The Terrifier 2 Bedroom Scene's Controversy, Explained

There's nothing scarier than a clown who takes joy in what they do, to such an extreme that it creeps everyone around him out. Art the Clown (David Howard Thornton) of the "Terrifier" franchise is one such fellow. He reigns over films that are notorious for being laden with guts, gore, blood and other extremes. One particular scene in "Terrifier 2" sent people running for the hills when the movie was released in 2022. It involved Art, a hapless victim, a whole lot of blood and guts, and a bedroom. And it caused enough controversy to draw attention to an already blood-soaked motion picture. 

Want to know what happens in the scene without seeing it? Why was it so controversial? And are there any scenes that are more extreme than that bedroom fracas? Here's a full primer on everything you need to know about that controversial "Terrifier 2" bedroom sequence. 

During "Terrifier 2," Art stalks Sienna Shaw (neophyte actress Lauren LaVera) on Halloween night with the help of the Little Pale Girl (Amelie McLain), who becomes his partner in shenanigans. While doing so, he enters a costume shop and both teases Sienna and annoys the shopkeeper (Johnath Davis) by loudly honking a bike horn, among other things. When Sienna leaves the shop, he kills the shopkeeper — then stalks Sienna's friend, Allie (Casey Hartnett) to her home. 

What ensues is a brutal murder in which Art gleefully saws Allie into pieces, finishing up by cutting off the top of her head. He sets her up in bed and 'chats' with her as well. He takes intense glee in his actions, creating a stomach-churning gore for his own delight and to taunt Sienna. He even rubs bleach and salt into her wounds, and worst of all, at the end of the scene her mother stumbles into the situation, discovering her daughter's still alive — for the moment, at least. It's one of the more brutal scenes of carnal desecration in the film, and is definitely not for the faint of heart.

Art The Clown' s rampage definitely turned stomachs and heads when it debuted in "Terrifier 2." Fans posting to the Reddit community for "Terrifier" were happy to talk about how the scene has affected them. While some found it all to be in the name of fun, other admitted they turned away from the scene. Many viewers noted that Allie's fate is extra awful because of how nice she is as a character. "[W]hen her mom realizes she's still alive ... jesus christ. genuinely horrifying," said u/Mindless-Parking1073. But while some reviewers were terribly disturbed by the scene, others reacted with nonchalance. "It confuses me a bit how it disturbs people on such a visceral level when, while the gore effects are good in that they're detailed and extreme ... they're also so obviously not real," observed u/CloudMountainJr.

Audience members worried that their reaction was a hair too extreme need not worry — even Art the Clown himself, David Howard Thornton winced his way through the finished product for a Galaxy Con video. He couldn't watch his own character slice an eyeball, but offered up commentary on the rest of the scene. 

The intense violence and gore of the scene explains why the moment is so controversial. It's also yet another scene in the "Terrifier" franchise where a female character is brutally murdered by Art the Clown onscreen — which had previously drawn accusations of misogyny to the franchise. It pushes the envelope for a franchise that's already known for pushing the envelope to the nth degree. There's a reason why multiple moments in this scene have been named some of the most disturbing in all of "Terrifier 2."

All of that gore and blood dished out with a clown's sadistic sense of humor just makes the scene more upsetting — and adding the high violence quotient on top is just the icing on the cake. Poor Allie has chunks of her skin ripped off and her arms brutally broken, and that's before the salt and bleach get involved. It's certainly enough to stir up a whole lot of controversy, and even anger seasoned and jaded horror fans. And to think — there were unfilmed "Terrifier 2" scenes even more gruesome than this one.

Asking if extreme violence is necessary to a "Terrifier" film is like asking if flour is really necessary to most bread. Of course, a scene of extreme violence belongs in a film about vicious clown murderers who thrive on the pain of others. The murder of Allie sets a precedent for a franchise that features a woman being cut from stem to stern with a chainsaw: It establishes how far the movies will go, and it shows that Art is a true sadist who loves his work.

The scene also helps establish Art's character, with his love of brutal killings combining with his playful sense of humor — it's clownish, but also very much like a naughty child who's been caught out in the middle of a wicked game. This is a real signifying kill for him, and it helps explain who he is as a person. By the end of "Terrifier 2," only Sienna is left standing for a reason.

In a word, definitely. "Terrifier 3" infamously features a scene where Art rams a chainsaw up the posterior of a character's boyfriend, and there are several other scenes where a character is violently vivisected like Allie is in this movie — including in the original "Terrifier," where a woman is chopped in half lengthwise. But don't expect the boys to get away scot free — terrible things happen to them as well. 

Such violence is extremely common in the "Terrifier" series, where no one and nothing is safe. Creator Damien Leone refuses to soften the impact of his art even though it's drawn such controversy, which is why "Terrifier 3" was rejected by Hollywood and released independently. So if you'd like to watch similar fare, Leone has two other movies — and one ready to be released in the future which will reveal Art the Clown's sinister plans — waiting for you.