I know, I’m very late to this, but I finally got around to watching Terrifer after hearing for years that it’s one of the best horror movies in recent memory. And while I knew going into it that this would be an 84-minute gore-fest filled with over-the-top death scenes (I made sure to watch when my wife was out of town and the kids were in bed), there was one scene in particular that was especially disgusting and a little bit traumatizing. And yeah, it involves Art the Clown using a certain hand tool in a painful and absurdly painful manner.
I’ve watched a lot of horror movies over the years, and love blood, guts and gore as much as the next guy, but what I saw in Damien Leone’s 2018 micro-budget slasher pushed me to my limits. Come with me as I break down that absurdly vile scene and a few others that made me want to pull my eyes out.
Terrifier Is Pretty Much 84 Minutes Of Gnarly, Disgusting Death Scenes
No time is wasted in Terrifier, as the first death scene, a vicious sequence in which a TV host has her eyes gouged out and face smashed like she’s Prince Obberyn on Game of Thrones. After that, it’s pretty much 84 minutes of Damien Leone coming up with different (and cost-effective) ways to have Art the Clown (David Howard Thornton) toy with, kill and mutilate his multiple victims.
The pizzeria, after all the strange poop humor, with its vicious and grotesque kills, the building being bug-bombed, and that creepy-as-hell parking garage all become the sites where victims are killed in astonishingly violent and downright inventive methods by the sadistic serial killer. And I’m not going to lie, I watched in both horror and with laughter as this all unfolded before my very eyes.
But there was one scene that really got me…
The Scene That Grossed Me Out The Most Was Without A Doubt Dawn Being Painstakingly Cut In Half
None of those scenes even come close to the scene where Dawn (Catherine Corcoran) not just painstakingly cut in half, but essentially sawed and ripped apart by the Power Team or something. But instead of the Power Team bodybuilders talking about the power of Jesus after this feat of strength, Art laughs, makes funny faces and resumes his tour of chaos and murder.
The screams, the sound of rusty steel to flesh and bone, the blood (so much blood), the random body parts flying about and the sight of someone being pulled in two while still alive was just absolutely wild. I would go back and revisit it, but I think I’m good for now.
I Had No Knowledge Of The Scene Beforehand But I Knew What Was About To Go Down When Art Pulled Out An Old Saw
Somehow I was able to avoid spoilers before going into Terrifier. I didn't even watch the original trailer until after, which is no easy task considering this movie is more than half a decade old years old at this point. But I did, and I am so thankful because I’m not sure the experience of watching a character sawed in half (lengthwise) would have been the same if I knew how gross it was going to be.
However, as soon as I saw Dawn hanging upside down and then Art pull out the saw from his bag of goodies, I put two and two together and immediately put my hand on the remote so that I could pause the movie if one of my kids walked down the stairs (it’s happened before). But still, the scenario in my head created in those few seconds paled in comparison to what Art did just a few moments later.
I'm A 36-Year-Old Father Of Three And I Still Watched Dawn Get Sawed In Half With My Hands Over My Face
Though the grotesque and visceral saw sequence wasn’t one of the scariest horror movie scenes I’ve watched over the years, it was definitely one of the most violent. And I’ll admit that I watched much of it with my hands over my face, making me look more like 3-year-old Philip Sledge watching the IT miniseries back in the day and not a 36-year-old father of three.
Watching Dawn being painstakingly sawed apart like prime rib at Christmas dinner (maybe that’ll be a scene in the reportedly disgusting Terrifier 3), I had the same reaction I had upon checking out Jeremy Saulnier’s Green Room, particularly the scene where Anton Yelchin’s character’s arm is nearly hacked off by a machete. And again, I also watched that scene between my fingers.
But I'm Also Excited To See What Else The Terrifier Franchise Has In Store For Me
But I will say this, I’m excited to watch the rest of the Terrifier franchise and see what other thrills, chills, and kills Art the Clown has in store for me. And like Terrifier, I will go into Terrifier 2 and Terrifier 3 with no spoilers and no trailers so that I can be shocked and grossed out again and again.
I’ve heard that the two sequels have larger budgets and longer runtimes, but that’s about all I know about them, to be completely honest. And I think that is going to make this a fun experience, even if I have to watch behind my eyes again.
But Before I Go, What's The Deal With All The Eye Scenes?
Speaking of eyes, I just need to know what the deal is with Damien Leone having multiple scenes where characters have their eyes gouged out or smashed into a bloody and goopy mess. There’s a long history of terrifying eye scenes in movies, and Terrifier has several that could be added to the collection.
There is the opening murder scene, the pizzeria employee’s eyes being ripped out (thankfully off camera) and his face used as a candlestick, and then finally Victoria (Samantha Scaffidi) having her eye (and much of her face) being eaten by Art. That’s gotta be like the most eye injuries per capita in a horror movie.
Judging by the critical response for Terrifier 3, with its “gleeful nastiness,” it sounds like I’m in for quite a treat with the upcoming horror movie. Now I just have to make sure I don’t wait as long to check it out on the 2024 movie schedule.
