Bad Movie Logo
"A website to the detriment of good film"
Custom Search
HOMEB-MOVIE REVIEWSREADER REVIEWSFORUMINTERVIEWSUPDATESABOUT
Welcome, Guest. Please login or register.
Did you miss your activation email?
March 29, 2024, 01:48:58 AM
713384 Posts in 53058 Topics by 7725 Members
Latest Member: wibwao
Badmovies.org Forum  |  Movies  |  Good Movies  |  Any fans of the "Terrifier" films in the room? « previous next »
Pages: [1]
Author Topic: Any fans of the "Terrifier" films in the room?  (Read 1619 times)
Neville
Frightening Fanatic of Horrible Cinema
****

Karma: 142
Posts: 3050



« on: November 26, 2022, 09:17:15 AM »

I recently heard of these two films on another board. Two regulars were very excited about the (then) upcoming "Terrifier 2" and knowing that I dabble in horror they advised me to check them out.



And holy s**t. They certainly made an impression on me. The extreme gore is part of it, naturally. I'm a child of the 80s, and no matter the reputation of some of those "video nasties", they're relatively tame films. I mean, IIRC the first "Texas Chainsaw" movie doesn't even have real gore in it. Here you get to see stuff like a living person serrated into two, or the villain interrupting a very gory stabbing only to return with a bottle of bleach in one hand and a pack of salt in the other... Rob Zombie is an amateur compared to this.

But I think a big part of me being so impressed with these two films is that... well, they're actually VERY GOOD films. Although that contradicts most of what I know about movies. There's no denying they've been made with a great deal of care. They certainly blow their 1980s equivalents out of the water in many aspects: camerawork, acting, characters... but that's mainly because the 1980s slashers sucked, let's be honest. We may have watched VHS tapes with "A Nightmare on Elm street" and "Friday the 13th" endless titles and were entertained, but you won't see anybody defending their artistic value.

I was so pleasantly surprised by the movies that I ended lending them to a friend of mine who usually prefers a diet of (yawn) serious cinema. And he ended up liking them too. He also tried to help me understand why I couldn't get them out of my head. He brought up words like "exercise in style" and names such as Nicholas Winding Refn. And I think he made valid points.

Well, for starters both "Terrifier" films are certainly exercises in style. The how it is told is much more important than what it is told, to the extent the later is hardly important. And subtext? Not here. And I should have noticed that because one of my favorite films of all time, "Halloween", is also an exercise in style. However, exercises in style also come with a heavy dose of abstraction, and this doesn't seem to be the case here. The setting and the characters are certainly stock ones, but you can also notice that some of them have been created with a good deal of care. I mean, compare the variety of face and body expressions of Art the clown with your usual, garden variety masked boogeymans out there and you'll see the difference. The victims' side is also better developed than usual, from the deranged mother in the first film to Sienna, the "final girl" on the second film. I've rarely, if ever, seen so interesting characters in an slasher.



That he mentioned Nicholas Winding Refn caught me a little more off guard. Certainly these films have some of his visceral brutality and his 1980s visuals. But if Damien Leone reminds of another filmmaker, that would be S. Craig Zahler, of "Bone Tomahawk" and "Dragged across concrete" fame. They both seem to share the same love for forgotten, vilified cinema genres -the "slasher" in Leone's case, the grindhouse action film in Zahler's- but also their intention of turning into something more artistic by paying loving attention to their elements and slowing down their pace.

But, for whatever reason, the thing is that I can't think of better slasher films than "Terrifier" and "Terrifier 2" right now. And that has to mean something.
« Last Edit: December 13, 2022, 02:30:12 PM by Neville » Logged

Due to the horrifying nature of this film, no one will be admitted to the theatre.
claws
Frightening Fanatic of Horrible Cinema
****

Karma: 0
Posts: 8596


Occidentali's Karma


« Reply #1 on: November 26, 2022, 10:07:10 AM »

I mean, IIRC the first "Texas Chainsaw" movie doesn't even have real gore in it.

... and Texas Chain Saw Massacre became a horror classic without the gore. Quite the achievement right?  Thumbup

Not seen yet but there has been some Terrifier hype on social media and message boards since October. I guss I should watch the trailers first.

