Damien Leone's Terrifier franchise has become a runaway hit, earning praise for several elements of its bizarre production. It is not generally celebrated for its plot. The first film featured almost no narrative, depicting a series of unpleasant vignettes with half an overarching story. With a newly inflated budget, Terrifier 2 dared to spice up its disgusting clown murder extravaganza with recognizable characters and lore.
The success of Terrifier 2 was shocking to everyone involved. Its grim atmosphere, staggering length, and reliance on stomach-turning gore could be charitably described as not for everyone. Terrifier 2 is the most accessible example of extreme cinema to reach theaters. Its overwhelming profit could fund ten sequels, but Leone has started by writing one or two.
What happens in Terrifier 2?
Terrifier follows the exploits of a silent serial killer called Art the Clown. The first film depicted Art following two women into a derelict hotel. The final moments of that film saw him disfigure the heroine before shooting himself in the head. He awoke in the morgue, killed the coroner, and continued his adventure. There's no explanation for his resurrection, but he returns without issue. His surviving victim, Vicky, attacks a newscaster for mocking her. The sequel begins with Art, now a local legend, laundering his bloody costume. Art encounters The Little Pale Girl, a mysterious child only visible to some. Art kicks off his new killing spree by murdering a patron at the laundromat.
Terrifier 2 innovates on its source material by creating a relatable and intriguing main character. Sienna Shaw, a high school student from a rough family, is dealing with many unique problems. Her father recently died from a brain tumor, which affected his behavior and made his final days difficult. Her mother is frustrated, causing her to lash out and start fights. Her little brother, Jonathan, has become obsessed with Art the Clown. Sienna discovers drawings of Art in her late father's sketchbook, along with depictions of a mighty angel warrior that she recreates as a Halloween costume. The finishing touch is a sword her dad gave her. Nightmares and panic attacks plague Sienna. Visions of Art and The Little Pale Girl haunt Sienna and Jonathan. As they get closer to the killer clowns, their friends and neighbors start dying. Sienna discovers that her father's drawings and her family history might be the only way to stop Art the Clown.
How does Terrifier 2 End?
Art's new killing spree follows Sienna and Jonathan. Art and the Girl torment Jonathan by making him appear deranged or cruel. They first kill someone near Sienna when she goes to a costume shop with her friend Allie. Art follows Allie home and tortures her for what feels like days. When Allie's mom comes home, he kills her too. Meanwhile, Jonathan discovers details in his father's sketchbook. He uncovers the identity of The Little Pale Girl, a young circus performer named Emily Crane who was Art's first victim. Jonathan believes the sketchbook holds the secret to defeating Art, but his mother lashes out. Jonathan runs away, leaving his mother alone when Art arrives. After Jonathan returns, Art kidnaps him and steals Sienna's sword.
Sienna attends a Halloween party in her angel costume. She suffers another panic attack after seeing The Little Pale Girl in the crowd. She demands her friends Brooke and Jeff drive her home. The Little Pale Girl calls Sienna and impersonates Jonathan's voice to draw her to a derelict carnival. Sienna discovers a haunted house attraction called The Terrifier. Ark kills Jeff and Brooke. When Sienna discovers Brooke's body in The Terrifier, she's forced to fight Art. The Clown knocks her out and tortures Jonathan. Sienna and Jonathan steal Art's weapons and kill him repeatedly. It's a long-drawn-out fight in which both parties suffer mortal wounds. Finally, Art stabs Sienna with her father's sword, traps in a water torture cell, and leaves her to die. The sword inexplicably resurrects Sienna, allowing her to free herself. Sienna decapitates Art, saving her brother's life. The Little Pale Girl picks up Art's head and leaves without a fight. The film's mid-credits scene depicts Vicky institutionalized and writing Art's name on the wall of her cell in blood. She gives birth to Art's severed head, which remains alive.
As Terrifier 2's unbelievable runtime finally comes to an end, Sienna and Jonathan have survived their ordeal, and Art remains alive. Like most slasher film villains, Art is immortal until proven otherwise. In Sienna, Terrifier finds its protagonist. The next film will undoubtedly see Sienna return to face Art again with the only weapon that can stop him. Fans will have to wait and see whether the sequels delve deeper into the lore of the mysterious angel or Art's superhuman abilities. Terrifier 2 ends on a relatively happy note, but there's no telling what else Damien Leone's nightmarish world of darkness has to offer.