Who Played Art The Clown In The Terrifier Series - And What Exactly IS He?
In the 2008 short film "The 9th Circle," Damien Leone's directorial debut, a new killer clown arrives on the scene to give Pennywise a run for his money. This is the introduction of Art the Clown, a sinister individual who makes one woman's Halloween night a living hell. Art was played by Mike Giannelli, who reprised his role as the evil clown in the 2011 short "Terrifier." He returned again for Art's 2013 film debut in the anthology "All Hallows Eve," which sees an unsuspecting babysitter watch a VHS tape of his various murders. Aside from a 2009 short titled "Stripes," this is the extent of Giannelli's acting career. Still, he embraces fans' love of his Art portrayal, and makes occasional appearances at horror conventions.
For 2016's "Terrifier" and 2022's faint-inducing "Terrifier 2," Leone brought in David Howard Thorton, who is now synonymous with the silent clown, to take over the role. Prior to 2016, Howard Thorton was largely known for his voice work, but he has since appeared in a slew of projects, including 2022's "The Mean One," a creepy spin on "How the Grinch Stole Christmas." The actor told Dread Central he won Leone over during the audition by hilariously adding salt to his victim for flavor. He also studied Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton, and other silent film stars to perfect the art of pantomime in preparation for the part.
Art the Clown changes form over the years
It's clear both Mike Giannelli and David Howard Thorton's versions of Art the Clown are pure evil — but beyond that, what, exactly, is Art? Is he a supernatural entity, or a human psychopath in a clown costume? At the end of 2016's "Terrifier," he's resurrected at the morgue, leading to the theory he's immortal, and we can't forget his "birth" at the end of "Terrifier 2." It's largely believed Giannelli's version is supernatural, and that Damien Leone reset the character for 2016's "Terrifier," making him human. This is supported by "Terrifier 2," where we learn Art himself had no idea he would be resurrected, having killed himself in the first film solely to avoid being arrested and living out his life in prison.
As to why Art is so evil, even in his human form, there's a pretty solid theory for this. On Reddit, u/Gravelsteak believes that, given his love for medicine-related weapons, he may have been a maniacal doctor before donning his clown garb. "He went into medicine to feed his fascination with death, doing stuff like purposefully botching surgeries or stealing medical cadavers to dissect them on his own time," the theory posits. "Eventually he craved new heights of depravity, picked up mass murder as a hobby, and somehow got in touch with a major metaphysical celebrity who gave him resurrective immortality."
So while we know Art is currently a human, the causes behind his motivations remain unrevealed. Hopefully, the forthcoming "Terrifier 3" will reveal further details about Art's mysterious background.