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The violence-loving harlequin Art the Clown first appeared in the 2008 horror short “The 9th Circle,” and continued to evolve in the 2011 short “Terrifier.” Both of those films made their way into the anthology feature “All Hallow’s Eve” in 2013, finally pushing Art into the consciousness of horror fans everywhere. Those shorts were eventually expanded into Damien Leone’s first “Terrifier” feature film in 2016, where Art was finally allowed to take his place in the slasher canon as one of cinema’s most notable killers. The 2022 sequel, “Terrifier 2” took the world by storm, pushing the blood and mayhem to a new extreme, offering strong-willed gorehounds a 138-minute orgy of viscera. “Terrifier 2” was famously made for only $250,000, but netted an impressive $14.7 million at the box office. Audiences, it seems, were in the mood for something that was way out on the edge.
Opening wide on October 11, 2024, Leone’s “Terrifier 3” continues the adventures of Art the Clown (David Howard Thornton), this time as he infiltrates the Christmas season. Art previously only appeared on Halloween, so he is expanding his repertoire. Horror fans love Art the Clown and the bloody cinematic extremes he represents; it’s rare that a horror film, even in 2024, contains as much violence as the “Terrifier” movies. Many blood-and-guts enthusiasts have even gone so far as to get Art tattooed on their bodies. Art’s face is becoming as ubiquitous as the masks of Michael Myers, Leatherface, and Jason Voorhees. In murals of horror icons, Art has now begun to creep in around the edges. The clown is respected.
/Film’s own Jacob Hall recently went to 2024’s Fantastic Fest to talk to Leone and Thornton about “Terrifier 3,” and the pair had a chance to discuss the phenomenon of Art the Clown tattoos, and what they think of it. As it turns out, they’re both immensely flattered.
Suffering for your Art
Leone had been to horror conventions before, so he had met many fans with Art the Clown tattoos. The filmmaker was humbled by his fans, finally understanding how deeply devoted they were to his movies. Something about Art the Clown was staying with people. But, of course, that meant Leone was no longer permitted to make a bad “Terrifier” movie; didn’t want people to regret their body art decisions. Leone said:
“[It’s] super gratifying. And it adds more — not a negative way — but it does add a little bit of pressure because you see people … We were just at a con and no joke, I would say 15 at least, tattoos I saw there over [the] two and a half days. These people, that’s dedication. That means something really clicked with you if you want to put this on your body. […] So you don’t want to let these people down. It’s like if you make a bad movie that’s going to leave a bad taste in their mouth when they’ve got this tattoo.”
That means when making “Terrifier 3,” Leone held himself to a very high standard. He couldn’t be lazy and forced himself to be more creative with the blood. Art now had a tattooed fan club, and Leone couldn’t let them down. “It makes us try so much harder, and put so much more into these movies,” he said, “So we do. We’re very conscious of fans.”
Thornton, meanwhile, has less to say, which was odd, given that it was his face (albeit in clown makeup) on other people’s bodies. He did, however, have a quip for fans, knowing that getting tattoos is painful. “They suffered for their Art,” he said.
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