Logged

Is it October yet?
Alex
B-Movie Kraken
*****

Karma: 1556
Posts: 12607



« Reply #2 on: November 26, 2022, 10:22:35 AM »

I've not watched the Terrifier movies yet although I am aware of them (they were argued about pretty much non-stop for several weeks in the horror groups I am in). I think someday I'll sit down and watch them although the running length of the second one is a bit off-putting. Nearly 2 and 1/2 hours of slasher killings really doesn't sound that entertaining, although I am prepared to be proven wrong.

On a side note, are you aware there is another movie with Art the Clown in it? I think it's called All Hallows Eve, but if I am wrong I am sure you'll be able to find out the right title easily enough. If you like the movies, it might be worth your time checking it out.
Logged

But do you understand That none of this will matter Nothing can take your pain away
Neville
Frightening Fanatic of Horrible Cinema
****

Karma: 142
Posts: 3050



« Reply #3 on: November 26, 2022, 12:13:06 PM »

Yes, I've heard of "All Hallow's Eve". Apparently it's a horror anthology, but they put two Art the clown shorts in it. They are earlier to the "Terrifier" films, so they'll probably won't be as good. I've put it on my watch list nevertheless.
Logged

Due to the horrifying nature of this film, no one will be admitted to the theatre.
indianasmith
Archeologist, Theologian, Elder Scrolls Addict, and a
B-Movie Kraken
*****

Karma: 2591
Posts: 15182


A good bad movie is like popcorn for the soul!


« Reply #4 on: November 26, 2022, 01:45:12 PM »

I know I saw the first one, and maybe the second.  Good gory stuff for any horror fan!
Logged

"I shall smite you in the nostrils with a rod of iron, and wax your spleen with Efferdent!!"
FatFreddysCat
Movies, Metal, Beer!
Frightening Fanatic of Horrible Cinema
****

Karma: 389
Posts: 4708



WWW
« Reply #5 on: November 26, 2022, 11:51:32 PM »

I didn't care much for the first "Terrifier" so I'll probably skip the 2nd one. The first was all gory, no story. It felt like a special effects guy's demo reel stretched out to feature length.

The guy who played the clown was great, though. I wish they'd built a better movie around him.
Logged

Hey, HEY, kids! Check out my way-cool Music and Movie Review blog on HubPages!
http://hubpages.com/@fatfreddyscat
Neville
Frightening Fanatic of Horrible Cinema
****

Karma: 142
Posts: 3050



« Reply #6 on: December 14, 2022, 09:15:32 AM »

Well, that makes sense. It seems that Damien Leone first worked in the makeup and FX departments of other films.
Logged

Due to the horrifying nature of this film, no one will be admitted to the theatre.
Gabriel Knight
Bad Movie Lover
***

Karma: 157
Posts: 963



WWW
« Reply #7 on: December 14, 2022, 10:20:46 AM »

We may have watched VHS tapes with "A Nightmare on Elm street" and "Friday the 13th" endless titles and were entertained, but you won't see anybody defending their artistic value.

I have to disagree here, particularly on the first A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET. We're talking about the movie that saved a studio from bankruptcy.

It was done with a limited budget, and had to create amazing special effects with a lot of creativity and passion, without having to rely that much on gore. The antagonist became one of the most famous icons of horror, providing a witty personality and terrifying presence; not to mention, you cared about the protagonist Nancy, personally I believed in her spiral into a sleepless routine, filled with paranoia.

Through the movie you can see how much attention they pay to the lightning on Freddy, since you don't fully see him that often, which makes him more scary. Some scenes are so well done that when they tried to recreate them on the remake, they failed miserably - check the part where Freddy is coming out of the wall, they did it with practical effects, and with CGI it looks like garbage. The audio also plays a big part, the Freddy song became a real nightmare for many moviegoers back then.

While I haven't seen TERRIFIER, and honestly I don't intend to because I don't find realistic gore fun to watch, nor do I care at all about stupid evil clowns, I don't think we should minimize the impact the movies from the late 20th century. Many of them were great pieces of cinema, and deserve the same amount of recognition, if not more, than modern films.

