By Chris Snellgrove
| Published
Horror fans sometimes wonder if there’s a modern monster that could fill the tall boots of slasher icons like Jason Voorhees and Freddy Krueger, and in our eyes, there’s no better answer than Art the Clown. Scary, captivating, and creative in his murderous mayhem, Art is the killer clown who serves as the antagonist of the Terrifier franchise. He created a bloody legacy that audiences will never forget, and now you can see how his story began via streaming All Saints’ Day on the free Tubi platform.
The origin of art The clown
All Saints’ Day is an anthology horror film with an enveloping story involving two young children and their babysitter on Halloween night. The kids discover a mysterious VHS tape slipped in with their candy, and the tape reveals three separate horror stories, with Art the Clown starring in each one. As the night progresses, it becomes clear that this video violence goes beyond VHS, and Art might just be personally offering some tricky treats to his new fans.
The wraparound story holds the story together and helps cover up the fact that All Saints’ Day is guerrilla cinema at its best. Writer and director Damien Leone had previously created short films featuring Art the Clown, and he saw the opportunity to combine old footage and new footage in his first feature film. The result is a series of uneven but incredibly entertaining misadventures anchored by the strange and disturbing presence of Art, creating a kind of tension that the ending releases in the bloodiest and most unexpected way possible.
Before the arrival of the first Creepy movie, All Saints’ Day most have gone unnoticed. It was released straight to DVD (and later Blu-Ray), giving it no chance of scaring down a killer box office.
As a result, it has not even received enough critical attention to have any Rotten Tomatoes review note. However, it generated enough buzz among horror fans that director Damien Leone was able to secure funding from fans and producer Phil Falcone to make the first film. Creepy film in theaters, kicking off a franchise full of gore and practical effects that is still going strong.
Terrifier fans take note
While All Saints’ Day received mixed reviews, it’s definitely worth watching for fans of the Terrifier franchise. Art the Clown’s standalone films have become increasingly complex and ambitious over time, and it’s very rewarding to revisit his first cinematic adventure to uncover the character’s bloody roots. At least the shorts All Saints’ Day will convince you of one thing: that Art is an icon that deserves all the attention and pop culture status it currently enjoys.
Even if you’re not a terrified superfan, it’s easy to enjoy All Saints’ Day on its own merits as a standalone film. Much of this is due to the enveloping and entertaining story…not only does it hold the film together, but that story serves to seamlessly integrate the various shorts into a cohesive narrative. It’s hard to do and even harder to do well, and while horror is full of gruesome anthologies (looking at you, Campfire Tales), this film remains the reference with the essentials of the modern genre like V/H/S.
THIS IS THE TALKING ZODIAC REVIEW NOTE
Will you find All Saints’ Day as awesome as we are, or will you decide that Art the Clown isn’t a laugh splash? The only way to find out is to stream it for free on Tubi. Just know that the thrill you’ll feel when the credits roll has nothing to do with our current cold snap and everything to do with director Damien Leone’s artful brutality and bloody brilliance.
