TheTerrifierfranchise seemingly revived the slasherhorrorgenre, and all it took was a massive escalation in the blood and gore on display. Fans haven’t seen Freddy or Jason in a decade, and though Leatherface and Michael still hang around, these icons used to be the high-watermark of big-screen violence. Critics used to call for boycotts over kitchen knife stabbings, but the modern audience has a stronger stomach.Terrifierdelivers Art the Clown, a slasher villain for a new era, but it isn’t keen to describe just what Art is.
A lot of horror franchises get worse when the narrative drops the veil and tells the truth about their lore. Mystery can often provide the shadows that allow scary stories to stay scary, but fans always want to know more. ThefirstTerrifierfilm featuresbasically no answers and almost no narrative. The later entries, especially the recent third outing, have started scratching at the surface of the deeper story behind the Miles County Clown.
Is Art the Clown human in theTerrifierseries?
In short, Art the Clown is no longer human. He was a person at one point, likely up until theconclusion of the firstTerrifierfilmand the opening of the second, but he is now a sort of demonic being. Art’s portrayer, David Howard Thornton, said essentially the same in an interview withHorror Facts. Thornton stated:
I would say he might have been human for awhile, but there’s definitely been some kind of transition with him where he’s become something other than human.
In the firstTerrifierfilm, Art the Clown is a human serial killer with all the abilities one would traditionally expect from his kind. He isn’t particularly superhuman in the first outing, exhibiting limited resilience and only moderately impressive physical strength.The film’s most demoralizing scene, in which Art shoots the presumed final girl after taking a beating with a plank of wood, suggests a level of spiritual dominance, but it also implies weakness. There’s a real sense that Art could lose that encounter, forcing him to rely on a hidden handgun and briefly eschew his fondness for long-winded executions. Art has used a gun elsewhere, but he’s less likely to find himself suffering injuries in the second and third films. In all likelihood,Terrifieris about a human serial killer dressed as a clown butchering random victims. The following two films add a lot to his story.
Art the Clown is a demon, or at least the puppet of one
Art takes his own life at the end of the firstTerrifierfilm, escaping capture through death. He did so with no intention of returning from the dead, but the Little Pale Girl dragged him back to his body. That girl, only visible to Art and those chosen to do battle with him, is a powerful demon who resurrects Art as her emissary. It’s fair to say that Art is an agent of forces more powerful than himself.D&Dfans might call hima warlock in a pactwith a demon. Through this arrangement, Art gains immortality and superhuman characteristics.Terrifier 2reveals a blessed sword that can harm Art, but even decapitating him won’t put him down for good.InTerrifier 3, theLittle Pale Girl possesses former Art victim Vicky Heyes, granting the demon a body with which it can cause more problems.
Sienna Shaw, the new final girl and chosen hero to defeat Art, learns more about the clown and the demon through her brother’s feverish notes. The notes explain that angels select a warrior to stop an escaped demon. They forged a holy sword and picked Sienna as its wielder. Subsequently, the demon wants to possess Sienna to use her holy power for her own ends. Atthe end ofTerrifier 3, Sienna successfully banishes the demon back to hell but loses the sword in the process, allowing Art to escape. Art suffered several mortal wounds and may or may not be dying as he disappears. The fourth film will have to unpack Art’s current fate.
Art the Clown’s origins
Very little is known about Art’s early days. He was operating as a serial killer before the events of the firstTerrifierfilm, but his history remains open to interpretation.The Little Pale Girl appearsin the form of Art’s first victim, Emily Crane. Crane was a small child who Art killed and hid in the titular Terrifier carnival attraction. In the third film, a demolition worker tells his new partner a story about a killer who kidnapped several kids, hiding them in the same location. This extended bit is probably a joke, but it could shed some light on Art’s past. All fans really know about his backstory is that he’s been killing people for some time.
Art the Clown is a demonic being who was once a human serial killer. His glowing eyes in the third film practically guarantee some form of hellish power. Oddly enough,in Art’s first appearance, the now non-canonical shortThe 9th Circle, he was a confirmed agent of Satan with glowing eyes. The first threeTerrifiermovies might have unpacked his journey to reach that level of power.
