Terrifier 2! (Interview with Art the clown)
Transcribed by Brandon the Intern
L: ….you all know him from Terrifier and soon Terrifier 2 Art the Clown is in the house, David Howard Thorton.I was looking into who you are and what you do, and I was surprised to see you grew up doing children's theater. Did that help you with Art the Clown?
DHT: I really honed my skills from physical comedy kids are really more into physical comedy rather than verbal comedy.
L: I think that the physicality and expierence in that world really showed with a character that does not speak. I think one of the first thing Benito said was it was like Nick Cage in Willys Wonderland. You do not see a lot of that anymore. Silent slashers like Jason and Michael you don’t see a lot behind the surface.
B: You also do not get to see how much the character is enjoying what they do. It is almost like Jason and Michael are mindlessly zombies. You don’t see the joy in their face after they kill someone.
L: But you can totally see in Art’s face that you are enjoying it.
DHT: With Art you just see him enjoying killing and doing what he does. That is what makes him a fun character. He embraces what he is, he does that out of pure enjoyment rather than revenge. I feel like that is what makes him scarier.
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L: I actually got a cameo from you and I was very thankful that you did that, but also when I heard you speak you sound a lot like the Joker. So I did some research and we found out that you have played the Joker before on stage.
DHT:I did it on stage for a monologue competition.
L: You did that whole killing joke your one day away from being like me speech and it was really well done the phyisaclity and all. I have never heard someone so close to Mark Hamill. In my eyes you werent doing a Hamill impression more so taking bits and pieces of what he did and applying it to yourself.
DHT: That is exactly what I did, I did not what to just do a Mark Hamill impression. I wanted to have bits of what he did and apply it to myself. To me, his version is the best version, you cannot beat that. He totally threw himself into it. I am so so picky about my Jokers. Hollywood tries to do something new and different with him. No just stick to what was written and see the comic book to life.
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L: You described this movie as a love letter to 70’s and 80’s slashers. I went from 6 to midnight. I was so excited about that statement. It made me even more excited for the next movie because I know you will keep that up in the next movie.
DHT: There is a lot of homages in both films to previous horror films. It is me tipping my tiny hat to other horror filmmakers. Like in the beginning credit scene when Art is getting ready that was inspired from Nightmare on Elm Street.
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L: So, I have a theory and I hope this does not ruin the interview, but Art was human up until he killed the girls and then kill himself. I think he unknowingly performed a ritual by sacrificing those 2 girls and then killing himself and that is why he came back. But maybe he is Sam Haun, the spirit of Halloween.
DHT: My lips are sealed; I love all these fan theories. I love that I can make it a mystery. Sometimes when you find out the truth and it makes it not as interesting.
**Full interview available on Spotify and
SoundCloud** https://open.spotify.com/episode/1xmiyuEVsurXgVmHRCzAz4?si=nDcNGiP5QGm6lB-yTD8nnw
BIG thanks again to David for the interview! We had a blast! Can’t wait for more Terrifier!