Naming your movie "Terrifier" sets up unavoidably lofty expectations, and this one fortunately fulfills the title's promise. Taut, brutal, seasonally atmospheric, and filled with the kind of macabre tension that leaves one jittery even after the end credits have rolled, the film pits three women on Halloween night against a murderous maniacal clown (David Howard Thornton, giving Tim Curry and Bill Skarsgård a run for their painted-faced money). The characters could have afforded to be a tad bit smarter, but Damien Leone directs the hell out of this picture all the same.

As for Art the Clown, he is the scariest franchise-worthy horror villain in years, so effective he is able to dull the edges on the film's minor narrative missteps. In light of the blockbuster success of "It: Chapter One," had Dread Central Presents released this wide in theaters it would have done bang-up business. While Pennywise is a supernatural embodiment of fear, Art is a flesh-and-blood psychopath who shows no mercy, and that may be even more frightening. "Terrifier" is highly recommended for fans of '80s-style slashers. (See also: 2013's excellent anthology "All Hallows' Eve," also directed by Leone, where Art made his feature debut).

Blu-ray Available Exclusively from Epic Pictures.