The cult hit that had Americans fainting in the aisles sees maniacal serial killer Art The Clown mysteriously resurrected to wreak further havoc on Miles Grove one year on, trading up the cheap grindhouse aesthetic of the first film for a more shiny and ambitious 80s Elm Street vibe. The selling point here is obviously the showstopping practical gore sequences which punctuate the story, which viewers will either find revolting or spectacular. Right from the opening sequence, Terrifier 2 takes Grand Guignol to excess with the swift, sharp and impactful scenes of carnage that are very well realised and given a nastier twist with Art The Clown's childishly gleeful disregard for human suffering. The film is unpleasant and unapologetic - and yes, the bedroom murder scene is as grimly unpleasant as its notoriety suggests - but the film is not remotely scary, having at times an hypnotic hallucinatory style that feels like David Lynch meets early Sam Raimi. The film is surpisingly effectively structured, touching on internet influence on a young boy who becomes obsessed by Art's previous rampage, and an early Clown Cafe sequence plays like a demented version of Pee-wee's Playhouse. Perhaps in terms of the overt violence it is no more extreme than some of the 70s and 80s Italian genre classics, and Terrifier 2 is ultimately little more than an ultra-cheap slasher done well, but to its credit it has punched through to provide a new horror icon for our times.
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