Latest news with #DavidHowardThornton
Geek Tyrant
11-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Geek Tyrant
Art the Clown Goes Academic: TERRIFIER Horror Franchise Getting Its Own Scholarly Conference — GeekTyrant
That's right! Art the Clown is officially entering academia. Move over, Shakespeare and Hitchcock, because the Terrifier franchise is now being treated as an object of scholarly importance. The University of Warwick in the UK is hosting the first-ever Terrifier academic conference in 2025, and yes, this is a real thing. According to a press release from Signature Entertainment, The Terrifier Conference 2025 'will welcome global scholars to Warwick to take an alternative approach to enthusiastic critical dismemberment by engaging with the Terrifier film franchise as an object of scholarly importance.' The conference aims to dig into the series' gloriously over-the-top use of horror tropes, from how women are portrayed in the genre, to the use of practical gore, the influence of religion, and, of course, the 'unsettling visual creepiness' of Art himself. Scholars from Brazil, France, the U.S., and beyond will bring their brains to bear on a franchise best known for, well, removing brains. And while the in-person conference runs Saturday, May 3, one day will be streamed online internationally on Friday, May 2, so even if you're nowhere near the UK, you can still get in on the blood-spattered academia. Born from a 2011 short, Damien Leone's Terrifier has morphed into one of horror's most outrageous modern success stories. With Art the Clown, played with sadistic glee by David Howard Thornton, taking center stage, the franchise went from cult curiosity to box office beast. Terrifier 3 alone raked in $90.3 million worldwide on just a $2 million budget. Each film pushes the boundaries a little further, and Terrifier 2 introduced us to fan-favorite final girl Sienna (Lauren LaVera), and Terrifier 3 traded Halloween for a twisted take on Christmas. While Terrifier 4 doesn't have a release date yet, it's rumored to be the blood-soaked finale. Also happening at the conference, Signature Entertainment's Head of Publicity will be leading a seminar on the viral marketing strategies behind Terrifier 3 's surprise domination in the UK and Ireland. Spoiler alert: gore sells. So yeah… Art the Clown, college lecturer. What a time to be alive (unless you're in Miles County).
Irish Times
01-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Times
Screamboat: Mickey Mouse as a violent psychopath is no classic, but gory twist on Disney knows its audience
Screamboat Director : Steven LaMorte Cert : 18 Genre : Horror Starring : David Howard Thornton, Allison Pittel, Amy Schumacher, Jesse Posey, Kailey Hyman, Jesse Kove, Jarlath Conroy Running Time : 1 hr 42 mins If you've missed the Twisted Childhood Universe, as the film-makers call it, you haven't missed much. The first generation of films to capitalise on the end of Disney 's copyright on a host of familiar characters forms an entirely disposable, unimaginative canon of Z-grade slashers. In common with other brainless, opportunistic franchises – looking at you, Sharknado – the concept has scared up enough business to justify three terrible films and a worldwide gross of $16.5 million. Stay tuned for Bambi: The Reckoning in July and Poohniverse: Monsters Assemble in October. Or, preferably, don't. These primarily British productions seem content to trade on revisiting your childhood favourites as serial killers. That's the plot. That's the joke. There is no reason for these movies to be as lazy as they have been. Screamboat, a rival bid to monetise the newly public-domain Steamboat Willie – Mickey Mouse's 1928 introduction to the world – predictably transforms the iconic rodent into a violent psychopath. Happily, unlike the Twisted Childhood Universe, Steven LaMorte's horror makes some effort to engage with the source material in humorous, gory ways, including a fun animated parody and a cheeky cameo from Willie's creator, 'Walt'. READ MORE The film is set on a Staten Island ferry, where the killer mouse wreaks havoc on passengers, including a hen party standing in for Disney princesses. It's undeniably a low-rent production. The same exterior shot of the ferry is used repeatedly; routine words are mispronounced. Fortunately, the script, by the director and Matthew Garcia-Dunn, embraces the mayhem with a violent nod to Itchy and Scratchy. The murderous mouse is played with huge energy by David Howard Thornton. The brilliant mime behind Terrifier's Art the Clown makes merry with the rodent's diminutive status. The Irish veteran Jarlath Conroy, who has movie credits stretching back to Heaven's Gate, brings grizzled charm to the doomed supporting cast. Screamboat is no classic, but it knows its audience. The makers of the upcoming Pinocchio: Unstrung could learn a thing or two. Screamboat is available on digital platforms from Monday, May 5th, and on DVD & Blu-ray from Monday, June 2nd
Yahoo
02-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Evansville Horror Con draws in countless spooky enthusiasts
EVANSVILLE, Ind. (WEHT) — Countless spooky enthusiasts meet in downtown Evansville for the Evansville Horror Con. Fans gathered at the Old National Events Plaza to grab their autographs, shop from vendors and hear from horror related panels. Some say they enjoyed meeting actors from their favorite horror franchises including David Howard Thornton from Terrifier, Tyler Mane and Danielle Harris from Halloween, Jamie Kennedy from Scream and Holly Marie Combs and Brian Krause from Charmed. The actors took time to meet with fans to take autographs and selfies. Plenty convention-goers took the opportunity to also dress as their favorite characters. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
22-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Horror stars to appear in downtown Evansville convention
HENDERSON, Ky. (WEHT) — The Old National Events Plaza is set to host the 2025 Evansville Horror Con on Saturday, March 1 and Sunday, March 2. Officials say this weekend of thrills will be packed with a lineup of horror stars including Terrifier star David Howard Thornton, Scream star Jamie Kennedy, Charmed stars Holly Marie Combs and Brian Krause and more. The convention will also include celebrity meet-and-greets, a vendor hall, cosplay contest and more. For ticket information and updates, visit the Evansville Horror Con website. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
