If you haven’t been subjected to a news blackout in the last few days, chances are you’ve heard about ‘Terrifier 2’. What is probably the surprise phenomenon of the 2022 film course has earned its fame thanks to an astonishing $5.2 million gross largely caused by the word of mouth generated by the vomiting and fainting that, apparently, it has caused during its productions.
The success of this supernatural slasher brimming with gore and lapsed murders has caught its director off guard Damian Leonewho has confessed during an interview with Entertainment Weekly to feel like a boy on christmas day.
“It’s amazing, it’s overwhelming. Every morning when I wake up it’s like Christmas Day. Ever since it hit theaters, the hype has been building, so it’s very exciting.”
ambulance cinema
But we are not here to talk about pretty things, but about what has given ‘Terrifier 2’ the status of “ambulance movie”; a term that Sitges Festival regulars will remember for screenings such as ‘[·Rec]’ in 2007 or ‘Martyrs’ in 2008. For Leone it is an honor, but he has her little heart and It is recommended to see the first delivery beforehand to avoid someone getting hurt of the cinema after he gets a dizzy spell.
“Listen, I would have loved to have had a couple outings, I think it’s kind of a badge of honor because it’s an intense movie. I don’t want people to pass out or get hurt during the movie, but it’s surreal. It’s called ‘Terrifier 2’, so you should probably watch ‘Terrifier 1’ before you dive into this one. If you watch ‘Terrifier 1’, you’ll know what you’re getting into.
In addition, he has made it clear who is to blame for this celebration of the most grotesque violence: the fans who have supported the adventures of Art the clown From the beginning.
There’s a murder scene with a saw in the first part that everyone talks about after seeing it. We tried to rival that scene because of the fans that we’ve had all this time, and they started putting Art on a pedestal. Those are the things they really want. I think this movie is more accessible, but basically we’re still making these movies for them, and if other people want to join in, the more the merrier.”
This infamous character has a much longer journey than it might seem at first glance, making his debut in 2011 with the short film ‘Terrifier’ and making his second appearance, this time in long format, in 2013’s ‘Halloween Eve’ to appear three years later in the original ‘Terrifier’ —available at Amazon Prime and Filmin—. But how was Art born? Leone explains it to us.
“I had this idea of a clown terrorizing a woman on a bus. She’s alone, coming home from work or whatever, in the middle of the night, and this clown gets on and sits in front of her and starts looking at her and playing with her.” It’s awkward and unpleasant and maybe even funny, but it starts to get progressively more intimidating and aggressive. I thought it would be a weird and interesting idea. When I made my first short film I said, you know what, I’m going to use that, it’s going to be the opening scene.”
Are you curious? Do you want to test your ability to resist or check if ‘Terrifier 2’ is a big deal or just a victim of excessive hype? At the moment we have it complicated in these lands, being the only opportunity to see the new Damien Leone within the framework of the festival terrormolins to be held between the next 4 and 13 November in Molins de Rey.