Damien Leone is at the peak of his horror game with Terrifier 2, an old-school splatter fest that’s definitely not for weak stomachs. However, while it’s delicious to see Art the Clown (David Howard Thornton) wreak havoc during Halloween, sometimes it feels like he took the violence too far because the story of Terrifier 2 also came out butchered. There are many inexplicable events and supernatural coincidences in Terrifier 2, so much so that fans might leave theaters wondering what exactly happened during that vicious ending. While much of the sequel will remain a mystery for now, we are here to gather all the clues and explain what happened at the end of Terrifier 2.
How Does Art the Clown Come Back to Life?
At the end of Terrifier, Art is cornered by the police as he’s chewing Victoria Heyes’ (Samantha Scaffidi) face. Since prison is not a fun place, Art puts a gun in his mouth and pulls the trigger. His body is taken to the morgue, only to be resurrected by an unknown evil force. Terrifier 2 expands on the first movie's ending, showing how Art brutally murders the coroner. However, there’s still no definitive answer to how and why Art was brought back from the dead.
Some details help clear things up, though. First of all, when Art is resurrected, he’s still missing an eye and part of his skull, a side effect of his suicide. However, one year later, at Halloween, Art is fully healed. It’s fair to assume, then, that the entity that brought Art back to life is capable of rebuilding tissue and healing flesh. That would also explain how Art is so resilient in the second movie, as he can brush off his head getting pierced as if it were nothing.
The entity that brought Art back to life is also capable of shape-shifting to trick the clown’s victims. It can look and sound like other people, and most humans can’t even see its true face. The entity also changes its appearance to gain Art’s trust, disguising itself as the clown’s first victim, a 10-years-old girl (Amelie McLain). The evil spirit is mainly depicted as an infant child that wears a costume that matches Art’s, but sometimes its eyes glow yellow to show its true nature. Finally, at the end of Terrifier 2, the final girl Sienna Shaw (Lauren LaVera), is dragged to a hellish underground dimension. So, while there’s no official confirmation, it looks like the forces of Hell are facilitating Art’s work to spread pain and chaos across Earth.
The Curse of the Shaw Family
In Terrifier 2, Art’s primary targets are siblings Sienna and Jonathan Shaw (Elliott Fullam). While Art kills anyone who crosses paths with him, Sienna and Jonathan are the biggest prizes of Halloween night because they are destined to fight evil. Sienna and Jonathan’s father died from an accident caused by his brain tumor, but in the months that preceded his death, the man started to have visions about Art, his murders, and the gruesome fate waiting for his children. In his drawing, he also turned Sienna into a warrior character, telling her stories of a fierce woman with angel wings. Finally, the man gifted Sienna a special sword. The sibling’s father wanted them to be prepared to face evil when the time came.
Terrifier 2 doesn’t explain how Sienna’s father could see the future or why the siblings were chosen as targets by the forces of evil. It also doesn’t explain why Sienna can channel her inner strength to fight Art. All we know is that the Shaw family is cursed, and if Terrifier 3 ever gets developed, they should be back to chase evil away.
The Duel at the Terrifier
The final duel between Sienna and Art happens at the Terrifier, a horror-themed attraction in an abandoned amusement park where the cannibal clown killed his first victim. The siblings suffer severe injuries during their fight, but Sienna also strikes Art back with all her strength. Everyone is bloodied and beaten until Art uses Sienna’s father’s sword to impale the girl and pushes her into a hole in the ground. Inside the hole, Sienna sees herself drowning in a water tank while a monstrous tentacle pulls her down. It looks like this might be the end for her, but her brother’s calling gives her new life.
Art devours Jonathan’s hand and leg, leading the boy to scream for his sister. The sword Art used to stab Sienna begins to glow, and the girl’s fatal wound is sealed shut. Sienna wakes up, gets rid of the tentacle around her ankle, and emerges from the water tank. She rushes toward Art and Jonathan with the sword in hand and beheads the clown. That’s not the end, though, as the evil entity recovers Art’s head and vanishes in the shadows.
'Terrifer 2's End-Credit Scene Explained
Terrifier 2’s end-credit scene takes us to a psychiatric hospital where Victoria was admitted as a patient. The night before Art’s second attack, Victoria gives an interview on a TV program, snaps backstage, and kills the host. However, once she gets to the hospital, she reverts to her docile self. In the end-credit scene, Victoria is alone in her room, using her hands to cut her skin and blood to write insults on the walls. Victoria’s belly begins to grow as if she is pregnant. Soon, the woman shoves her fingers inside her entrails, pulling her intestines out to make room for her baby to pass. Once the nurse finds Victoria, she has given birth to Art’s head. Victoria is eating Art’s face, and the clown is somehow alive. Victoria also has yellow eyes, just like the evil entity.
It seems like the entity possessed Victoria. And if Art’s surviving victims can be used by evil, that would explain Victoria’s murderous breakdown. That would also mean that the Shaw siblings are in grave danger in the future. Also, since we know the entity can close wounds and regenerate organs, Art’s head might grow an entire body.
Terrifier 2 is currently in theaters and will be streaming on SCREAMBOX on October 31. Check out the movie’s trailer below: