I watched the most brutal horror movie of 2022 while wearing a heart rate monitor
Spooky season has officially arrived, and what better way to celebrate than giving you an honest opinion of Terrifier 2, the new horror movie that’s supposedly left viewers reaching for the sick bucket.
And I mean honest - because rather than me simply describing what I think of the film (there will be some of that too), I decided to hook myself up to a heart rate monitor and let my body do the talking.
Before we get into it, let’s first take a look at the Terrifier sequel and what people have been saying about it.
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Anyone who’s seen the original will be well aware of the central antagonist, Art the Clown, who makes Pennywise look like Barney the Dinosaur.
The follow-up picks up from the events from the first flick, and this time the sadistic killer has set his sights on a teenage girl and her brother on Halloween.
Although Terrifier 2 dropped in US cinemas earlier this month, it only just became available to stream in the UK, meaning we got to hear about the reactions before giving it a try ourselves.
And the reviews so far have been on another level - parts of the flick are said to be so gory and violent there were reports of theatres having to call emergency services due to viewers passing out and vomiting.
As a horror junkie myself, I wanted to see if the film lives up to the hype. But I also didn’t want to let any preconceived opinions get in the way - and that’s where the heart monitor comes in.
This was no normal movie night at home. I wanted the reading to be as accurate as possible, and so I made a few rules - no snacks, no vaping and, annoyingly, no fidgeting.
Sitting still for two hours and 18 minutes was a little awkward, but I made it through - all in the name of horror, of course.
I also decided to watch the film alone… in the dark. As a splatter slasher that pays homage to the 80s genre, I was expecting comedy and horror in equal measure, and so I wanted to make sure my setting was peak spooky to get the full effect.
As for my own personal review, I give Terrifier 2 the full five stars. Alongside a 90% Rotten Tomatoes score, people have hailed it the ‘best horror movie of 2022’ and I have to agree.
It’s obscene, it’s absurd, and it’s straight-up campy fun, one that I can instantly see becoming a cult classic.
Writer and director Damien Leone took what made the original successful and created a more entertaining storyline with characters to root for, while expertly weaving in callbacks to its predecessor and tributes to splatter films of the past.
Apparently the film was made on a $250,000 budget, which I still can’t wrap my head around. I would’ve thought they’d spent more than this on the fake blood alone.
And this brings me to the gore.
We’re talking faces being ripped off, gouged out eyes, limbs torn apart, mutilated genitals - and a decapitated head used as a trick or treat candy basket.
As said, I love everything horror, and so this was definitely a treat in my eyes. But if this sort of thing isn’t your cup of tea, well, I can see why it caused some viewers to spew.
Now you know my thoughts on Terrifier 2, let’s look at what my body’s got to say. Most adults have a resting heart rate between 60 and 100 beats per minute, and mine started off at 70. So far, so normal.
I definitely noticed some peaks and troughs throughout. At its highest, my heart was racing 11 beats per minute faster, a significant jump from my resting rate.
Oddly enough, this wasn’t during any of the most violent scenes (I say ‘most’ as a majority of the scenes were violent to some extent).
It wasn’t even when Art the Clown’s face pops up out of nowhere - although I will say subjectively that he is the most terrifying looking killer clown on the circuit.
No, the parts of Terrifier 2 that got my heart pumping where when brother and sister Sienna and Jonathan (Lauren LaVera and Elliott Fullam) were being blamed or criticised for things they didn’t do.
Without giving too much of the plot away, it appears my body feels more strongly about injustice than it does splatstick gore. Which I guess says a lot more about my psyche than it does the film.
Whatever the case, it was a fun and insightful experiment, one that you might want to give a try for yourself this Halloween. But if you’ve got a weak stomach, well, don’t say I didn’t warn you.
Topics: TV and Film
Daisy Phillipson