The Original ‘Terrifier’: Actress Marie Maser Reflects on Being Art the Clown’s Very First Victim

Move complete Freddy, Jason, and Chucky, nan caller titan of panic is “Art nan Clown.” Created by head Damien Leone, and first played by Mike Giannelli earlier David Howard Thornton took complete nan character’s maniacal mantle, Art nan Clown is simply a grotesque supplier of chaos. In his Terrifier films, scary fans person travel to expect nan demonic villain to dismember and decapitate victims, humiliate women, and clasp each sorts of depraved antics.

Art nan Clown’s fame deed caller heights this period erstwhile nan independently-produced Terrifier 3 debuted successful nan number 1 slot astatine nan container office, destroying nan heavily-hyped, $200 cardinal production Joker: Folie á Deux successful nan process. As Art’s convulsive visage takes complete popular culture, galore fans mightiness not beryllium alert that his reign of panic started good complete a decade ago. Art first appeared successful a mini domiciled successful Leone’s 2008 short film, The 9th Circle, earlier taking halfway shape successful nan original 2011 Terrifier short.

This short would spell connected to beryllium included, on pinch The 9th Circle, successful a 2013 compilation movie called All Hallows Eve. The twenty-minute-long Terrifier short follows an unnamed female (Marie Maser) arsenic a precocious nighttime Halloween roadworthy travel turns nightmarish. She first discovers that this strange, shut up comedian animal has violently murdered a state position attendant. However, moreover arsenic she drives distant from this macabre execution scene, she’s doomed. Art toys pinch her complete nan people of nan night, suffocating her pinch plastic, emerging from nan crushed to terrorize her successful a shed, and shooting her would-be savior.

The last changeable of Terrifier reveals that Art has not killed this mediocre woman, but successful an moreover much disturbing twist, dismembered and disfigured her pinch misogynistic words carved into her torso. Terrifier fans wouldn’t spot this victim, Marie Maser, again until she popped up successful a cheeky cameo arsenic a receptionist successful this month’s Terrifier 3. Me, connected nan different hand? I’ve seen Marie astatine slightest erstwhile a week for nan past 3 years since we’re friends and neighbors who predominant nan aforesaid Upper West Side haunt!

In each nan clip that I’ve known Marie, I ne'er knew she had this unthinkable declare to scary movie fame. She’s not a last woman successful nan Terrifier franchise. Rather, she’s Art nan Clown’s first girl. What is that like? What was nan acquisition of filming a debased fund short only to spot it motorboat an world phenomenon? How travel we had talked truthful galore times and she ne'er erstwhile dropped, “Oh, actually, I cognize Art nan Clown”?!?!

With these burning questions successful hand, I did what immoderate funny friend/professional intermezo journalist would do. I interviewed my friend astir her acquisition being nan first female we watch being terrorized by Art nan Clown onscreen and what it’s been for illustration welcoming Terrifier back into her life…

Photo: Ruthless Studios

DECIDER: So I conjecture my first mobility is, arsenic I’ve mentioned, I didn’t cognize this astir you and I’ve known you for a while. Is location a logic why you don’t, like, lead with this? Because if I were you, I’d want everyone to cognize my relation pinch Art nan Clown and nan Terrifier franchise. It’s truthful cool!

MARIE MASER: Well, I didn’t really cognize that group had moreover gone backmost to spot nan original movie aliases wherever it each started. I did announcement that Terrifier 2 took disconnected and past Terrifier 3, obviously, is huge. I conscionable didn’t put 2 and 2 together that group would moreover really attraction astir nan original short film. Especially because we filmed successful 2011. Yeah. You know, that’s that’s a really agelong clip ago. 

I watched nan short precocious and the 1 pinch nan commentary connected Tubi —

So I conscionable recovered retired past week that that exists. Damien says nan nicest things astir maine and he remembers truthful overmuch worldly astir filming that I benignant of thought only I had remembered. And it was truthful astonishing to watch it truthful acold aft we’ve done this and perceive each these things that he had said. And to spot that it was up connected Tubi? I was like, “What? How did I not cognize that I person an full movie connected Tubi?” [Laughs]

So you’re not getting residuals, I return it? 

No, no. When we did nan original short film, it was bare bones. It was each hands connected deck. I did my ain constitution and personification benignant of teased my hairsbreadth erstwhile I was expected to look beaten up. I don’t deliberation anyone really expected it to go specified a large thing. Back then, it was nan first task I’d ever done arsenic an actress, truthful I conscionable wanted to get exposure, I wanted to get thing for a reel. I was truthful excited.

Photo: Ruthless Studios

Well, return maine done that. I cognize that Damien, successful talking astir casting you, said that you auditioned for thing other and he had you successful nan backmost of his head. Do you retrieve what you primitively auditioned for him? 

Yes. I don’t cognize what it was going to beryllium called, but it was a characteristic magnitude movie and it had different character who was going to beryllium nan star. I was conscionable going to beryllium a really mini role. I don’t moreover cognize if I was going to dice successful that movie. I deliberation I was auditioning for nan mom of 1 of nan kid characters. It was conscionable for illustration a really mini benignant of portion for illustration that. And, yeah, I retrieve nan audition. I don’t remember, you know, nan lines aliases thing for illustration that. I retrieve being truthful excited erstwhile he had called and said that I sewage nan portion and I conscionable kept waiting for them to opportunity what my scenes were going to shoot. I didn’t want to pester him, but I was excited to see, like, erstwhile americium I going to beryllium connected set? Because they had filmed, I think, a batch of nan movie. Then, you know, thing happened. They ne'er finished, but he was like, “You know, now I want to make this short.” I conscionable really couldn’t judge it. There was nary 2nd audition. It was conscionable here’s nan book and past here’s we’re going.

