Warning: Mild Spoilers For Terrifier 2 Below
Mike Flanagan has praised gory slasher sequel Terrifier 2, and he might just be right about it being the first "MegaSlasher." Halloween wasn't the first slasher movie, but it was certainly the one to put the genre on the map. Just about every slasher that followed - from Friday The 13th to Scream - owes a debt to John Carpenter's 1978 film. This includes the gleefully scuzzy Terrifier films, where Art the Clown (David Howard Thornton) stalks and dispatches victims in (often literally) eye-poppingly bloody ways. Art was first introduced in short The 9th Circle and has become a cult icon over various follow-ups.
Art's fame was cemented with 2022's Terrifier 2, where his latest bloody rampage is challenged by a teenage girl who has a strange connection to him. Terrifier 2 took the template of the original and cranked the intensity to the max, and doubles down on the violence, dark comedy and amount of eyes popped. One big Terrifier 2 fan is Mike Flanagan, who took to Twitter to praise the sequel's ambition, Lauren LaVera's performance and the practical FX. He also coined the term "MegaSlasher" to describe it, which is apt, as the latest Art the Clown movie takes the slasher formula and REALLY pushes the limits of good taste.
How Terrifier 2 Became A Word Of Mouth Hit
Wes Craven once said the first monster a director has to make their audiences fear is themselves. In that case, Terrifier 2 director Damien Leone has succeeded in spades, as the film almost challenges viewers to look away from the carnage onscreen. The slasher sequel has something of a grindhouse feel and gloriously pokes (and stabs) at taboos. Just when it feels like it's gone too far, Leone (and Art) take it a step further, such as the now infamous bedroom scene. This defiance of taste earned Terrifier 2 Flanagan's MegaSlasher stamp of approval and has helped make it a surprise word-of-mouth success.
Terrifier 2 is a tiny budget indie built around a cult horror figure, but its high levels of gory carnage and Art himself has seen it become a social media darling. Horror viewers can be a jaded crowd, but Art's antics has tested the stomachs of even veteran genre fans. In a similar way to Craven's The Last House On The Left's poster selling itself with "It's only a movie..," the instant notoriety of Terrifier 2's bedroom scene almost dares genre devotees to try it out. Praise from celebrity fans like Flanagan and Stephen King helped it cross over to a larger audience too.
The Franchise Should End After Terrifier 3
Terrifier 2 has become a bigger success than anybody behind it could have predicted. That means Art the Clown's fame will only grow, and if Terrifier 2's post-credit scene is any indication, there's much more to come. Leone has stated in interviews that work on Terrifier 3 has begun, and it could even be split into two films. That said, in a 2018 interview with Bloody Flicks, he stated "I can see us making 3 solid Terrifier movies before the well is completely dry." Given how outlandish the saga and Art are, it might be best to follow this plan and end the series with the upcoming Terrifier 3.
Terrifier 2 already raised the bar for "MegaSlashers" everywhere, and part of the fun of it is seeing just how distasteful it can get. Terrifier 3 will have to push the limits further to get the same response - which is why it's best if it also rounds out the story. Leone has withheld Art's origins to make him more mysterious, but Terrifier 3 will almost certainly have to fill in some blanks, which could conversely reduce his menace. The next entry should shed more light on Art the Clown, just as the trilogy draws to a close. Given the success of Terrifier 2 though, that plan might have changed.