Terrifier 2 Star Lauren LaVera's Fear Of Clowns Started With Poltergeist
When talking about classic horror films or films to watch around Halloween, a title that comes up quite often is Tobe Hooper's 1982 classic "Poltergeist." Whether it's the bizarre things that happened on the set of the movie or the fact that it was a gateway horror film for many young horror fans, "Poltergeist" is often cited as one of the scariest films of all time. An image burned into the minds of horror fans is the clown doll that attacks Robbie Freeling under his bed when the hauntings begin to ramp up. One "Terrifier 2" actress attributes her current fear of clowns to this image in "Poltergeist."
"Terrifier 2" tore up the box office during its limited release in October 2022. No small feat for a low-budget horror film with no studio backing, "Terrifier 2" has earned more than $10 million at the box office to date. Horror fans are cheering for the rise of a new "final girl" in the classic horror pantheon with the arrival of the character Sienna Shaw, played by Lauren LaVera. LaVera herself is a horror fan as well, citing "Poltergeist" as a film that has stuck with her. Even though it may have led to her fear of clowns, that didn't stop her from facing off with the "Terrifier" franchise's main villain, Art the Clown.
The clown in Poltergeist still freaks Lauren LaVera out
In an interview with Sinister Cinema Reviews, "Terrifier 2" star Lauren LaVera attributes her current day fear of clowns to "Poltergeist." She said, "I've been watching horror since I was a baby ... The first horror film I remember watching was 'Poltergeist,' and that like sparked my fear of clowns, like, pretty instantly because that freaking porcelain clown doll scares me to this day." She continued, "'Poltergeist,' I think, is a pretty timeless film. I think it still holds up really well."
LaVera addressed her love for the genre in general in the interview. As a horror fan, she has to be in a certain mood to watch romantic or action movies, but she can watch horror movies anytime. She even went on to praise the horror fan community: "Sometimes horror can feel kind of niche ... I have found really wonderful friendships that flourished because of horror and our mutual love of horror." LaVera also noted, "I've met an enormous amount of wonderful horror fans because of 'Terrifier 2.'"
Lauren LaVera loves horror fans and the horror community
In an interview with Hollywood Soapbox, LaVera expresses similar love for the fans. She said, "I can't express enough how wonderful horror fans are. They might get a bad reputation because horror is a very hefty genre, but they're just some of the nicest people I've ever met."
In that same interview, LaVera talks about some of the gross effects in "Terrifier 2" that are causing some audiences to get physically ill or walk out of the movie. As a horror fan, knowing the creativity level involved in making those scenes, she isn't bothered by them. But she does add, "I think if I didn't know what happened on the backend, I wouldn't be able to watch the film in its entirety without closing my eyes at least four or five times." LaVera's fear of clowns, however, didn't stop her from taking on the dastardly Art the Clown, cementing her as one of the great new final girls in horror history.