'Terrifier's' cover looked very cool and eerie. Furthermore, the concept was really intriguing and one of the best for any film personally seen recently. There are some halfway decent killer clown films out there and have an appreciation for horror. So yes 'Terrifier' was watched with some anticipation and want to like it, as well as some apprehension with so many wastes of potential on recent film viewings.
While it is an uneven film, where the first half is better than the second half, 'Terrifier' turned out to be much better than expected. Considering the budget and there are also a fair share of killer clown films that are not good ('Clowntergeist' was a significant recent example in this regard), it could easily have been a bad film if executed in a way that wasted its promise. Luckily, 'Terrifier' didn't fully live up to its promise but it doesn't waste it either.
Quite a lot to like here. 'Terrifier' starts off really well, great even. Despite the slightness of the story that doesn't really do anything new, the first half was tightly paced and genuinely scary and suspenseful with well-timed shocks. The killings are gory, without being gratuitously so while not holding back, nail-biting and inventive. Enjoyed the 80s throwback feel to the atmosphere.
Visually, 'Terrifier' looks pretty impressive for a film made on a high-budget. It's beautifully and stylishly shot, slickly edited and atmospherically lit. The make-up and effects were surprisingly and refreshingly good, seeing as there have been so many recent film viewings where the make up and effects looked terrible that was a real pleasure to see. The killer clown Art is truly freaky and is up there with Pennywise actually as the stuff of nightmares.
Acting from the main cast is better than average, with a likeable lead actress and a fiendishly good David Howard Thornton. It's all competently directed and there is a real eeriness too to the music score.
However, 'Terrifier' sadly has a second half that is not up to the same level. Although there is creepiness, suspense and a few of the killings are inventive, the thinness of the story affects the momentum and things become dull, silly and repetitive, there is a pattern here and one that repeats itself so often that it becomes very predictable quickly. The ending felt rushed and incomplete, leaving the viewer in dumbfounded confusion.
Not that 'Terrifier' was perfect already, it wasn't, but the flaws are more apparent and more problematic in the second half than the first. Not enough of the characters are rootable or interesting enough, with the most likeable characters disappearing too early and any development is sketchy and cliched. The lead character and oddly enough Art are the most interesting characters here.
Although the main cast are fine, the side characters are very annoying in how they are written and portrayed. There are also too many annoying and illogical actions and decision-making which made parts hard to swallow and ridiculous. Too much of the script is limp, ridden with clichés and too often underdeveloped and silly.
Overall, pretty decent with a lot of good merits although with significant problems. 6/10 Bethany Cox
