Terrifier

"You never forget your first kill."

Director: Damien Leone Year: 2018 Runtime: 84 min IMDb: ⭐ 6.3
Movie Poster

Synopsis

A maniacal clown named Art terrorizes three young women on Halloween night and everyone else who stands in his way.

A facially disfigured woman who survived a massacre the year before is interviewed for a TV talk show. Once off air, the host, Monica Brown, makes cruel comments about the woman's appearance while on the phone with her boyfriend in her dressing room, only for the woman to burst out of hiding and mutilate her. On Halloween night of 2017 in Miles County, New York, two friends, Tara and Dawn, drunkenly leave a party and encounter Art the Clown, who follows them to a pizzeria. Art is kicked out by the restaurant's owner for smearing his feces over the bathroom walls. The girls discover that Dawn's car tire has been slashed, and Tara calls her sister Victoria to pick them up. Art returns to the pizzeria and kills the owner and an employee. While waiting, Tara asks a pest exterminator, Mike, to be let into the apartment building he is working in to use the restroom. There, she encounters the Cat Lady, a deluded squatter who believes the doll she carries is her infant child. Art attacks Dawn and subdues Tara with a sedative. Tara awakens, bound to a chair, to see Dawn suspended upside down. Art forces Tara to watch as he saws Dawn in half. Tara escapes, but Art shoots her to death, then attacks Mike. The Cat Lady discovers Art with her doll, and in a plea for the return of her "child", attempts to show motherly compassion by cradling him. Victoria arrives and discovers Art, who has mutilated the Cat Lady and is wearing her scalp and breasts. Art chases her and decapitates Mike's co-worker Will. Victoria then finds Tara's corpse as Art attacks her with a makeshift cat o' nine tails. Mike wakes up and knocks Art unconscious. The two flee and call 911, but Art recovers and kills Mike, then hits Victoria with a pick-up truck. As Victoria lies unconscious, Art begins to eat her face. The police finally arrive, but Art shoots himself before he can be apprehended. After the police discover Victoria is still alive, Art's body and those of his victims are taken to a morgue, where Art reanimates and attacks the medical examiner. One year later, Victoria is released from the hospital after rehabilitation; she is revealed to be the disfigured woman from the talk show.

Summary adapted from TMDb and Wikipedia sources.

