This is a tough one. While this movie does a lot of things right, I can’t really get over how it feels a lot like a special/practical FX showcase as well as being extreme for the sake of being extreme. If this is all that the new wave of horror can offer, then I’m not convinced we even need a new wave.

I liked the Art the Clown character, whose Marilyn Manson look just brings a sense of dread. He doesn’t talk hardly at all and that makes him even more iconic and unsettling. There are some good scenes where Art is just out-and-about doing his pre-homicidal thing and it still creeps the viewer out, because of his looks, mannerisms, and mime-like performance. The character is also sinister in that he seems to plan out certain aspects of his stalking and killing.

The gore is top notch, but also a tad ridiculous at times. In particular, there is a hacksaw scene that keeps going on and on. It’s bloody disgusting and quite often makes the viewer uncomfortable.

Where I think it really fails is the overall look and feel, which screams low budget production value. Other than Art’s performance, the rest of the cast is a range of passable to mediocre, but you still aren’t going to care when they die.

Rating: