Tag Archives: terrifier

The 12 Days of Christmas Horror: A Terrifying Yuletide Countdown

24 Tuesday Dec 2024

Posted by in Top 12 List

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Horror fans rejoice! The holiday season isn’t just about cheerful carols and warm cocoa—it’s also a time for blood-curdling screams, sinister Santas, and festive frights. To celebrate the darker side of Christmas, here’s our countdown of 12 horrifying holiday films to make your season as chilling as it is merry.

🎄 On the First Day of Christmas, my true love gave to me: A Mogwai in a gift box!
Start your holiday horror binge with Gremlins (1984), a delightful cautionary tale about the perils of ignoring pet care instructions. Joe Dante’s classic perfectly balances humour and horror, as the adorable Gizmo spawns a mischievous army of creatures that turn Christmas into a chaotic nightmare. The snowy town backdrop and holiday decorations make it the quintessential dark Christmas treat.

🎄 On the Second Day of Christmas, my true love gave to me: Two sinister phone calls!
Black Christmas (1974) is often credited as one of the earliest slasher films, and for good reason. Its chilling premise—sorority sisters stalked by an unknown killer during the holidays—still holds up, with terrifying phone calls and a tense atmosphere. A precursor to films like Halloween, it’s a must-watch for those who like their Christmas with a side of terror.

🎄 On the Third Day of Christmas, my true love gave to me: Three masked killers!
Forget holiday cheer—Don’t Open Till Christmas (1984) delivers sleazy, grindhouse-style carnage as a masked killer targets anyone dressed as Santa Claus. Set in London, this cult favourite oozes low-budget grit and delivers some gruesome kills. It’s the perfect antidote for anyone who finds mall Santas a little too jolly.

🎄 On the Fourth Day of Christmas, my true love gave to me: Four killer Santas!
Few holiday horror films are as infamous as Silent Night, Deadly Night (1984). This controversial slasher caused outrage upon release with its tale of a traumatised young man who becomes a murderous Santa. Despite its campy premise, it delivers genuine chills and has earned its place as a cult classic that’s both terrifying and absurdly entertaining.

🎄 On the Fifth Day of Christmas, my true love gave to me: Five undead dance routines!
Anna and the Apocalypse (2017) is a genre mashup like no other—a Christmas zombie musical filled with catchy songs, heartfelt moments, and buckets of blood. It’s the kind of film that shouldn’t work, but somehow does, offering a unique spin on holiday horror that will have you singing along while reaching for the popcorn.

🎄 On the Sixth Day of Christmas, my true love gave to me: Six buckets of gore!
Terrifier 3 continues Art the Clown’s reign of terror, this time with a Christmas twist. If you’re a fan of extreme gore and unrelenting scares, this sequel delivers in spades, taking holiday horror to new, grotesque heights. It’s not for the faint of heart but will delight those who thrive on boundary-pushing frights.

🎄 On the Seventh Day of Christmas, my true love gave to me: Seven blood-stained axes!
Christmas Blood (2017) brings a Scandinavian flavor to the killer Santa trope. This Norwegian slasher follows a maniacal Santa spreading holiday carnage across snowy landscapes. With its moody atmosphere and brutal kills, it’s a grim reminder that not all Santas are bringing gifts.

🎄 On the Eighth Day of Christmas, my true love gave to me: Eight clever traps!
Better Watch Out (2016) is a home invasion thriller with a devilish twist that’s best experienced without spoilers. What starts as a typical holiday babysitting gig takes a sinister turn, with clever plotting and sharp performances that elevate it into one of the most entertaining Christmas horror films of recent years.

🎄 On the Ninth Day of Christmas, my true love gave to me: Nine rampaging reindeer!
Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale (2010) reimagines Santa as a terrifying, ancient figure unearthed from the ice. This Finnish gem mixes dark humour with genuine scares, creating a unique holiday horror that’s as magical as it is menacing. And those reindeer? Let’s just say Rudolph wouldn’t stand a chance.

🎄 On the Tenth Day of Christmas, my true love gave to me: Ten deadly robots!
Christmas Bloody Christmas (2022) answers the question: What if a robotic Santa went on a killing spree? This grindhouse-style horror revels in its absurd premise, delivering over-the-top gore, neon-soaked visuals, and a punk rock attitude that makes it a wild holiday ride.

🎄 On the Eleventh Day of Christmas, my true love gave to me: Eleven festive frights!
Krampus (2015) brings the European legend of the titular Christmas demon to life in a darkly comedic tale of family dysfunction and festive punishment. With stunning creature effects and a sly sense of humour, Michael Dougherty’s film is a modern holiday horror classic that reminds us to stay on Santa’s good side.

🎄 On the Twelfth Day of Christmas, my true love gave to me: A Ghostly Carnage for Christmas
The premise of Carnage For Christmas is deeply intriguing. True crime podcaster Lola returns to her hometown for the first time since her gender transition, only to uncover a chilling mystery: has the ghost of a historic murderer risen again? This film offers a thoughtful blend of social themes and supernatural horror, making it a perfect capstone for our list.

Celebrate the Season of Screams
From murderous Santas to zombie musicals, these 12 films prove that Christmas doesn’t have to be merry to be memorable. So dim the lights, grab some eggnog, and settle in for a holiday marathon that’s as horrifying as it is holly-jolly.

  • Saul Muerte

Christmas Carnage: Art the Clown Returns in Terrifier 3 with Dark Humor and Even Darker Gore

29 Tuesday Oct 2024

Posted by in Movie review

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , , , , , , , ,

With Terrifier 3, Damien Leone returns to the screen with another round of high-intensity slasher fare featuring Art the Clown. This time, however, Art trades in his usual Halloween night escapades for a yuletide twist, bringing a nightmarish take to the holiday season. In doing so, Leone melds Christmas cheer with dark humour and, unsurprisingly, his characteristic penchant for pushing practical effects to their bloody limits.

The film doubles down on what made its predecessors so distinct, using extreme gore and practical effects that make even seasoned horror fans squirm. Leone clearly revels in finding inventive—and unflinchingly gruesome—ways to dispatch his victims, pushing the boundaries of mainstream horror effects. This choice may not be to everyone’s taste; the Terrifier series is notorious for teetering at the edge of what’s acceptable in horror, and Terrifier 3 is no exception. Yet, Leone’s commitment to the practical, visceral nature of his effects keeps fans coming back for more.

Art’s shift to the holiday season brings a fresh layer of dark irony, with the contrast between holiday warmth and Art’s merciless brutality. Lauren LaVera returns as Sierra, delivering a performance that brings much-needed gravitas and weight. In a landscape drenched in Art’s unhinged humor—delivered with menacing glee by David Howard Thornton—LaVera provides a grounded presence that strengthens the emotional stakes. She holds her own against the increasingly chaotic energy of Art, continuing her trajectory as a worthy foil and survivor in Leone’s slasherverse.

Adding to the film’s appeal are the entertaining cameo appearances by Clint Howard, Daniel Roebuck, Chris Jericho, horror effects icon Tom Savini, and Jason Patric. Each brings a tongue-in-cheek quality to their scenes, adding a sly wink to horror fans who appreciate genre legends popping up in unexpected places. Savini’s presence, in particular, feels like a nod to horror’s dedication to practical effects, grounding Leone’s splatterfest in the legacy of horror cinema. These cameos lighten the mood at crucial moments, balancing out the unrelenting gore and further amplifying the film’s dark humor.

The Prognosis:

For fans of the series and die-hard horror aficionados, Terrifier 3 delivers. It’s bold, unapologetically over-the-top, and manages to stick to its roots while injecting a fresh, sinister seasonal twist. As divisive as it may be for some viewers, Terrifier 3 captures the raw spirit of horror with plenty of festive frights and fan-favourite faces, making it a holiday slasher like no other.

