The evil clown, also known as the creepy clown, scary clown or killer clown, is a subversion of the traditional comic clown character, in which the playful trope is instead depicted in a more disturbing nature through the use of horror elements and dark humor. The modern archetype of the evil clown was popularized by the DC Comics supervillain Joker starting in 1940, and again in 1980s by Pennywise from Stephen King's It. The character can be seen as playing on the sense of unease felt by sufferers of coulrophobia, the fear of clowns.
The final girl or survivor girl is a trope in horror films. It refers to the last girl(s) or woman alive to confront the killer, ostensibly the one left to tell the story. The final girl has been observed in many films, notable examples being Psycho, Voices of Desire, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, Halloween, Alien, Friday the 13th, A Nightmare on Elm Street, Scream, and Terrifier 2. The term "final girl" was coined by Carol J. Clover in her article "Her Body, Himself: Gender in the Slasher Film" (1987). Clover suggested that in these films, the viewer began by sharing the perspective of the killer, but experienced a shift in identification to the final girl partway through the film.
Bloody Disgusting is an American independent multi-media company, which began as a horror genre-focused news website specializing in information services that covered various horror media. The company expanded into other media including podcast networking, entertainment, and streaming media.
All Hallows' Eve is a 2013 American horror anthology film written, edited, and directed by Damien Leone. The film is presented as a series of shorts that two children and their babysitter discover on an unmarked videotape on Halloween night, all of which feature a homicidal clown named Art the Clown. The film stars Katie Maguire, Catherine Callahan, Marie Maser, and Kayla Lian, with Mike Giannelli as Art the Clown. It incorporates footage from the 2008 short film The 9th Circle, as well as the 2011 short film Terrifier, both of which were also directed by Leone and featured Art the Clown.
The Conjuring Universe is an American horror franchise and shared universe centered on a series of supernatural horror films. The franchise is produced by New Line Cinema, Atomic Monster, and the Safran Company, and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. The films present a dramatization of the supposed real-life adventures of Ed and Lorraine Warren, paranormal investigators and authors associated with prominent yet controversial cases of haunting. The main series follows their attempts to assist people who find themselves harassed by spirits, while the spin-off films focus on the origins of some of the entities the Warrens have encountered.
Terrifier is a 2016 American slasher film written, edited, co-produced, and directed by Damien Leone. The film stars Jenna Kanell, Samantha Scaffidi, Catherine Corcoran, and David Howard Thornton. The plot centers on partygoer Tara Heyes (Kanell) and her sister Victoria (Scaffidi), who become targets of the enigmatic serial killer known only as Art the Clown (Thornton) on Halloween night.
Samantha Scaffidi is an American actress, writer, and director. She began her career in short films before becoming known for her role as Victoria Heyes in the Terrifier film franchise—appearing in Terrifier (2016), Terrifier 2 (2022) and Terrifier 3 (2024). She had a leading role as Luce in Demon Hole (2017). In addition to acting, Scaffidi is known for directing the RAINN public service announcement Wait (2019).
Art the Clown is a fictional character and the primary antagonist in the Terrifier franchise and related media. Created by Damien Leone, the character first appeared in the short films The 9th Circle (2008) and Terrifier (2011). Both shorts were included in the anthology film All Hallows' Eve (2013), which marked the character's feature film debut. In these early appearances, he was portrayed by Mike Giannelli before his retirement from acting. He was replaced by David Howard Thornton, who portrayed Art in Terrifier (2016), Terrifier 2 (2022), and Terrifier 3 (2024).
Terrifier 2 is a 2022 American supernatural slasher film written, edited, and directed by Damien Leone. It is the sequel to Terrifier (2016) and the second installment in the Terrifier film series. It includes the return of David Howard Thornton and Samantha Scaffidi, who portrayed Art the Clown and Victoria Heyes, respectively, in the first film, and stars Lauren LaVera, Elliott Fullam, Sarah Voigt, Kailey Hyman, and Casey Hartnett. The plot follows Art's resurrection and pursuit on Halloween night of teenage Sienna Shaw (LaVera), who discovers that she is destined to defeat him.