🎄 Holiday Cheer Breakdown

Holiday Cheer Level: 4

Content Warnings

⭐ IMDb Parents Guide 🛡️ Common Sense Media

a dog dies
spoiler Despite everyone voting yes, there are no dogs in this entire film.
someone is sexually assaulted
spoiler There is graphic genital mutilation. A woman’s underwear are ripped from her body and she is suspended upside down fully nude against her will. Another woman’s b*****s are cut off offscreen.
animals are abused
spoiler There is a man who works for pest control and he says that he is going to bug bomb a building because it has rats, but no rats are harmed in the movie.
a cat dies
spoiler Even though a cat offscreen sounds like it could be in extreme distress, I am going to assume that it is most likely stray alley cats fighting. A cat is seen later scrounging for food, but is not harmed.
an animal dies
spoiler A cat is seen in the film, however it is not harmed in anyway.
a pet dies
spoiler I did not see any pet die or any animal die. Why are there so many yeses?
animals were harmed in the making
Yes
there's dog fighting
Yes
there's a dead animal
spoiler Don’t know why people put yes, only two types of animals are shown in this movie and none of them are harmed
a horse dies
Yes
there are spiders
Yes
a dragon dies
spoiler Who says yes?? There aren't even any dragons in the movie
there are bugs
spoiler Bugs are being referred to, but not actually seen
an animal is sad
Yes
an animal is abandoned
spoiler I mean the person who's presumably feeding a stray cat dies
someone leaves without saying goodbye
Yes
there's child abuse
Yes
a woman is brutalized for spectacle
spoiler yes very a lot constantly absolutely. that is the movie
there's domestic violence
Yes
there's abusive parents
Yes
the abused forgives their abuser
spoiler there is a moment where the doll's mother sees that Art is emotionally needy and embraces him. it is a deeply uncomfortable scene and possibly the film's only instance of effective horror.
someone gets gaslighted
Yes
someone is abused with a belt
spoiler Someone is whipped with an improvised weapon but not a belt
the abused becomes the abuser
spoiler A woman who narrowly escapes being murdered turns into a murderer herself
someone is stalked
spoiler The main antagonist stalks two girls in the beginning, following them into a restaurant and then kidnaps one of the girls; following the other into an abandoned building.
there's addiction
Yes
alcohol abuse
spoiler Two girls are drunk at the start of the movie, one more so than the other, but there’s no implication of abuse
someone uses drugs
spoiler Not consensually
someone is sexually assaulted onscreen
spoiler There is no r*pe in the film. Two victims are forced to be naked to be mutilated but are not sexually forced to do anything
rape is mentioned
Yes
sexual assault on men is a joke
Yes
someone is drugged
spoiler The villain - Art the Clown - uses a syringe full of an unknown drug to make a character pass out
someone is restrained
spoiler A woman is tied up, and hung upside down. Another is also tied up and forced to watch as the antagonist tortures the woman.
someone is held under water
Yes
a woman gets slapped
Yes
someone is beaten up by a bully
Yes
someone's mouth is covered
spoiler everyone on here is right, there is a total of 4 occasions where art covers someone’s mouth. once with his hand, twice with duct tape, and once with a plastic bag
there's eye mutilation
spoiler In the beginning of the movie someone gouges out another person’s eyes in the dressing room. It is extremely graphic
there's excessive gore
spoiler this movie is not for the faint of heart - a man’s head is hollowed out and candles are put in it halloween pumpkin style - a woman is hung upside down and sawed in half genitals-first - a woman’s breasts are cut off and more.
there's torture
spoiler That’s basically the whole movie. It’s intense torture and gore throughout.
there's genital trauma/mutilation
spoiler Saw torture. The blonde woman gets sawed in half renaissance style.
there's body horror
spoiler The whole movie franchise is known for its extremely explicit and graphic body horror. This movie is only for hardcore horror movie fans, or people who can definitely handle their stomachs.
heads get squashed
spoiler Someone's head gets Cronched!
there's finger/toe mutilation
spoiler The clown cuts off the guy's hand at the knuckles when he reaches for the phone
teeth are damaged
Yes
someone is burned alive
spoiler Someone’s severed head is on fire.
there's decapitation
spoiler Extremely graphic on screen decapitation
someone's throat is mutilated
Yes
there are hangings
spoiler no, but a woman is hand upside down and killed that way
there's shaving/cutting
spoiler Extreme instances of cutting/sawing.
there's cannibalism
spoiler near the end of the movie art the clown is briefly seen eating a corpse. mostly offscreen
there's amputation
spoiler Several instances of sawing, cutting, limbs being cut off, etc.
someone struggles to breathe
spoiler In one scene a woman is being suffocated with plastic wrap.
someone asphyxiates
Yes
hands are damaged
spoiler one of the guys in the pizza place gets all of his fingers chopped off when going to dial 911
somebody is choked
Yes
someone is stabbed
spoiler Several instances of stabbing, cutting, sawing, etc.
someone falls down stairs
spoiler A girl trips in the first half of the movie while in the abandoned building but nothing serious
Someone becomes unconscious
Yes
there's Achilles Tendon injury
spoiler Graphic, be on alert after 00:29:00, it happens within that minute
someone is crushed to death
spoiler the clown steps on a dudes head until it explodes
someone breaks a bone
spoiler I don’t remember any bones breaking on screen. Definitely no snapping of arms or legs. A skull maybe but aside from that I don’t believe so
someone dislocates something
spoiler Several dislocations throughout the film.
a minor is sexualized
spoiler There are no characters who are minors
a kid dies
spoiler There is casual mention of infant death in the final scene. Unrelated to rest of movie
an infant is abducted
spoiler A woman believes her baby doll to be alive and it is taken. She is very distressed. Not a real baby but could be triggering all the same.
a non-human character dies
spoiler Emily, who is the homeless ladies baby doll is killed, this women believes that the doll is alive, so technically yes.
a major character dies
spoiler Do not get attached to any major characters in this movie if you don't want to be sad lol
someone dies
spoiler This is literally the entire movie.
someone sacrifices themselves
Yes
the r-slur is used
spoiler One of the girls uses this word in reference to Art’s behavior
someone disabled played by able-bodied
spoiler someone with severe facial trauma and scarring is played by an actress without said injury but this makes sense in the context of the film. up to you if it counts
a family member dies
