The extremely well executed structure of this short was just like that of any nightmare: Relentless, hopeless and inescapable, and you somehow know that it's only ever ending one way. Clowns really don't creep me out personally, but I can see how they could be frightening to some. I find the type used in this, a Pagliacci-like character, to be far more eerie than the typical rainbow hair and red nosed kind. I've always found that while they can be scary, those kinds of clowns also usually come with a certain campness and silliness-although in my opinion that underrated classic of atmospheric terror Clownhouse is the exception. This was the scariest jester I've ever seen in anything since that movie. Ah, but this vile gibbous fiend didn't have nothing to do with twisted cuddly or theatrics. This *thing*, just plain radiates wrong, bad, pure evil-run!!! He proves once again that clowns are way more unnerving when they are totally mute. And I didn't find him scary because he was a clown, it was because he was so inhuman in his ruthless viciousness, and it didn't even need saying that his designs on the girl were the darkest imaginable. This was the last freaking clown that you ever wanted to get caught by! ::: The fast pace and all-alone-on-the-road-at-night setting reminded me a lot of the best story of Creepshow 2. I love the pretty seldom used "spooky open road" brand of horror. And the pale-faced monstrous villain also brought to mind the character "Moonface" from the-let's face it, best episode of "Masters of Horror". ::: The manner in which she is marked for death is such a classic! She's in the wrong place at the wrong time, she wanders off by herself, to somewhere she is not supposed to be, and sees something she is probably not meant to see. She looks at him, her eyes filled with fear, he leers back, and then the fun begins... There's absolutely no hope of any eventual miracle conquering of the dark figure. This poor gal is completely f****d. This monster is doing her in, and it's only a matter of time. Flight useless, inexorable the pursuit! And you can feel that, too. The entire show has a strong sense of encroaching doom to it. He seems to have only one desire, to butcher her horribly, or ruin her as a human being... Her complete destruction at the end is all the more horrendous because it's such a violation and so dehumanising. She's his canvas, his block of living marble with which to practise his ghastly art. He transforms her into an obscene, helpless wretched thing. It's gotta be one of the ultimate nightmares... And all those nasty words he carves into her flesh feel like some kind of bizarre insult to women everywhere. I thought that strange little unexpected extra detail somehow added enormously to the shock value of the moment. I know the searing final frame might indeed suggest it, but I think the ending would have been that much more effective if, after seeing her mutilation, she would have started giggling and screaming all at once, as if her mind has snapped after all the horror-and then he should have begun merrily hopping up and down clapping his hands, like he's overjoyed that she's finally getting into the spirit of his demented game! ::: I probably didn't give this an even higher rating because its brutality is pretty damn sickening and unpleasant at times. But I don't really find torture and violence as awful when it's being dished out by a demon clown, as opposed to a human monster? Which we must never forget are truly the worst kind of all... Great short. Scary, surreal. intense and uncompromising. There should really be more like it. See ya.
Review of Terrifier
