Terrified (Terrifier Soundtrack)
This playlist was inspired by the Terrifier movie franchise. It’s a collection of the best songs from all three Terrifier films.
The Terrifier franchise is by far the best horror franchise to come along since the classics of the '80s—films like Halloween (Michael Myers), A Nightmare on Elm Street (Freddy Krueger), Friday the 13th (Jason Voorhees), Hellraiser (Pinhead), Child’s Play (Chucky), and now, Art the Clown.
Writer and director Damien Leone has come up with some of the most innovative ideas seen in horror for decades. Leone’s creation of Art the Clown is a game-changer and a defining force in the future of horror.
Seriously, who the hell thinks of this stuff?! Oh, right—Damien Leone. These films just keep getting better and better. The makeup and practical effects are straight out of 1984. The lighting and soft, grainy "analog" image quality give the movies an unmistakable '80s retro feel.
I grew up watching mystery, suspense, thriller, and horror films from a very young age. My earliest memories are of watching Alfred Hitchcock Presents and The Twilight Zone on Nick at Nite. A special thanks to my mother for introducing me to suspense thrillers at such an early age.
As I got older, my mom let me dive into the new wave of '80s and '90s horror. My biggest influence as a child was Stephen King. The first Stephen King movie I remember watching was Stand by Me. The second was It.
It (1990) was a miniseries that terrified me. I remember my mom not letting me watch the entire thing—just bits and pieces. Every scene with Pennywise the Clown scared my nine-year-old mind, creating a lasting fear of clowns that still haunts me today.
Later that same year, my mom took me to see Misery in theaters. I’ll never forget the next day at school, when our teacher asked what we had done over the weekend, and I proudly announced, “My mom took me to see Misery.” The teacher looked at me like my mother was absolutely insane. Who takes a nine-year-old to see a movie like Misery?
Misery was a transformative film for me. Kathy Bates became my favorite actress after that performance. She played crazy like no one else—no other actor or actress has matched her intensity in that role. Misery is one of those films that could never be remade; no one could replicate what Kathy Bates did on screen.
Now, back to clowns. After seeing Misery, Stephen King’s It aired on TV again, and this time I was able to watch the entire thing. Tim Curry’s performance as Pennywise was nothing short of spectacular. Tim Curry was always a talented actor, but playing Pennywise elevated him to new heights.
Many actors have tried to replicate a scary clown in horror movies, but most have failed. The actor who plays Art the Clown in the Terrifier franchise, David Howard Thornton, gives the best performance since Tim Curry.
Thornton doesn’t even need to speak a word in all three Terrifier films to be terrifying. And I’m not just talking about scaring the audience—his miming is extraordinary.
The Terrifier movies aren’t scary, at least not to me. What they are is pure excitement and joy from start to finish. All three films are a rollercoaster of thrills, thanks to Thornton’s brilliant performance, the stunning Lauren LaVera (in the sequels), and the amazing direction of Damien Leone.
The best part about Terrifier 3 is that it has now become the highest-grossing NC-17-rated horror movie of all time. This is especially meaningful for horror fans like myself. I believe the era of CGI and Marvel comic book movies is slowly fading.
With the success of the Terrifier franchise, I’m optimistic about the future—a future where low-budget, practical effects-driven horror films make a comeback, with cartoonish death scenes and as much fake blood as possible.
I watched Terrifier 3 at a local movie theater in Taiwan. The theater is nearly 40 years old and was recently remodeled to its former '80s glory. I sat in a retro '80s-themed cinema for two hours, watching a retro '80s-style horror film. For those two hours, I truly felt like I was back in the '80s.
Local movie theaters are becoming a rare breed, but they are a beacon of hope for the future. Support your local theaters.
YouTube Playlist - Terrified (Terrifier Soundtrack)
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