Terrifier 2

That was way too long. It got to the point where enough was enough. After about an hour I couldn't wait for it to end. Art The Clown looks great and there's some gnarly kill scenes, but that's literally it. The acting's terrible and there's almost zero storyline. All this film consists of is a killer clown running around slaughtering people. Why people are so into these films is beyond me. Don't get me wrong! I enjoy horror films just as much as the next guy, but some of these kill scenes are extremely overdone. You gotta be somewhat sadistic to be into this stuff. When it was all said and done it's just an all around cheesy film. 5 stars.

Like the original, 'Terrifier 2' is a tasty treat for fans of extreme gore and 80's horror throwbacks. It unapologetically marches to its drum, treading the line between tongue-in-cheek and exploitation. And in addition to the icky practical effects (which are taken to the next level), it has what's been missing in most genre offerings lately: a wicked sense of humor. Some have proclaimed Art the Clown to be this generation's "Freddy".

"Terrifier 2" also benefits from a fun supporting cast and a strong lead. The teen protagonists, while disposable of course, are less cloying than in many modern horror films, and I was legitimately bummed when a couple of them met their very very grisly demise.

The film does shift gears around the 2-hour mark, introducing a new plot development that proves a real head-scratcher. While this may test some viewers' patience, I suspect the payoff will be worth it in the next installment. Thankfully, the story establishes an internal logic early on so that when it goes further into full-blown surreal mode, viewers are more willing to suspend disbelief.

Minor quibbles aside, Terrifier 2 delivers the goods and would make an ideal midnight double bill with its predecessor. You can tell that everybody involved in its production had a blast making it and its target audience will too.

*****Final note: If you are concerned that the gore factor might be too much to take- as was I initially- I will note that the kills are so extreme and over-the-top that they often feel more befitting to a cult horror/comedy rather than to your standard torture porn. The tone is less "Hostel" and more "Evil Dead" or 'Troma Films'.

So I went into this hoping it would be the same format as the first. Psycho clown meet some strangers and for 90 minutes he takes them out in gruesome fashion. What happened was not that. Don't get me wrong, the brutality was cranked up to 11 and they made a little funnier. But there were some really stretched out scenes. And I figured they did to establish plot and a story worth watching. They even set up plot devices that at 1st seemed this was gonna be 1 helluva sequel. But by the time the credits rolled no questions were answered,no plot resolved. This so disappointing, I really could go on about it,but why bother.

I thought Terrifier 1 was not great, but watchable. This was not.

1. First of all...way too long. Horror movies, even good ones should not be over two hours unless there is a specific reason(aka 'IT'). This was long for no reason. There are multiple 'filler' scens that do nothing to push the story forward. They are there because the props department had some extra blood that they wanted to discard.

2. I enjoy gore. But the gore needs to have a purpose. Here the gore was added to many scenes that had no purpose. It was as if the props department(again) was also the writers and director. The movie felt like they created the gore scene first and tried miserably to connect a story.

3. Speaking of story...none. No plot, no redemption, no reason for anything happening. Also bad acting, even by horror movie standards.

You can tell in the first three minutes if you will like it or not. I did not like the first three minutes, but thought it would get better...it doesn't.

Here is a second film that will induce another big frown, as a marauding psycho wanders around town, with oversized boots and a dark crooked smile, a bag full of tools to remove and restyle, expresses emotions with gesture and mime, will take all you've got when you've just reached your prime, no mercy or pity, as you beg and you plead, feasting on all features, as you drain and you bleed.

If inflicting and unleashing violence and pain on another individual utilising a range of tools is your thing then step on in again and enjoy the disturbing world of Art the Clown as he butchers his way through several torsos while teaching Takashi Miike and the butchery trade a thing or two about carcass dissection.

Looking forward to number III.