I do have to say, I'm impressed about the budget on TERRIFIER. Even BIRDEMIC had more money than that. TongueOut
Logged

Check my crappy and unpopular reviews and ratings:

https://www.imdb.com/user/ur85652268/?ref_=nv_usr_prof_2
Neville
Frightening Fanatic of Horrible Cinema
****

Karma: 142
Posts: 3050



« Reply #8 on: December 14, 2022, 10:32:10 AM »

You've got a point, "A nightmare on elm street" is a good film. I shouldn't have dismissed it as trash. I was referring to 1980s slashers in bulk, which is never a good idea. They have the odd good film standing out, but they are mostly cheaply made, boring affairs, like the Halloween films after the first three, or the entire "Friday the 13th" series.

I'd advise you to check out these two films some day, you may like them. They have some pretty graphic scenes, but I wouldn't call them "realistic gore" at all.
Logged

Due to the horrifying nature of this film, no one will be admitted to the theatre.
Jim H
Frightening Fanatic of Horrible Cinema
****

Karma: 314
Posts: 3669



« Reply #9 on: December 17, 2022, 12:25:46 AM »

I didn't care much for the first "Terrifier" so I'll probably skip the 2nd one. The first was all gory, no story. It felt like a special effects guy's demo reel stretched out to feature length.

The guy who played the clown was great, though. I wish they'd built a better movie around him.

This is pretty much what I thought about the first one.  I think Art is a great character and performed brilliantly, like probably the best new horror character in a decade, and the gore stuff is incredible.  But I thought it was otherwise *very* badly acted and badly written.  I've heard the second is an improvement, so I may check it out eventually.  I still would give it a semi-recommendation to people who are big fans of gore and horror, as long as they know what they may be getting.
Logged
chainsaw midget
Frightening Fanatic of Horrible Cinema
****

Karma: 288
Posts: 1689



« Reply #10 on: December 17, 2022, 10:27:34 AM »

I haven't seen the movies, but I saw the original short film on youtube.  (At least I think that's what it was.)
Logged
The Burgomaster
Aggravating People Worldwide Since 1964
Frightening Fanatic of Horrible Cinema
****

Karma: 773
Posts: 9036



« Reply #11 on: December 22, 2022, 09:11:29 AM »

I haven't seen either, but I ordered the Terrifier blu-ray from Amazon (awaiting delivery) and will order part 2 soon. I need them in my collection regardless of quality.
Logged

"Do not walk behind me, for I may not lead. Do not walk ahead of me, for I may not follow. Do not walk beside me either. Just pretty much leave me the hell alone."
Alex
B-Movie Kraken
*****

Karma: 1556
Posts: 12607



« Reply #12 on: December 22, 2022, 09:12:27 AM »

I saw the second one in the shop and thought about picking it up. Not having seen the first one and the run time is still putting me off though.
Logged

But do you understand That none of this will matter Nothing can take your pain away
Pages: [1]
Badmovies.org Forum  |  Movies  |  Good Movies  |  Any fans of the "Terrifier" films in the room? « previous next »
    Jump to:  


    RSS Feed Subscribe Subscribe by RSS
    Email Subscribe Subscribe by Email


    Popular Articles
    How To Find A Bad Movie

    The Champions of Justice

    Plan 9 from Outer Space

    Manos, The Hands of Fate

    Podcast: Todd the Convenience Store Clerk

    Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!

    Dragonball: The Magic Begins

    Cool As Ice

    The Educational Archives: Driver's Ed

    Godzilla vs. Monster Zero

    Do you have a zombie plan?

    FROM THE BADMOVIES.ORG ARCHIVES
    ImageThe Giant Claw - Slime drop

    Earth is visited by a GIANT ANTIMATTER SPACE BUZZARD! Gawk at the amazingly bad bird puppet, or chuckle over the silly dialog. This is one of the greatest b-movies ever made.

    Lesson Learned:
    • Osmosis: os·mo·sis (oz-mo'sis, os-) n., 1. When a bird eats something.

    Subscribe to Badmovies.org and get updates by email:

    HOME B-Movie Reviews Reader Reviews Forum Interviews TV Shows Advertising Information Sideshows Links Contact

    Badmovies.org is owned and operated by Andrew Borntreger. All original content is © 1998 - 2014 by its respective author(s). Image, video, and audio files are used in accordance with the Fair Use Law, and are property of the film copyright holders. You may freely link to any page (.html or .php) on this website, but reproduction in any other form must be authorized by the copyright holder.