Before Terrifier, Art the Clown was a low-budget horror movie you'd never seen

Slasher horror remains one of the most popular sub-genres. However, most of those projects are one-shots, very low-budget unbroken stuff, or reboots/retooling of old favorites. To cite two recent examples, we often get caught up in “Halloween” or more “Texas Chainsaw Massacres.” Or we rarely believe that “In a Violent Nature,” has a real scene that transforms its protagonist, Johnny, into a new genre staple. All of this to say, it's hard to create a new icon in the slasher realm.

However, undoubtedly, If a new icon has emerged in recent years, it's Art the Clown from the “Terrifier” series..

First starring Mike Giannelli and popularized by David Howard Thornton in the films he was a part of, Beyond Art. After the surprise success of 2022's “Terrifier 2,” the killer clown became a horror staple. From Halloween costumes to an untold amount of commercials with a face of art, we're looking at the true-blue modern slasher star. But this didn't happen overnight and the character's journey from the beginning to where he is now has been extraordinary.

Art's first feature-length cinematic outing was in 2013, focusing on the clown in the horror anthology All Hallows' Eve. Marking Damien Lyon's directorial debut, this was the first time audiences saw the potential of the art, but it would take nearly a decade for Lyon's creation to gain fame. It's worth looking back at the low-budget on-screen appearance of the “Terrifier 3” franchise.

Art the Clown first appeared in Leon's short film “The 9th Circle,” playing a relatively minor role in a monster-filled satanic ritual. The filmmaker later made a different short film titled “Terrifier” that focused entirely on art. As producer Jesse Baggett sees it, “All Hallows' Eve” begins there. The potential for that short film was never planned to be made into an anthology film, but it did come across in a 2013 interview with Dredd Central, where the director explained:

“My intention was not to make an anthology film. We still intend to make a full-length standalone Art the Clown movie. That's one of the reasons why 'Terrifier' came out on DVD and made it into a feature. Get out there to get more people to know about Art the Clown and get a little more of a fan base.”

2013 is a different time, and home video will have an even bigger impact. Instead of getting another filmmaker, Baggett let Lyon shoot the entire set himself. They used both previous art-related shorts, as well as a new short that formed the second section of the collection. All this was directed by LeonAnd it was about getting more exposure to art.

“All Hallows' Eve” takes place on Halloween night and centers on a brother and sister who find a mysterious VHS tape in their bags of candy. Their babysitter is hesitant to play it, but they watch it anyway. What they see on tape are various short films Leone has made, with the short “Terrifier” as the grand finale. It's the first real taste viewers get of Art's frenetically brutal and unforgiving style of carnage. Spoiler alert for “All Hallows' Eve” – a woman cuts off her limbs and our killer carves some crude words into her body. The wraparound segment of the collection ends with art destroying the kids who found the tape – we see it all.

Many may have come to this franchise when “Terrifier 2” came out as it is one of the most surprising box office hits of 2022.. So, is this compilation worth looking for? That kind of depends. In my view, “All Hallows' Eve” shows signs of its low-budget nature. It was a low-budget film made using two already completed short films, which created an opportunity for low investment and quick profit. It made enough money to at least warrant a sequel; “All Hallows' Eve 2” was released in 2015, though without Leone as director. “All Hallows Eve” is available immediately for streaming, VOD and for those interested, on Blu-ray via Amazon.

The film itself is rough. There is no sense in the device of framing found footage. Then again, a lot of things in the “Terrifier” franchise don't make sense if you think about it too much. Looking at it in a vacuum, one doesn't think much of it. Still the art stands out. Something about him makes an eyebrow curl upwards. It strikes at the heart of that sinister passion that makes horror fans obsessed with slashers, rather than victims.

One of the biggest things holding the set back is the middle section, which Leone shot specifically for the feature. It involves a very cheap-looking alien attacking a woman in a lonely house, the art of which only appears in a painting. In a 2013 interview, Leon explained that Fangoria wanted to save the art for the grand finale:

“A lot of people ask me why I didn't do another Art the Clown story, and I felt that if we gave him another 15 or 20 minutes to kill someone, it would take away from the impact of 'Terrifier.'”

In the same interview, Leone added, “He didn't really want to be a leading villain. Be that as it may, the filmmaker recognized the potential within this killer clown. “He's obviously the best part of the short film; Everyone was talking about him. That's why we went and made 'Terrifier' two years later.”

To use a metaphor from popular music, it goes something like this: “All Hallows Eve” is the EP that gets a band a record deal. In this case, let's use Nirvana as an example. “Terrifier” is Nirvana's “Bleach”, showing the band's potential. And that brings us to “Terrifier 2,” Nirvana's breakthrough chart-topper “It's Okay.” And in the same way that album made Kurt Cobain an icon of grunge, Art the Clown is now an icon of modern horror.