spoiler A woman finds her sister brutally murdered
A child's dear toy is destroyed
spoiler not destroyed, but a doll is stolen from its owner which causes her a lot of distress. the doll is later accidentally stepped on but doesn't appear to be physically damaged
a parent dies
spoiler A woman believes a babydoll is her child. She later dies.
someone is kidnapped
spoiler A woman is kidnapped from her car.
there are jump scares
spoiler Yes but you can see them all coming. Very mild, generic slasher movie type jump scares.
trypophobic content is shown
Yes
there are razors
spoiler How is this a no? The main character uses blades, scales, and other razor-like objects throughout the film to torture people
there are clowns
spoiler The main antagonist is Art the Clown.
there are shower scenes
spoiler Not in this movie, but there is an intense and extreme one in the third movie.
there's ghosts
spoiler the clown comes back to life after being shot
there are mannequins
spoiler No but there is a doll that may trigger mannequin phobias
someone is possessed
spoiler The main antagonist is otherworldly. He commits suicide and then comes back to life.
someone vomits
spoiler Definitely no vomit in this film. Just finished watching it, I don't know where all the yeses are coming from.
There's audio gore
spoiler audio gore to accompany the violence
someone defecates
spoiler You don’t see someone pooping but a scene exists of someone cleaning poop.
someone is eaten
spoiler Art is shown eating the face of a woman toward the end of the film.
someone wets/soils themselves
spoiler technically no, but there are a few scenarios that are very unhygienic and that includes human feces. If unsanitary is a problem, I'd suggest skipping 14:40-14:57
there's spitting
spoiler No, but there is a scene where Art uses the bathroom. Feces is shown.
there are 9/11 depictions
Yes
there's incarceration
spoiler Police attempt to arrest Art at the end unsuccessfully
a trans person is depicted predatorily
spoiler at one point art (the antagonist) uses someone’s skinned breasts and scalp to walk around naked with (if i remember correctly) his dick tucked between his legs- there is nothing explicitly said to mock trans people but many find this a harmful addition to this trip and upsetting
there's live gunfire
Yes
there's smoke or haze
Yes
a priceless artifact is destroyed
spoiler A baby doll is taken at one point, not destroyed completely but still possibly hurtful.
needles/syringes are used
spoiler A woman is being injected with a sedative in the throat
there's a mental institution scene
spoiler The second one has mental institution scenes. This movie does not
there's a hospital scene
spoiler In the ending, there is an autopsy
someone dies by suicide
spoiler The main antagonist puts a gun in his mouth and shoots himself toward the end of the film.
Someone attempts suicide
spoiler Art the clown shoots himself with a gun when police try to arrest him.
someone self harms
Yes
a mentally ill person is violent
spoiler Yes the woman in the tv show who suffers from PTSD from a previous attack by art the clown , she gouges the tv hostess’s eyes out
there's misophonia
spoiler No idea why theres so many no votes, there are many scenes with sounds that can trigger misophonia
someone suffers from PTSD
spoiler A victim of an attack is in a talk show and is clearly distressed
someone says "I'll kill myself"
spoiler not those words, but there is one scene where a disfigured woman refers to wishing she had died/was dead and another where another woman talks about wanting to be killed if she ever became disfigured
there's body dysmorphia
spoiler Thats not body dysmmorphia, Body dismorphia is when someone is obsessed over the flaws on their body
reality is unstable or unhinged
Yes
there's a claustrophobic scene
spoiler A woman hides in a small closet space and is breathing erratically, hiding from the killer. She is not claustrophobic, but it made me feel claustrophobic.
someone has an anxiety attack
Yes
someone has a mental illness
spoiler probably?
someone has a meltdown
spoiler Yes. Very briefly on screen; a surviving victim of an attack becomes irritated and it's very upset
shaky cam is used
Yes
there's flashing lights or images
spoiler In the autopsy scene in the ending, the lights are flashing.
there are sudden loud noises
Yes
there's screaming
Yes
there's underwater scenes
Yes
there is obscene language/gestures
Yes
a baby cries
Yes
someone is watched without knowing
Yes
there's childbirth
Yes
there is a baby or unborn child
spoiler No, but there's a baby doll.
a baby is stillborn
Yes
there are homophobic slurs
spoiler No but due there not being a tag for transphobia, I will add here that there is a transphobic scene where Art wears a naked woman's body as a suit and it's played off in a very transmisgonystic way.
there are "Man in a dress" jokes
spoiler in a gorey way yes, art wears a naked woman's body as a suit
there's ableist language or behavior
spoiler The R word is used inappropriately.
someone speaks hate speech
spoiler Use of an ableist slur
a minority is misrepresented
Yes
there's aphobia
spoiler ^ Hard to blame this comment when that’s the actual definition. Maybe we should change the category to asexual/aromatic discrimination”?
the black guy dies first
Yes
there's a large age gap
Yes
there's demons or Hell
spoiler Art the clown is not a demon yet, that's the second one
religion is discussed
spoiler The sequels have religious themes
there is sexual content
spoiler Nudity yes, lots of it in the first half, but no sexual activity happens on screen
there are nude scenes
spoiler girl hangs upside down with breasts visible and only underwear twoards the ending plot.
someone is sexually objectified
Yes
there's BDSM
spoiler Possibly sexualised sadism
a male character is ridiculed for crying
Yes
someone is homeless
spoiler A homeless woman lives in the building that the majority of the film is set in, she is killed.
the ending is sad
Yes
there's end credits scenes?
spoiler In the sequel but none in this movie
Santa (et al) is spoiled
Yes
a car crashes
spoiler a car doesn’t necessarily crash, but Art drives one of the exterminator’s trucks through a building running Vicky over
a person is hit by a car
spoiler A woman is hit by a car towards the end
a car honks or tires screech
spoiler one of the exterminators is honking the horn of his truck outside trying to get one of the other exterminators to answer/hear him
there's blood/gore
spoiler There is an entire scene where a woman is completely sawed in half in extremely graphic detail, including genital torture. I have never seen such graphic gorey content in any horror movie. This movie is definitely not for the weak of stomach. I'm a grown ass man and I nearly shat myself.
there's gun violence
spoiler The clown shoots both other people and himself
there's a nuclear explosion
Yes

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