I honestly think this is underrated. The first two shorts are pretty average and feature poor acting from most involved, but because the wraparound story is quite prominent (and gets better as it goes along) I can overlook those - particularly when the final segment is so good: a grimy and gruesome slasher that looks and plays like a classic video nasty with some darksynth beats.
Art the Clown steals every scene with ease. He pops up intermittently before being given his own tale of terror at the end, and the mute, mime-like performance - complete with menacing make-up - has a huge impact on this anthology horror's watchability. He's instantly fearsome, completely insane, and has a penchant for dismemberment. Classic movie villains like Michael Myers and Jason Voorhees prefer to stalk from the shadows and catch their prey unawares before killing with chilling apathy (at least in their early films), but Art is a whole different breed of killer who clearly relishes in toying with his victims and prolonging their agony. There's a sadistic glint in his eye that works perfectly at instilling dread.
The wraparound story even ends really well, Art not only toying with the characters now, but also with us, the audience, which is reflected neatly in the mid-credits scene. It's a shame the first two shorts were average in quality, but with a wraparound story that improves as the film goes on and a delightfully nasty final segment, I can wholeheartedly say this is worth a look for horror fans. Art the Clown has what it takes to become one of the immortal movie monsters, so I look forward to watching the director's follow-up film 'Terrifier' that focuses on that frightening foe and his reign of terror.
7/10.
Art the Clown steals every scene with ease. He pops up intermittently before being given his own tale of terror at the end, and the mute, mime-like performance - complete with menacing make-up - has a huge impact on this anthology horror's watchability. He's instantly fearsome, completely insane, and has a penchant for dismemberment. Classic movie villains like Michael Myers and Jason Voorhees prefer to stalk from the shadows and catch their prey unawares before killing with chilling apathy (at least in their early films), but Art is a whole different breed of killer who clearly relishes in toying with his victims and prolonging their agony. There's a sadistic glint in his eye that works perfectly at instilling dread.
The wraparound story even ends really well, Art not only toying with the characters now, but also with us, the audience, which is reflected neatly in the mid-credits scene. It's a shame the first two shorts were average in quality, but with a wraparound story that improves as the film goes on and a delightfully nasty final segment, I can wholeheartedly say this is worth a look for horror fans. Art the Clown has what it takes to become one of the immortal movie monsters, so I look forward to watching the director's follow-up film 'Terrifier' that focuses on that frightening foe and his reign of terror.
7/10.