The Terrifier franchise by Damien Leone has taken the world by storm, garnering praise for its unique production elements. However, its plot has not been a significant highlight. The first film lacked a cohesive narrative, instead presenting a series of unpleasant scenarios with a loose overarching story. With a larger budget, Terrifier 2 took on the daring challenge of incorporating well-known characters and mythology into its gruesome clown murder extravaganza.
The unexpected success of Terrifier 2 left everyone involved stunned. Its dark and intense atmosphere, lengthy runtime, and reliance on disturbing gore could be seen as an acquired taste. Nevertheless, Terrifier 2 stands as a groundbreaking example of extreme cinema that has reached mainstream theaters. Its overwhelming profits have the potential to finance numerous sequels, though Leone has chosen to begin with the writing of one or two.
What happens in Terrifier 2?
Terrifier introduces the audience to an enigmatic killer named Art the Clown. In the initial film, Art silently trails two women as they enter a dilapidated hotel. The shocking climax reveals Art disfiguring the heroine before turning the gun on himself. Astonishingly, Art awakens in the morgue, eliminating the coroner and continuing his murderous pursuits without any explanation for his resurrection. One of his surviving victims, Vicky, seeks revenge on a newscaster who mocks her. In the sequel, Art becomes a local legend and is seen washing his blood-stained costume. During his chilling encounters, he comes across a mysterious child, known as The Little Pale Girl, who is only visible to select individuals. Art's new killing spree commences with the murder of a patron at the laundromat.
Terrifier 2 captivates the audience by introducing a compelling and relatable main character, Sienna Shaw. As a high school student from a troubled family, Sienna battles with a multitude of unique challenges. Her father's recent demise from a brain tumor profoundly affected his behavior, making his final days incredibly difficult for the family. The mounting frustration of Sienna's mother leads to outbursts and conflicts. Additionally, Sienna's younger brother, Jonathan, becomes fixated on Art the Clown. To Sienna's surprise, she uncovers drawings of Art in her late father's sketchbook, along with illustrations depicting a powerful angelic warrior. Drawing inspiration from these images, Sienna decides to construct a Halloween costume replicating the angelic warrior and incorporates her father's sword as a final touch. However, Sienna finds herself plagued by nightmares and panic attacks, haunted by visions of Art and The Little Pale Girl. As the siblings inch closer to the sinister clown, their friends and neighbors fall victim to his murderous rampage. Sienna soon realizes that her father's drawings and her family's history may hold the key to halting Art the Clown's reign of terror.
How does Terrifier 2 End?
Art embarks on a new spree of killings, targeting Sienna and Jonathan. Sienna and Jonathan are tormented by Art and a mysterious girl, who manipulate Jonathan into appearing mentally unstable and cruel. The first victim is someone near Sienna while she visits a costume shop with her friend Allie. Art then follows Allie home and subjects her to days of torture. When Allie's mother returns, Art kills her as well. Meanwhile, Jonathan discovers information in his father's sketchbook that reveals the identity of Art's first victim: a young circus performer named Emily Crane, also known as The Little Pale Girl. Jonathan believes the sketchbook holds the key to defeating Art, but his mother reacts with anger. Jonathan decides to run away, leaving his mother alone when Art shows up. After Jonathan returns, Art kidnaps him and steals Sienna's sword.
Sienna attends a Halloween party dressed as an angel. She experiences another panic attack when she spots The Little Pale Girl in the crowd. Distraught, Sienna insists that her friends Brooke and Jeff drive her home. The Little Pale Girl then contacts Sienna, disguising her voice as Jonathan's in order to lure Sienna to an abandoned carnival. Sienna stumbles upon a haunted house attraction called The Terrifier. Art kills both Jeff and Brooke, leaving Sienna to discover Brooke's lifeless body within The Terrifier. Sienna is forced to confront Art in a fight for her life. The Clown knocks her unconscious while torturing Jonathan. Eventually, Sienna and Jonathan manage to seize Art's weapons and repeatedly kill him. The battle is long and brutal, resulting in grave injuries for both sides. Eventually, Art stabs Sienna with her late father's sword and traps her in a water torture cell, leaving her to die. However, inexplicably, the sword resurrects Sienna, granting her the ability to free herself. Sienna beheads Art, saving her brother's life. The Little Pale Girl then takes Art's severed head and departs without a struggle. In a mid-credits scene, Vicky is shown institutionalized, writing Art's name on her cell wall in blood. She gives birth to Art's severed head, which remains alive.
The unbelievably long runtime of Terrifier 2 has finally reached its conclusion, leaving Sienna and Jonathan as the survivors of their harrowing experience, while Art, the slasher film villain, continues to live on. Sienna emerges as the protagonist in Terrifier, and it is likely that the next film will feature her confronting Art once again, armed with the only weapon capable of defeating him. Fans eagerly await to see if the future sequels will explore the backstory of the mysterious angel or delve into Art's extraordinary abilities. Although Terrifier 2 ends on a relatively positive note, the unpredictable world of darkness crafted by Damien Leone leaves us uncertain of what further horrors await.