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Tag: David Howard Thornton

  • Just Look How Bloody Gross Universal’s ‘Terrifier’ Haunted House Is

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    Damien Leone, the writer and director of the Terrifier film series, along with Universal Creatives at Halloween Horror Nights, takes fans on an NSFW behind-the-screams tour of the house Art the Clown built. Well, at least you can see what the Halloween haunt titans would imagine he would build in a recently shared Instagram video that provides a lights-on look at the Terrifier houses for Horror Nights 2025.

    John Murdy, creative director of Halloween Horror Nights Hollywood, calls them “the goriest [houses] in the history of Horror Nights,” and we can attest to that having visited the East and West Coast versions of the house. It truly speaks to how Art the Clown’s presence really made this year’s Horror Nights events one of the most thrilling, terrifying, and memorable yet. And that’s thanks to how collaborative the entire team was to bring Leone’s vision of Art to life. The bloody cherry on top of the cake is how incredibly the in-park wandering clowns really capture the film’s smiling slasher energy made iconic by David Howard Thornton.

    “What excited John and I and our teams was not only paying off everything in the films but also creating a world that is completely Art’s creation.” senior director of Universal Orlando Resort Entertainment Mike Aiello shared.

    HHN East’s Clown Cafe dream sequence room was hands down one of the most faithful recreations we’ve experienced at the annual event and an instant favorite. As soon as dream Sienna appeared as a jump scare with her whimsical look and plated heart, I was won over (head over heels). Similarly, the Christmas mall Santa scene in Hollywood truly captured one of the darkest of Art’s kills in a delightfully demented way with lots of water spray to simulate his signature bloody fun moments.

    © Horror Nights Instagram

    Murdy added, “We wanted to plant this seed in our guest’s mind that wherever they go in this house, there’s a good possibility that they’re going to be sprayed with blood. You’re going to see a lot of famous kills from Terrifier as Easter eggs for our fans throughout the experience.”

    In the clip you can also see Leone with producer Phil Falcone looking around the Hollywood version of the house with glee. The Hollywood house depicts Art’s greatest hits; along with the mall Santa, there’s the Halloween scalping and the truly horrendous bathroom scene showcased behind a carnival-style Terrifier walk-through entrance.

    “Now truthfully, the attention to detail in this house is just incredible. So to see it in person is really surreal and remarkable,” Leone said. “Brilliant. It really is. You guys knocked it out of the park.”

    Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.

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    Sabina Graves

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  • David Howard Thornton on the Art of Being Art the Clown

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    Terrifier icon Art the Clown has made an impact as the new king of painted-face slasher villains and the character enters a new era as a feature at Halloween Horror Nights. The spooky season haunt at Universal Studios Orlando and Universal Studios Hollywood features not only haunted houses inspired by Damien Leone’s bloody franchise but also a huge Art the Clown presence for walk-around characters.

    At the red carpet for Halloween Horror Nights Hollywood, Terrifier’s very own Art the Clown, David Howard Thornton, talked to Dead Meat about his advice for the scareactors at Universal embodying the gleefully silent gorehound.

    “First of all, I just told them to have fun because that’s how Art is. He finds so much joy in the horrible things he does. And I said, ‘Just find that sadistic joy in just messing with people.’ Just go wild with it and have fun with it. And it’s just, be a little jerk,” he shared.

    Having experienced hilariously horror-tinged mime interactions with Art in the park ourselves, we can confirm it’s just a sheer demented delight.

    © io9 Gizmodo

    Thornton continued to explain his inspiration to better define the character, who first appeared in Leone’s early 2008 short film The 9th Circle and whom the actor took on in 2016’s Terrifier feature.

    “I based him on a vulture. The idea came in because of his beak nose. And so I’ve added more of a hunch to him. Especially when he’s in predator mode, as I like to call it, when he’s actually on the hunt. Birds of prey lead with their eyes first; as they look at something, the head moves. And then the body follows. And that’s what I based Art’s movements off of when he’s in hunt mode.”

    Imparting the art of being Art to Universal theme park scareactors really solidifies the clown as a titan of terror at the annual Halloween festivities. Thornton is proud of this horror honor. “It makes me so happy because I think it’s a great thing just to build up the love of our character. Because I love every year watching the videos that they have of Universal with the Grinch, all the things he does … [and] I love seeing now Art’s doing that same thing. And it’s catching that kind of popularity.”

    I personally haven’t seen any of the Terrifier films but the memorable interactions within the haunted house and outside in the scare zones made me an instant Art fan. Art very much fits in the chaotic meet-and-greet fun you’d expect and joins fellow theme park standouts such as the Grinch and Beetlejuice in making a home at Universal as characters people want to meet.

    Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.

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    Sabina Graves

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