Terrifier Movie Review | Common Sense Media

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Parents' Guide to

Terrifier Movie NR 2018 82 minutes Terrifier Poster Image
  • Common Sense Says
  • Parents Say 38 Reviews
  • Kids Say 117 Reviews

Common Sense Media Review

Jeffrey M. Anderson By Jeffrey M. Anderson , based on child development research. How do we rate?

age 17+

Disturbing violence against women in clown horror movie.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that Terrifier is a slasher movie about an evil killer clown. Blood and gore are extremely strong, and the violence against women is disturbing. One woman is hung naked upside down (her breasts are visible) and sawed in half from her crotch to her head. Another woman's skin is sliced off of her…

 Why Age 17+? Violence & Scariness

Extremely graphic blood and gore. Blood sprays/spurts. Woman hanging upside down

 Sex, Romance & Nudity

Naked breasts. A couple falls onto a bed, kissing. Sexual innuendo.

 Language

Very strong language includes "f--k," "motherf----r," "s--t," "a--hole," "t-ts,"

 Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

Two drunk characters argue about driving home and decide to wait until they're s

 Products & Purchases Not present Any Positive Content? Positive Role Models

Most characters wind up as victims, scared and far from their best. Some charact

 Positive Messages Not present

Movie is all about random attacks by a maniac.

  • Parents Need to Know

    Parents need to know that Terrifier is a slasher movie about an evil killer clown. Blood and gore are extremely strong, and the violence against women is disturbing. One woman is hung naked upside down (her breasts are visible) and sawed in half from her crotch to her head. Another woman's skin is sliced off of her chest, and the killer wears it on his own chest so that he can have breasts. There are many deaths, and tons of blood sprays/spurts, plus beating with blunt objects, guns and shooting, stabbing, slicing, severed heads, eye-gouging, and much more. Language is also very strong, with multiple uses of "f--k," "s--t," "bitch," and more. There's some sexual innuendo, and a couple falls into bed, kissing. Characters are drunk after a night of partying, cigarette smoking is shown, and a woman is injected with a knockout drug.

    To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails .

  • Violence & Scariness

    a lot

    Extremely graphic blood and gore. Blood sprays/spurts. Woman hanging upside down, sawed in half from her crotch to her head. Woman's flesh from her chest sliced off; man wears her breasts on his own chest. Guns and shooting, character shot to death. Character with scary, mangled face. Eye-gouging. A severed head on fire like a jack-o-lantern. Severed hand. Knife in face. Stabbing. Beating with blunt objects (boards, hammers, etc.). Decapitation. Whipping with chains. Woman tied up and gagged. Suffocating. Choking. Disgusting toilet covered with feces.

    Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

    Get started Close

  • Sex, Romance & Nudity

    a lot

    Naked breasts. A couple falls onto a bed, kissing. Sexual innuendo.

    Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.

    Get started Close

  • Language

    a lot

    Very strong language includes "f--k," "motherf----r," "s--t," "a--hole," "t-ts," "bitch," "son of a bitch," "piss," "hell," "douche bag," "retard," "freak," "pee," and "jizzed," plus exclamations of "Christ," "Jesus," "for God's sake," "swear to God." Middle-finger gesture.

    Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide.

    Get started Close

  • Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

    a little

    Two drunk characters argue about driving home and decide to wait until they're sober. Cigarette smoking. Injection of mysterious knockout drug.

    Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide.

    Get started Close

  • Positive Role Models

    very little

    Most characters wind up as victims, scared and far from their best. Some characters try to stand up to the villain or to help others in need, but their efforts come to nothing.

  • Positive Messages

    none

    Movie is all about random attacks by a maniac.

Where to Watch

  • Terrifier Trailer Terrifier
  • Terrifier Movie: Scene #1
  • Terrifier Movie: Scene #2
  • Terrifier Movie: Scene #3

Terrifier

Parent and Kid Reviews

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  • Parents Say (38)
  • Kids Say (117)
age 15+

Based on 38 parent reviews

Parents say this film is highly controversial due to its extreme violence and gore, making it unsuitable for children and sensitive viewers. While some appreciate its horror elements and unique character, many criticize the lack of a coherent plot and overall disturbing nature.

  • extreme violence
  • unsuitable for children
  • lack of coherent plot
  • mixed audience reactions
  • horror elements
  • disturbing content
Summarized with AI
See all 38 parent reviews age 15+

Based on 117 kid reviews

Kids say many reviews highlight the extreme gore and disturbing violence in this film, making it unsuitable for younger audiences; common scenes include a woman being sawed in half. While some find it entertaining and a fun slasher, others emphasize the lack of plot and realism, stating it should only be considered for mature viewers, with recommendations often suggesting an age of at least 17 due to its graphic nature.

  • extreme violence
  • gore fest
  • not for kids
  • lack of plot
  • entertaining slasher
Summarized with AI
See all 117 kid reviews

What's the Story?

In TERRIFIER, Dawn (Catherine Corcoran) and Tara (Jenna Kanell) are finishing up a night on the town when they realize that they're both too tipsy to drive. Tara suggests getting a slice of pizza while they sober up. A scary, unspeaking clown (David Howard Thornton) in a black-and-white outfit wanders into the pizza parlor and starts staring at Tara. After the friends leave, the clown brutally murders all of the employees in the restaurant. When Dawn and Tara get back to their car, they find the tires slashed. Tara phones her sister, Victoria (Samantha Scaffidi), for a pick-up, and then goes into a creepy nearby building to use the restroom. Unfortunately, the clown isn't through with them yet, and it's going to be a long night.

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Is It Any Good?

Our review: Parents say (38 ): Kids say (117 ):

An attempt to pay homage to slasher movies of the 1980s, this horror pic has a truly unsettling killer and some entertaining elements, but it ultimately goes too far with its cruelty toward women. Written and directed by Damien Leone, Terrifier is well cast, from the freaky-looking Art the Clown -- with his strange, sneering smile -- to the exterminator who initially looks creepy but turns out to be good. Tara is especially likable: She's a traditional horror heroine who seems to have been made up to resemble Neve Campbell's Sidney Prescott in Scream. (We also hear a radio ad for "Craven's Halloween Store.")

But, perhaps in an effort to avoid the traditional formulas of all those 1980s movies, Leone sends his storyline flying all over the place. There's no real hero (or "final girl") to root for. The viciousness of the attacks and torture of the female characters seems a little outsized and excessive for what seems intended as an homage. Perhaps worse, a cruel prologue sequence offers heavy-handed foreshadowing to the movie's rather hopeless ending. If only Terrifier had found a better balance of characters -- and perhaps a measure of hope, which would have added more suspense -- it might have stood near the movies that inspired it.

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Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the violence in Terrifier. What message does it send that so much of it is directed at women? Does the movie go too far? Who decides what "too far" means?

  • Is the movie scary? What's the appeal of horror movies?

  • How is drinking portrayed? Is it glamorized? Are the drinkers responsible?

  • Why do you think so many people find clowns scary?

  • What's the "slasher" subgenre of horror, and why was/is it so popular?

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Movie Details

  • On DVD or streaming : March 15, 2018
  • Cast : Jenna Kanell , Samantha Scaffidi , David Howard Thornton
  • Director : Damien Leone
  • Inclusion Information : Female Movie Actor(s) , Queer Movie Actor(s)
  • Studio : Dread Central Presents
  • Genre : Horror
  • Topics : Fantasy
  • Run time : 82 minutes
  • MPAA rating : NR
  • Last updated : December 11, 2025
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Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

Terrifier

Suggest an Update

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