  • Saul Muerte

Movie review: Terrifier 2 (2022)

18 Friday Nov 2022

Posted by in Movie review

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , , , , , , , , ,

It’s been 6 years since Damien Leone’s torturous creation Art the Clown inflicted audiences with his harsh and violent manner of dispatching victims with revel and glee. His silent mockery as the fatalistic few who encounter him is part of the shock manner which juxtaposes the brutal way that he delves into his maniacal fantasy. 

The sequel (currently screening in select cinemas) paves way for further immersion into the realms of macabre reverie with Art being resurrected by some unknown entity, lending itself to a more mystical approach to the narrative. In doing so, it stretches the reams of believability, where anything can be possible in this franchise. There are great moments involved in dream-like sequences and visions that would even make Freddy Kreuger envious, but where Freddy has the gift of the gab, Art has the gift of the gore.

Leone even marks time for humour to be included as Art (once again portrayed by David Howard Thornton) finds solace in an imaginary girl who is equally dressed in clown attire. In particular, there’s a quirky and quaint scene in a laundromat where Art goes to wash his blood-drenched clothes following a pretty gnarly murderous event. 

The tale picks up with a broken family dynamic centred on Sienna (Lauren LaVera), who may have magical qualities of her own, inherited from her now deceased father; her brother Jonathan (Elliot Fullam), who is subjected by misrepresentation and feels ostracised as a result; and the grieving, over-protective mother (Sarah Voigt).

There is something intrinsically drawing both Sienna and Art together, where their orbits will inevitably align among the clown’s killings,that will bring about an ultimate match up, but not necessarily a finality; a potential for further instalments yet to come.

The Prognosis

Dubbed by Director Mike Flanagan (Midnight Mass) as the birth of the Megaslasher, Damien Leone has created an extension of the splatter movie, blending it with slasher tones. The gore factor has been dialled up to the max, which is also surprisingly peppered with macabre humour. Terrifier 2  goes above and beyond its predecessor with a bold and fantastical tale, providing an ARTform that cements its antagonist at the heart of modern horror.

  • Saul Muerte

Movie review: Terrifier

04 Thursday Oct 2018

Posted by in Movie review

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

, , , ,

Back in 2013 Art the Clown was first introduced to our screens in all his shocking glory as part of Damien Leone’s horror anthology, All Hallows’ Eve.

Thanks to Dread Central, Terrifier was given a limited theatrical release, but this unfortunately didn’t include Australian shores.
Instead, Terrifier came across my bloody and broken radar through the horror vine thanks to some tuned in people after my own heart.
It harkens back to the days of video stores when you come across a gem of a movie, enticed by the vhs cover, in this case gloriously shoving the fucked up clown front and center. It’s his movie after all and boy does he own it.
In some ways it feels like Leone decided to let go of the leash and let his twisted creation run amok without a moments hesitation. The end result is sheer bloody mayhem that would turn those with a weak disposition into a quivering wreak and no doubt reaching or should I say retching into their vom bag.

All this should send the hardcore horror fans into a state of ecstasy at the mere thought of a horror film that isn’t afraid to go dark and push the boundaries of taste in the gore department. No doubt most of you are already aware of this movie.

For those yet to be imitated, Terrifier starts off with a television journalist interviewing one of Art’s victim, scarred beyond recognition but has lived to tell the tale.
We also learn of Art’s disappearance from the morgue, setting up the notion that he is on the loose.

With a shock moment unleashed, the story picks up proper with two female characters, Tara and Dawn who are stranded in the city after their car has a flat tyre.
The warped journey as only just begun though as they encounter Art at a dodgy kebab shop, who takes a shine to Tara before marking his territory.
Feeling rightfully unnerved, the girls seek out rescue from Tara’s sister Vicky, who they entice out to be their saviour.
But will she make it to them in time, or will Art unleash his next canvas using their mutilated bodies?

The Diagnosis:

Terrifier is balls to the wall gross out fun that isn’t for the faint of heart. Sure, there are some shaky moments throughout but this makes the movie all the more gritty. For those eager to delve into a world of gore and brutality, Art the Clown is your perfect remedy.

  • Saul Muerte