The masked, silent assassin has always been a prominent feature in the horror genre albeit through numerous guises along the way. Since the introduction of Art the Clown in The 9th Circle, Damien Leone has set the benchmark for dialing up the visual senses with mute, macabre mayhem.

While Art has been enjoying the limelight of hyperbolic, sadomasochistic sensationalism, there has been another fool waiting in the wings and filled with promise.

The Jester was introduced by its creators Colin Krawchuk and Michael Sheffield in the 2016 short film and has had two follow up shorts in which  this malevolent being with magical, paranormal abilities seeks pleasure in terrorising victims who don’t appreciate his tricks.

With the option to stretch out the character with a full length feature to enact his will upon the world, it felt right to challenge Art in the horror arena.

The opener sees The Jester’s first victim John attempt to reconnect with his daughter, Emma (Lelia Symington). When he fails to do so, he becomes a puppet for The Jester’s stage and is forced into an apparent suicide.

The narrative picks up with the estranged Emma attending her father’s funeral when she meets with her step sister, Jocelyn (Delaney White). Their differences become all too obvious however, and they go their separate ways, only for The Jester to resurface on Halloween night to wreak havoc on them both.

The Prognosis:

The Jester could have been a contender, to challenge the horror scene with a disturbingly maniacal approach with a transcendental twist.

While it basks in the beauty of extreme brutality, the moments in between leave you meandering in mediocrity.

This is a patchwork job that definitely shows that Krawchuk and Sheffield know how to raise an eyebrow when they lean into the darkness but need to spend some more time working through the lighter moments to keep their audience engaged.

A missed opportunity to take the horror crown with a promising premise but instead they are mere pretenders to the throne.

– Saul Muerte