Damien Leone’s Terrifier 2

A massive step backwards, Damien Leone’s Terrifier 2 once again follows Art the Clown (David Howard Thornton) as he maims and murders his way through a series of one-dimensional victims. It’s clear right from the outset that Damien Leone’s Terrifier 2‘s biggest obstacle is its ludicrously overlong running time (138 minutes!), as the movie’s been suffused with a whole host of padded-out and downright needless sequences that ensure it contains exceedingly little in the way of forward momentum – with the far-from-enthralling vibe established by an opening half hour that contains as pointless and interminable a dream sequence as one could possibly envision. From there, Damien Leone’s Terrifier 2 progresses into an exceedingly hit-and-miss midsection that does, at least, boast a small handful of compelling and gleefully over-the-top kill sequences (eg the gruesome, drawn-out execution of a periphery figure) – although such moments are eventually (and inevitably) rendered moot by Leone’s penchant for tedious, time-wasting elements. (This is never more true than in the ongoing emphasis on the monotonous and completely tiresome exploits of two siblings, with their scenes ultimately exacerbated by their silly, underwhelming psychic link with Art.) By the time the endless theme-park-set climax rolls around, Damien Leone’s Terrifier 2 has undoubtedly (and firmly) cemented its place as an exhausting and thoroughly disappointing sequel that could only have worked had it been edited down significantly.

* out of ****