One Of Terrifier 2’s Fan-Favorite Moments Was Improvised On Set

For a slasher villain who doesn’t talk, Art the Clown (David Howard Thornton) clearly has a lot to say. The supernatural killer who has plagued the “Terrifier” franchise for three movies and counting doesn’t speak out loud, but he often communicates with his victims via clownery and pantomime. The movies are known for their queasy, tough-to-handle gore, but they’re funny at times too, thanks largely to Thornton’s nimble and wicked performance and the flourishes he adds to otherwise silent moments.

In an interview with series director, writer, editor, and producer Damien Leone and star Thornton ahead of the “Terrifier 3” premiere, /Film’s Jacob Hall asked the duo how much of Art’s character’s motion and physicality is pre-scripted, and how much is worked out during shooting. Leone estimated that it was a 50/50 split, while Thornton reckoned it was closer to 60/40. As an example, Leone mentioned a great scene in “Terrifier 2,” in which Art haunts teen hero Sienna (Lauren LaVera) while she’s at a Halloween costume shop. As Sienna attempts to pay for her purchase, Art starts trying on sunglasses from a display rack. He’s trying to terrorize her, but he’s also making us laugh, as every time the camera cuts back to him, Art is doing a different pose with a different pair of glasses.

Leone says the scene is an example of the on-set development of Art and Thorntons’ contributions to the character. “The sunglasses’ scene in [‘Terrifier 2’]: so in the script it’ll say, ‘Sienna’s up at the counter, Art the Clown goes over to the rack of sunglasses. He takes a pair of wacky sunglasses. Every time Sienna turns around Art’s in a new pair of sunglasses.'” Leone notes that those directions are still pretty vague – there’s no description of which sunglasses Art wears, what poses he strikes, or what demeanor he has. “So then what I’ll do is I’ll buy a whole box of wacky glasses, we put them on the rack, and then David just goes to town and he puts on these glasses.”

Leone says that due to the improvisation, there’s plenty of additional footage of Art trying on sunglasses. “For every style of sunglasses, he will just wring as much out of those as possible,” he explains. “There’s even takes of him with the now popular sunflower glasses of doing the peace sign and everything he could possibly do.” The director notes that he does start with “a very specific scene in the script of exactly what I want Art the Clown to do,” but after shooting a couple takes of Leone’s scripted version, Thornton is given room to make the scene his own: “I let David just go off. And he’ll improvise, and he’ll do all these amazing things, and bring all these wonderful nuances to it.”

As any director knows, it’s always better to get too much footage than not enough, and it sounds like the “Terrifier” process involves capturing enough versions of a scene to be able to build it in the way that most suits the film during post-production. “When I get to the editing room, I could basically mold the performance,” Leone explains. “If I want him to be a little more Bugs Bunny, I’ll lean more into that. If I want it to be more of just the cold, stoic, creepy killer, maybe we’ll lean into the way I originally wanted it. So it’s a perfect marriage between the two of us.” 

It’s no surprise that Thornton’s improvisation is the perfect match for Leone’s vision: the actor has been getting creative with Art the Clown ever since his initial audition, when he mimed decapitating a victim and eating her head with a dash of salt during an improvised scene.

“Terrifier 3” hits theaters on October 11, 2024, with news about which (if any) of its gory kill scenes were part-improv sure to follow.