Terrifying have been many memorable killer clowns in horror films over the years, however, two characters have come to the attention of viewers over the last few years. These two characters are Pennywise from It, and Art the Clown from the Terrifier franchise. While both of these characters are capable of scaring the wits out of us, they differ in their appearance, their attitude and the way they put fear into people. This difference is intentional, because Damien Leone, the creator of Terrifier, wanted an antagonist who would be the exact opposite of Pennywise.
Let us cover more details on how these two clowns are different and the reasons as to why Art has a refreshing take as a horror character.
Pennywise vs Art the Clown: Aesthetic Comparison
just like in the movie It, most of clown pictures are quite appealing and perhaps overly extravagant in design. From the top of orange hair to the end of a colorful outfit, he is designed like a child’s clown with a primary aim of gaining the affection of kids.
Unlike him, Art the Clown’s character is depicted in almost entirely monochromatic coastline with a pronounced masculine hint of evil. Art wears a lonesome thin stripe of paint while his clownish baldness and heavy eye markings evoke feelings of warmth as well as comforting which is at extremes when placed together with the dreadlocks and painted eyes of Penny wise McDonnell.
Also, Leone decided to base Art the Clown on a completely different concept and theme because he did not want the killer clown to be a carbon copy of Pennywise. The absence of color in Art the Clown becomes focused to the terror only and erases any association with gaiety along the lines of clowning. This is just one of the many instances which shows how contrasting the two characters are.
The Quiet Dread: The Silent Insanity of the Art
Probably the most distinct difference that can be pointed out between Pennywise and Art is the sound they make—or do not make. There are many levels to the performance of the character Pennywise. From Tim Curry to Bill Skarsgård who has a high pitched eerie voice that delivers terror in all of its facets. His voice is one of the tools he uses to control and intimidate the people he targets.
But on the other hand, Art the Clown does not utter a single word. He does not make a sound and uses strained looking features and creepy gestures instead. This in itself is frightening because it removes all possibility of reasoning or begging on the part of his victims. Leone stated that the character Art has adopted the silent treatment from horror movie killers like Michael Myers and Jason Voorhees who are scary even when quiet.
Psycho Shit and Sadistic Violence: Art’s Paint-Corrosive Toolbox
As the other, this brings the clowns’ difference to their killing process. Overcomes beliefs, often psychical ones, shape-changes, and fear of the enemy within are well-worn tools of him. He bends reality and turns it into the nightmare of the intended victim to annihilate the target psychologically.
In this case, though, Art the Clown uses more of a typical killer’s means. He gets around with a standard clown’s bag full of murder tools for mother to bring him to bed every night. It makes the attack somewhat more raw and real, as the carnage in Terrifier is very low on stylization but high on brutality. The decision to make Art practical and limited in his approach, as opposed to magical like Pennywise, brings forth Pain’s of Art while this element of bother brings no such emotional response whenever Pennywise is inflicted upon.
Comedy and Horror: Different Approaches
While both of these characters are hybrids of comedy and horror, their approaches are rather distinct. Pennywise usually plays the victim but in a way that comes off as a joke. The edgy aspect of his personality surfaces only when the pretends to be playful to children. His child-like tone and happy-go-lucky disposition is all just a bait to lure children to him before his real motives are revealed, that is too late.
Art the Clown on the other hand, employs a completely different kind of grotesque approach that goes beyond absurdism. His sense of humour is very dark, perverse and in most instances funny in a sick way. The mime-like antics are in themselves quite troublesome since the way he exaggerates making gestures is more of a threat than jokes. Pennywise does this with the help of jokes aimed at primarily disarming his victims, whereas Art’s method is using humor in the most horrific ways imaginable.
The Development of Art the Clown
So enticing was Pennywise that it even over-shadowed the films of the character made many years later, but Art the Clown is a creation of Damien Leone made a decade before the modern age Pennywise. Dressed up as Pennywise Tim Curry, Leone wanted to make a clown who would be on the same level of scariness, but this time for not speaking much and being extremely violent. Leone was able to create a particular niche for Art among all the killer clowns resembling slashing scary icons like Freddy Krueger or Michael Myers, but he also gave Art his own special enhancement.
Art’s Place in Horror Cinema
Terrifier 3 hit theaters recently, and it is evident that Art the Clown is taking his position as one of the most recognizable and in many cases, horrifying villains ever created in present day. While Pennywise will always remain the epitome of supernatural evil, there is Art and his demented little world which is a little on the less fantasy and more terrifying side. His ever so silent yet grotesquely bewildering demeanor and personality combined with the sickeningly raving o’er-the-top kills that he has performed makes him one of the most disturbing, if not downright repulsive, slasher killings in the twenty first century.
Conclusion
Art The Clown may be loosely inspired by the character of Pennywise; however, the two are completely different in how they are presented in the horror genre. One of the reasons Damien Leone created Art with great precision was to avoid the similarities to Pennywise, Art is made to be one’s worst nightmare. With the increasing fame of Terrifier, Art the Clown is showing that there is always a place for a horror figure who even in his absolute brutality remains absolutely silent and expresses everything in a twisted comedy way.