Halloween isn’t over until Art the Clown says so, and tonight marks the return of the unrated mega-slasher Terrifier 2 to theaters nationwide. The movie will feature a special introduction from Creator Damien Leone along with a never-before-seen Terrifier 3 teaser, both exclusive to theaters.
The exclusive poster for the re-release revealed an early Christmas present from Art the Clown, signaling a massive shift for the franchise: a Christmas movie! Writer/Director Damien Leone takes the Terrifier fandom to heart; the franchise’s creator wants to ensure that fans get their money’s worth with the re-release and closely follows fan theories to see just how closely they align with his plans. Ahead of the Terrifier 2 re-release, Bloody Disgusting spoke with Leone about those fan theories and the massive shift that Terrifier 3‘s teaser suggests.
For starters, Leone promises the Terrifier 3 teaser features brand new, never-seen footage.
“I wanted to give the fans something that was worth going to the theater again to see because it’s a big deal to get people out of their house and go to the theater, especially for a film they’ve seen and they could see for free,” he explains. “Why are they going to go watch it again? I’m just so thankful to the fans that I love to give them as much as possible and give them their money’s worth. We shot this a really long time ago because we’ve known what this is going to be for quite some time.“
Lauren LaVera and Elliot Fullam in ‘Terrifier 2’
Fans are already aware that Terrifier 2 deepened the mythology behind Art the Clown in a massive way. So much so that it’s not just the gore that has everyone talking but interpretations behind the imagery and story. Our own Brian Keiper previously wrote about the biblical archetypes woven into the mega-slasher. Leone reveals that he’s been keeping track of fan theories, and some of them are surprisingly accurate.
The filmmaker explains, “That article was probably the greatest article I’ve ever seen written on the film because some people walk in wanting it to just be a mindless slasher. Some people think that it just is, no matter what. I really put a lot of layers into Terrifier 2. There’s a lot of, like you said, a lot of biblical imagery and metaphors and just tons of subtext. But that’s not for everybody, just that they should get that. I mean, I have a responsibility as a filmmaker and a storyteller to be able to allow people to pick up on those things. Some people really have nailed it. I see a lot of things online, people’s theories and this and that. And there have been a couple of people who have nailed everything that’s going on and even how I’m going to end the entire franchise, which has blown my mind.
“I’ve taken screenshots, and I’ve sent it to my cast and crew, the ones who do know where I’m taking it, and they’re like, ‘Oh my God.’ So, one day, when I finally make the movie, I’ll give these people a shout-out, or I’ll post it. One of these was recent. It’s nice to know that even though Terrifier 2 is very abstract, it’s almost Lynchian the way I’m doing it. It’s very just nightmarish and abstract, but I do plan on explaining what’s going on and not just leaving it that way. But it’s nice to know that people are still understanding what’s going on, and they’re able to figure it out. So that makes me feel like, okay, I am kind of on the right track to a degree. That makes it very exciting. But yeah, no, this is definitely a movie about, at this point, an angel versus a demon. Let me just say that.”
Biblical imagery and archetypes naturally feel well-suited for Christmas, Art the Clown’s next slay ground. So, what can audiences expect in the next installment?
“The big surprise this time is Terrifier has always been Halloween-based,” Leone previews. “This time, we’re taking Art into a different holiday, my second favorite holiday, which has always been Christmas. And listen, he already walks around carrying his giant bag of goodies. He’s just the perfect antithesis to Santa Claus. He loves giving out presents and putting smiles on people’s faces. So, just the set pieces that we have in this film and around this holiday are just amazing. I’ve always been such a fan of that sub-genre of horror.
“One of my favorite horror films of all time is the original Tales from the Crypt from the ’70s, the Amicus one, with Joan Collins when she’s being stalked by the maniac Santa Claus, and then they remade it for ‘Tales from the Crypt’ in the ’90s or the late ’80s, by Robert Zemeckis. That’s my favorite episode ever. I love those episodes in particular, as much as I love full-length horror films, so I’ve always wanted to do my spin on the maniac Santa Claus. That’s just such a classic archetypal horror trope. To see Art now mixed with the maniac Santa Claus is really exciting, really exciting. I can’t wait to dive into that world.“
Art may be venturing into new holiday terrain and the franchise evolving, but Leone reassures that his killer won’t stray from the ghoulish gore that drew fans in the first place. But how different will Terrifier 3 feel compared to its predecessors?
He teases, “I think it’s going to be a drastic departure from both of them, interestingly enough, because my goal going into this, first and foremost, was to go back tonally more in the vein of Terrifier, in terms of just the simplistic, grindhouse, gritty, dirty slasher that I love and what made it what it is. The biggest mistake I could make is just keep straying further and further away from that. You see it happen a lot of times in franchises where they just forget where they came from, and then they’re just off the rails. And it’s always, fans are like, ‘No, you got to get back. You got to get back there that way.’ I want to try and do that to the best of my ability. That being said, we have set up a world in part two and a mythology and allure that I’m absolutely not ignoring or disregarding.
“So we have to keep following that trajectory. But I think tonally, I’m going to pull back more from that Dream Warrior vibe, which I considered part two to have because that was the inspiration for part two. In terms of the tone, I wanted to capture a Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors vibe. Now you’re going to have this film, which will feel more epic, like part two. We’re going to have a bigger budget. We’re shooting in anamorphic widescreen, so I want it to feel more like an old-school John Carpenter movie. It’s going to still have that epic feel of part two, but now have the tone of part one with Christmas. It’s going to be a completely different beast. It’s just going to look different. It’s going to feel different, but it’s still going to have everything you love in it. But it’s going to be very fresh. It’s not going to be like you’re sitting through part one or two all over again.”
Tickets for the Terrifier 2 re-release – playing November 1 and November 2 – are on sale now wherever movie tickets are sold – Fandango, the official website and Atom Tickets.
The post Damien Leone on ‘Terrifier 2’ Re-Release, Fan Theories, and That ‘Terrifier 3’ Teaser [Interview] appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.