In this segment of our Colossus Movie Guide for Terrifier 2, we delve into the significance of the film’s title.
Cast
- Lauren LaVera – Sienna Shaw
- David Howard Thornton – Art the Clown
- Elliott Fullam – Jonathan Shaw
- Sarah Voigt – Barbara Shaw
- Amelie McLain – The Little Pale Girl / Emily Crane
- Kailey Hyman – Brooke
- Casey Hartnett – Allie
- Chris Jericho – Burke
- Charlie McElveen as Jeff
- Johnnath Davis – Ricky
- Amy Russ – Allie’s Mother
- Cory DuVal – Coroner
- Leah Voysey – the Clown Cafe TV host, and a nurse
- Samantha Scaffidi – Victoria Heyes
- Damien Leone – Director, writer, editor, sound designer, special effects, visual effects, Queen Phoenix
Why is the movie called Terrifier 2?
The Power of Terror
There are a number of reasons why the title “Terrifier” works so well. But on the director’s commentary track for Terrifier 2, Damien Leone explains how he originally came up with the name:
When I came up with that word for my short film Terrifier (released in 2011), I said I want this movie to feel like a rollercoaster—a horror-based rollercoaster that you get on and it just takes off and it never stops. And the name Terrifier came to me. So when I wrote the script for Terrifier 2, I knew it took place in this haunted house in the end, this funhouse, and I said, “I need a name for it.” And it was just a no-brainer. So not only will the name Terrifier be a sort of arbitrary name of this funhouse, but it will play a crucial role. It will be the structure that’s built upon the hell portal.
As Leone describes, the very title “Terrifier” carries an astounding, overbearing aura, like a rollercoaster. Once you’re on the rollercoaster, it can’t stop…you’re along for the ride whether you like it or not. And that energy properly describes the Terrifier franchise. Art the Clown absolutely relishes in torturing his victims, in dragging out their inevitable deaths. Once you aboard his rollercoaster, there’s no escaping.
This brings such energy to the word “terrify,” as Art becomes an overwhelming force. You aren’t just scared when you see Art—you’re fucking terrified. Your entire being is compromised. Your mind is taken over. You are utterly consumed by this hellish demon that has invaded your safe space. He’s not just some spooky ghost that sends a shiver down your spine. He’s the Terrifier.
That word’s energy has a profound effect on the film, as it lends power to the themes and character journeys. For example, one of the movie’s major themes is overcoming grief and trauma. Sienna and Jonathan aren’t just mourning the loss of their father—they’re consumed by it. They’re in disarray over their confusion, of what drove their father to take his own life. They desperately want to understand something outside of their control yet so close to their beings. And Art represents the barrier that keeps them from reaching the other side. He is a constant reminder of the mental anguish that permeates their everyday. It’s not just difficult to recognize and reckon with these emotions. It’s legitimately terrifying to head down that path.
That’s why the show-stopping set piece at the end of the movie, the Terrifier haunted house, represents the climax of Sienna’s journey. The movie has slowly built to this point when Sienna must face reality and accept her destiny to vanquish Art the Clown—the embodiment of all that is evil and terrifying. Art will continue to ruin Sienna’s life until she faces him and fights. This serves as a representation of her inner turmoil, of the mental battle she faces each day. The Terrifier haunted house is where she must finally meet this demon and free herself and her brother. She must confront the terror.
Terrorizing a Community
One last note. There is a “2” in the tile, as it is a sequel. That’s obvious enough. But it’s important to remember that Art has, prior to the events of Terrifier 2, terrorized other residents Miles County. He killed Emily Crane on Halloween, and then he killed a number of people in what’s known as the Miles County Massacre (these are the events of the first feature film, Terrifier). Emily Crane then becomes the Little Pale Girl, a demon who resurrects Art after being killed at the Miles County Massacre.
With all this in mind, Art and the Pale Little Girl come to represent terror that continually grips a community. Individual people don’t just grieve. Entire communities grieve as well. The shock and horror from a single event can linger for years. In that sense, Emily Crane represents the embodiment of that ever-present anxiety. The death of a little girl is tragic. And a hellish force has overtaken Emily’s body to ensure that tragedy becomes a living, breathing entity that continues to haunt Miles County. Emily is the reminder of the specific event, and Art is the reality that evil exists. As Damien Leone continues to make Terrifier films, each successive entry will continue to build on that collective hurt.
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