Sienna Shaw is a fictional character and the main protagonist of the Terrifier franchise. Sienna first appears in Terrifier 2 (2022) as a teenager interested in cosplay who battles the enigmatic villain Art the Clown. She is portrayed by Lauren LaVera, who will reprise the role in further installments. Sienna's creator, Damien Leone, invested a lot of time into fully developing her as a character as he regretted leaving the first film's heroine Victoria Heyes underdeveloped. The character originates from an abandoned film Leone was developing in the late 2000s, featuring the concept of a Valkyrie-angel warrior attired heroine battling Art.
Damien Leone is an American filmmaker, film editor, and special effects artist. He is best known for writing and directing All Hallows' Eve (2013), Terrifier (2016), Terrifier 2 (2022), and Terrifier 3 (2024), each of which feature his character Art the Clown.
V/H/S is an American horror anthology franchise that includes seven found footage films, two spin-off films, and one miniseries. Created from an original story idea by Brad Miska, the plot centers around a number of disturbing VHS tapes that are discovered by innocent viewers and the possessive influence of the videos over those who see them. Realized by a collaboration of various filmmakers and different casts, the installments are mostly standalone in nature, though recurring elements indicate the same fictional villain as the source for all of its videos.
Stream is a 2024 American slasher film co-produced, co-written and directed by Michael Leavy, and starring Jeffrey Combs, Charles Edwin Powell, Tim Reid, Dee Wallace, Wesley Holloway, Sydney Malakeh, Jason Leavy, David Howard Thornton, Liana Pirraglia, Mark Haynes, Daniel Roebuck, Mark Holton, Felissa Rose, Danielle Harris, and Tony Todd in one of his final works before he died. It tells the story of a family vacationing at a small hotel as its apparent owner unleashes four masked killers on them while live-streaming the activities.
All Hallows' Eve 2 is a 2015 American horror anthology film. The film is a standalone sequel to All Hallows' Eve (2013). The film was released on VOD and digital on October 6, 2015, and had a DVD release on February 2, 2016. The film grossed $31,603 in home sales.
Lauren LaVera is an American actress, stunt performer, martial artist, and writer. Following her breakthrough role as the resourceful heroine Sienna Shaw in the Terrifier franchise, she has become primarily known for her work within the horror genre. LaVera has received accolades for her performances, such as a Fangoria Chainsaw Award.
Terrifier 3 is a 2024 American Christmas supernatural slasher film written, edited, and directed by Damien Leone. It is the sequel to Terrifier 2 (2022) and the third installment in the Terrifier film series. The film stars David Howard Thornton, Lauren LaVera, Elliott Fullam, and Samantha Scaffidi. On the days leading up to Christmas, Sienna Shaw attempts to rebuild her life, while pursued by Art the Clown alongside his new accomplice, a possessed Victoria Heyes.
Victoria Heyes is a fictional character in the Terrifier franchise. Initially a heroine, Victoria first appears in Terrifier (2016) as a college student who is left facially disfigured and driven insane after narrowly escaping the serial killer Art the Clown on Halloween night. The sequels follow her becoming possessed. She is portrayed by Samantha Scaffidi, who reprises the role in Terrifier 2 (2022) and Terrifier 3 (2024).
David Howard Thornton is an American actor. He is known for his role as Art the Clown from the Terrifier franchise, a role in which he appeared in Terrifier (2016), Mistress Peace Theatre (2020), Terrifier 2 (2022), Bupkis (2023), and Terrifier 3 (2024). He has had other various roles in film, television, and video games, including Two Worlds II: Pirates of the Flying Fortress (2011), Ride to Hell: Retribution (2013), Invizimals: The Lost Kingdom (2013), Gotham (2017), The Bravest Knight (2019), The Exigency (2019), Alma's Way (2021), and starring as the Mean One in The Mean One (2022).
