Bloody Disgusting/Cinedigm
Art the Clown (David Howard Thornton), the silent but expressive slasher villain of the “Terrifier” franchise, has made quite an impact. Despite being mute, Art communicates effectively with his victims through clown antics and pantomime. The franchise, known for its stomach-churning gore, also offers moments of humor, thanks to Thornton’s agile and sinister performance, and his knack for enhancing silent scenes.
In a conversation with Damien Leone, the series director, writer, editor, and producer, and Thornton, the star of the show, ahead of the “Terrifier 3” premiere, /Film’s Jacob Hall queried about the extent to which Art’s movements and physicality are pre-scripted versus improvised. Leone surmised a 50/50 split, while Thornton suggested it might be closer to 60/40. Leone highlighted a memorable scene from “Terrifier 2,” where Art torments the teenage protagonist Sienna (Lauren LaVera) in a Halloween costume store. Art, in an attempt to frighten Sienna and entertain the audience, continuously changes his sunglasses and poses every time the camera pans back to him.
Leone identifies this scene as an illustration of Art’s character development on set and Thornton’s contributions to the role. “The sunglasses’ scene in [‘Terrifier 2’]: the script would read, ‘Sienna’s at the counter, Art the Clown heads to the sunglasses rack. He picks a pair of goofy sunglasses. Each time Sienna looks back, Art’s sporting a new pair of sunglasses.'” Leone acknowledges the ambiguity of these instructions – there’s no specification of the sunglasses Art chooses, the poses he strikes, or his demeanor. “What I do then is buy a bunch of silly glasses, place them on the rack, and let David have a field day putting them on.”
Thornton thoroughly enjoyed filming additional takes for the sunglasses scene
Bloody Disgusting/Cinedigm
Leone reveals that, thanks to the improvisation, there’s an abundance of extra footage of Art experimenting with sunglasses. “For each style of sunglasses, he would extract as much as he could from them,” he says. “There are even takes of him with the now-famous sunflower glasses, making peace signs and doing everything possible.” The director starts with “a very specific scene in the script of exactly what I want Art the Clown to do,” but after a few takes of Leone’s scripted version, Thornton is allowed to make the scene his own: “I let David go wild. He improvises, does all these incredible things, and brings wonderful nuances to the scene.”
In filmmaking, it’s always better to have too much footage than too little, and it seems the “Terrifier” method involves recording enough variations of a scene to mold it in the most fitting way during post-production. “When I get to the editing room, I can essentially shape the performance,” Leone explains. “If I want him to be more like Bugs Bunny, I’ll emphasize that. If I want him to be more of just the cold, stoic, creepy killer, maybe we’ll lean into the way I originally envisioned it. So it’s a perfect collaboration between the two of us.”
It’s no wonder that Thornton’s improvisation aligns perfectly with Leone’s vision. The actor has been creatively interpreting Art the Clown since his first audition, where he mimed beheading a victim and eating her head with a sprinkle of salt during an improvised scene.
“Terrifier 3” is set to hit theaters on October 11, 2024, with updates about which (if any) of its gruesome kill scenes were partially improvised to follow.
FAQs:
Q: Who plays Art the Clown in the “Terrifier” series?
A: David Howard Thornton portrays Art the Clown in the “Terrifier” series.
Q: What was the improvised scene in “Terrifier 2”?
A: The improvised scene in “Terrifier 2” involves Art the Clown trying on different pairs of sunglasses at a Halloween costume shop.
Q: When is “Terrifier 3” releasing?
A: “Terrifier 3” is set to release on October 11, 2024.
Q: How much of Art the Clown’s physicality is improvised?
A: According to Damien Leone, the series director, about 50% of Art’s physicality is improvised. However, David Howard Thornton, who plays Art, believes it might be closer to 60%.
Credit: www.slashfilm.com
