this movie (and the thing most advertised): the gore. Was it as gross as viewers alleged? No, but I've seen a lot of splatterfest movies. There are many graphic deaths here that might catch casual moviegoers off their guard; admittedly, most victims are completely destroyed by the sadistic Art. As for the gore-hounds, I think this will satiate them and show off impressive practical effects. There is a lot of red in this movie--let's leave it at that.

With the positives out of the way, let's look at the flaws. First, and foremost, that running time is ludicrous. Part 2 clocks in at almost 2.5 hours! This is a full hour longer than part 1, and, no, there was not that much going on to necessitate that kind of excess. Many scenes could have been cut or shortened to get a tighter edit of the film; however, the pacing is on point for the most part. Now, while I do appreciate the story line that is being built up--what with Sienna's father, the demon taking the form of a dead girl, and explaining the Terrifier as an amusement park haunt--we are left with more questions than answers. Of course, these could be explained in further entries, but, as of right now, it feels like Jar Jar Abrams' infamous mystery box writing which can easily backfire. I'd really hate to see this series go off the rails right after correcting course.

All things considered, I think this was a great direction to take this franchise. The audience wants carnage candy and part 2 delivers. More than that, the series can move forward with a better focus than it started out with which is saying something. While I'd prefer less filler material bloating the runtime, I was way more engaged this time around with Art the clown's wacky hi-jinks. Let's just hope we see more of sexy Sienna and get some answers with "Terrifier 3" apparently on the immediate horizon.

Notable Moment: There are many off the wall moments, but it's just so satisfying when Sienna finally kills that sumabitch Art. Who would've thought a magic sword would fit seamlessly into this story?

Final Rating: 6/10