The Terrifying Backstory Of Art The Clown

Art the Clown (David Howard Thornton) is nothing if not wickedly playful. Vicious and bloodthirsty, he's the only character who will ram a chainsaw up the posterior of another character — then smile and take a selfie with the pile of viscera that's left over. The fact he's a silent clown, whose costume and makeup are black and white like a traditional harlequin who communicates with expressions and by honking a horn, adds intriguing layers to the character.

How in the world did Damien Leone — writer and director for the "Terrifier" series and creator of Art the Clown — manage to invent such a fearsome creature? How did he find David Howard Thornton and rocket him to fame?  And where did Art the Clown make his first appearance? Take a peek at the clown's secret backstory and find out where he's been, where he's going, and what drew David Howard Thornton to the part.

Art the Clown made his debut in Damien Leone's "The 9th Circle" in 2008. This short film establishes Art as a character; many of his signature traits, including his gleeful sense of menace, his chilly but quiet sense of playfulness, his fondness for cat-and-mouse toying with his victims, and his tendency toward over-the-top violence are established here.

Leone revealed to Entertainment Weekly that the idea for Art came to him from a random brainstorming session. "I had this idea of a clown terrorizing a woman on a city bus [...] She's all alone, coming home from work or whatever, in the middle of the night, and then this clown gets on, and sits across from her, and starts staring at her and toying with her," he said. "It's awkward and uncomfortable, and maybe even funny, but then it gets progressively more intimidating and aggressive."

Art surfaces again in the 2011 film "Terrifier" (not to be confused with its full-length version, released in 2016). Both shorts were compiled to help comprise Leone's 2013 film "All Hallow's Eve." Leone said his ultimate goal was to create a character that wouldn't remind viewers of other horror clowns, like Pennywise from the "It" films. "I felt like there was a void with clowns that I hadn't quite seen done the way I felt like I could execute one. Art the Clown kind of came out of all that and whatever I felt was missing with clowns. At that time the original Pennywise was really the only clown on the scene and he wasn't even really a slasher," he told Dread Central. And that's just the start of Art's reign of terror.

"All Hallow's Eve" would not have existed had Damien Leone's attempt at getting Art's earliest adventures into film festivals been stymied. Leone put the original "Terrifier" up on YouTube for free with ad support and it became a major hit. He attracted money, and the end result was "All Hallow's Eve" being released. But even with that attention on him, Leone turned to Indiegogo to get Art's first full-length feature produced. The first campaign made only $4,360 of its $15,000 goal. However, a donation from Phil Falcone ended up tipping the movie over the line, per an interview with Leone on Dread Central. Falcone became a producer, and Art's first film rolled.

"Terrifier" later hit the horror-centered streaming platform Screambox, where it began to get a following. Leone would later return to Indiegogo to fund "Terrifier 2." This time the project was more than fully funded at $215,127 donated on a $50,000 goal. When the film took off at the box office thanks to word of mouth, he received offers from major studios, but when he refused to neuter his creation, "Terrifier 3" was once again rejected by Hollywood. Leone chose to independently fund "Terrifier 3" – a wise idea since it blew everyone away at the box office and has become the highest-grossing unrated film of all time.

Naturally, Art's gambolings would be nothing without the talent of David Howard Thornton. But he isn't the only man to have played Art. In the original short films, the character is played by Mike Giannell. But when Thornton was hired on for the feature films, he used his own love of horror and his experience in the clowning world to deepen Art's character, making him the unique individual he is today.

"I then basically blended my previous experience with physical comedy and clowning with my deep knowledge and appreciation of great physical actors ... and horror legends like Robert Englund and added them to what Mike had already accomplished to create this murderous frappe of fiendishness that is Art. In my head, Art is like the love child of Harpo Marx and Freddy Krueger. I love playing him!" he told Rue Morgue.

Thornton's pantomiming has definitely added new layers to Art, helping him reach his final form. Soon enough, the pathway to "Terrifier 4" will show what other tricks the clown's got up his gore-laden sleeves.