Hi, my name is Chris and I spend entirely too much time scrolling through TikTok, which often results in me stumbling upon a fascinating thing that someone said.
Today, @evan.solo on TikTok said, Terrifier 2 is "the best horror movie to drop this year." More intriguing, he said it's the first time he's seen people LEAVE A THEATER because the movie is "too much for them."
And it's not just him — Twitter user...*ahem,* @ratshitbastard, said Terrifier 2 MADE THEIR FRIEND PASS OUT AND AN AMBULANCE HAD TO BE CALLED TO THE THEATER. Wild!
Now, I've seen my fair share of horror movies and shows that aren't afraid to get gory, but I kept seeing people describe this film as if it were on a different level.
Just saw Terrifier 2. It was an amazing gory mess. The guy behind me passed out cold n crashed into my chair, another guy left because he didn’t feel good, I overheard him say and walking out theatre door I heard a guy puking hard & loud in the bathroom. #Terrifier2 @damienleone
So, after further investigation, I decided to see Terrifier 2 and judge whether or not this movie is actually as nauseating/difficult to sit through as TikTok says.
My only goal going into this is to survive the whole two hours and 18 minutes without passing out, leaving, or vomiting, and I plan on eating a hotdog and popcorn, so let's hope the latter doesn't happen. Below is the trailer and a description of the movie's plot from the official website for those who are curious if they want to see for themselves before the LIGHT SPOILERS AHEAD:
View this video on YouTube
"After being resurrected by a sinister entity, Art the Clown returns to Miles County where he targets a teenage girl and her younger brother on Halloween night."
When I purchased my ticket days in advance, the theater was almost completely empty, but I checked again before heading to the theater and this is how many additional people there'll:
The instant I set foot in the theater, I saw something TERRIFYING — these prices. Oh my word, a $7 hotdog? I know the popcorn is "gourmet" or whatever, but $11.80? Outrageous! I considered leaving the theater to set up a GoFundMe, but I had a job I was committed to doing.
Admittedly, I walked in feeling pretty confident that I wouldn't see anything traumatic. That said, I scarfed down the hotdog before the movie started because I didn't want to risk losing my appetite for an overpriced link of processed meat stuffed in a stale bun. Anyway, onto the trial at hand...
Bout to watch Terrifier 2 but if I vomit it’s prob just because of this musty hotdog https://t.co/Wcu0aF5CYl
OK, I didn't see the first film, Terrifier, which came out in 2016 and is currently free to watch on Tubi, but RIGHT OFF THE BAT, like, within the very first few minutes, you see an extremely graphic killing that shows someone's eyeball being pulled out, teeth being knocked out, and a skull being bashed and smashed. They don't shy away from showing it happening close up. If you've got the courage, take a look at EXHIBIT A below, but if you think you might not want to see it, I advise you to just keep scrolling.
On a side note, for anyone wondering if this film has any substance aside from the violence and jump scares — there's some story to it. There's a big sister, her kid brother, and their (perpetually hostile/angry) mother, who might be the movie's villain if it weren't for the murderous clown. The family has some classic parent vs. teenage children problems sandwiched between the bloodbath scenes, but personally, I didn't find any of the narratives particularly compelling or feel much of an emotional investment to the characters.
As for the actual main antagonist, he's called Art the Clown and I've gotta say, I feel like he's on another level when it comes to slasher film villains. Like, some of the shit this guy does would have Michael Myers audibly gasping. I mean, the killing scenes are all remarkably grisly. For example, EXHIBIT B, which shows Art stabbing a Halloween store employee in the eye with a broken glass bottle before beheading him.
The closest thing I've ever seen to this level of truly, deeply, horrible-to-even-imagine violence is in the Saw franchise, but frankly, some of these moments make Saw seem like a Disney production in comparison. It insists on showing you each of Art the Clown's brutal acts. Every slash and slice of a knife or a blunt force object connecting with flesh. And sure, you can remind yourself it's all a bunch of makeup and fake blood and whatnot, but you're still forced to imagine what such a thing might feel like.
IF I HAD TO GUESS what made people pass out or get sick, I'd say it's EXHIBIT C, below, which shows a particularly brutal mutilation scene where Art repeatedly stabs and cuts a young woman, breaking her bones and even slicing and peeling her scalp. I'm sorry for even writing out that description.
I actually saw at least a couple of people leave during or shortly after this scene. Here's some very real evidence that this movie is making people ~uncomfy~.
My second guess for what made people ill is another excessively violent moment itself, but it comes after the scene mentioned above, so I don't think anyone squeamish would've made it that far. Below you can see what's ironically named, EXHIBIT D. I'll spare you the extra graphic details, but in short, Art [redacted] someone in the [redacted], then [redacted] the whole [redacted] off and smears it against a window. Yes, it was painful to see. Yes, I did look away. Don't click below unless you want to see it for yourself (you don't want to see it for yourself).
As far as calling this the best horror of the year, that's a no from me, dawg. The characters have a lot of unfathomably dumb/trope-y behavior that makes them difficult to root for: a person running from a slow-walking killer, then tripping, falling, and crawling so he has time to catch up instead of standing and sprinting. Or, on multiple occasions, people see Art the Clown and just stand there gasping, staring at him with wide eyes and screaming or hyperventilating instead of turning their body in the opposite direction and going that way expeditiously.
But there's an acid-to-the-face scene, so again, grossness, undeniable.
At no point did I feel like my $27.40 worth of movie theater snacks might be puked up, nor did I feel like I was going to pass out. However, I could certainly see why someone might. Also, if I wasn't there with the sole intent of watching Terrifier 2 in its entirety, I'll admit, I probably would've left because it's nearly two and a half hours long, and extremely gruesome violence, even of the fictional sort, is just not my cup of tea. That said, there are people who DO enjoy this sort of thing and I know that to be true because a handful of folks in the theater were...laughing. Hard. Literally HA-HA-HA'ing during the particularly violent scenes. I was slightly concerned and felt very out of my element, to say the least.
It's time to close the case...
It's simple — if the highest level of gore and violence is something you're into, you're going to have a blast. If you don't enjoy watching or imagining gruesome stuff, maybe just skip this one because it will do damage. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go cleanse my palate with some Brooklyn Nine-Nine and I'll be back if there's ever a Terrifier 3 that's making people puke, leave, cry, and spontaneously combust, or whatever.
Have you heard or seen anything on TikTok and been like... "Is that legit??" DM me or let me know in the comments below and I'll test it out for you!
Get your heart pumping with Fall, a new thriller that will take you to terrifying heights. Own it on Blu-Ray and Digital now!