Yeah, I was terrified because I had ne'er done different project. Then each of a abrupt to get told, “You’re going to beryllium nan lead successful this short movie and it’s you and this clown.” I sewage nan book and I was like, “What if I’m successful complete my head?” So I was really frightened going connected set. But honestly, Damien, he has a measurement of guiding you and giving you corrections truthful it doesn’t consciousness for illustration it’s a correction. It feels for illustration support. I don’t retrieve ever emotion like, “I’m not doing good. I’m not doing good.” Even successful nan moments wherever I knew he wanted thing else, it conscionable benignant of felt for illustration we were having a convo.

Your characteristic does not look to person a sanction listed successful nan credits. Do you cognize why that is? 

I think, honestly, it was conscionable logistical because evidently Art nan Clown doesn’t speak. The only different group I person an relationship pinch — who doesn’t, you know, person their look mauled disconnected — are nan feline who picks maine up erstwhile I’m moving from Art nan Clown and nan state position attendant successful nan beginning. Obviously, they wouldn’t cognize my name. I wouldn’t show them my name. There was conscionable cipher who would get to opportunity my name.

I deliberation they credited maine successful nan original movie arsenic “Woman.” Later on, I deliberation they started calling maine “Costume Designer” because I do mention that that’s what I was doing and that’s why I’m retired successful nan mediate of obscurity driving. 

Photo: Ruthless Studios

I cognize that Damien talks astir successful nan commentary really nan ending changed astatine small bit. What do you retrieve astir shooting that ending?

I do retrieve shooting it doubly and I deliberation that was erstwhile he said, “It’s conscionable not working.” We had a batch of trouble, too. It was conscionable benignant of for illustration proceedings and error, really to get it to look seamless. Because evidently my tegument reside and nan mold of my assemblage was conscionable not looking [matched]. I retrieve him utilizing a toothbrush pinch nan clone humor and he would flick it, benignant of almost for illustration an airbrush, onto me. It didn’t look for illustration really large humor splats, but it helped to blend everything. I retrieve I had 2 sticks nether and I was doing my arms, and past location was personification nether nan array pinch maine doing my legs. He does mention — and I wholly forgotten astir that, but, yea — nan sound feline had nan conduit and was making my tummy spell up and down.

It was almost for illustration a passageway nether nan spot that we shot. Seaview Hospital, had each these underground tunnels. It was a very creepy spot to sprout and it was very small. It was very dark. I had ungraded everywhere, dust. It was conscionable truthful galore group confined astatine this array and erstwhile I sewage my cervix glued, I was benignant of stuck there. So that was interesting. I was like, “Alright, well, I dream this doesn’t past hours.”

Photo: Ruthless Studios

The short was made complete 10 years ago. The full manufacture has changed successful position of intimacy coordination to make group consciousness safe erstwhile there’s nude scenes aliases what person you. Did you consciousness safe? Do you consciousness okay pinch what you were being asked to do successful nan role? 

Yeah. I mean, honestly, it’s truthful funny because my parents would astir apt outcry astatine maine for nan decisions that I made. You know, here’s this independent director. He doesn’t person immoderate credits. For each I know, he is not reputable. You know, we’re each conscionable starting out. And he says, “Hey, I formed you successful this movie. Come to my house. I’m going to formed your nude body. Very bully to meet you.”

Yeah, it was my body. They did a formed and it’s plaster and past they’re filling it and I’m covered successful this goo and I’m successful Staten Island, but I didn’t consciousness uncomfortable. I deliberation really he mightiness person had his woman astatine nan clip location conscionable truthful that location was personification other there. He was very bully astir being like, “Are you okay?” 

Even erstwhile we did nan the integrative container scene, we had rehearsed that a batch and had crippled plans, maine and Mike, who played Art nan Clown. Just benignant of really moving it, really to make it look real, but not wounded me. They did mention location was 1 clip during nan filming that I sewage really upset. The scheme was erstwhile I needed to breathe, erstwhile I felt uncomfortable, I would put my digit into my rima because past I could break nan integrative bag. I don’t cognize what was happening, but I conscionable couldn’t get my manus to get into nan container and I started panicking. But past they stopped for a while because I sewage upset. I retrieve I was sitting successful nan backmost and they’re for illustration [in a soothing voice],“Can I get you thing to drink? What do you request to make yourself consciousness better?” Yeah. So I felt really safe. 

I’m truthful happy to perceive that. 

Everybody connected group was conscionable truthful nice. I deliberation because they saw this is really creepy, this is thing new. Everyone had this level of excitement of conscionable like, “Wow, look, we’re a portion of thing really awesome.”

I want to talk astir Mike Giannelli, nan original Art The Clown. What was it for illustration moving pinch him? What do you deliberation he brought to nan domiciled and really would you comparison him and nan caller Art nan Clown, David Howard Thornton?

Really different. Very different. David brings benignant of a much for illustration cheeky, comedic style to it. Mike was very menacing. The first time that I went connected set, he really had already been each done up and that was nan first clip that I saw what Art nan Clown was going to look like. Obviously successful rehearsals we’re conscionable trying everything out, we’re moving done stuff, and he was just, you know, Mike. So I travel connected group and he’s wholly done up. I was really really frightened of him, legitimately scared.

Then by nan extremity of filming, we were sitting extracurricular Seaview Hospital. They did person areas that were still open, truthful group would thrust by aliases group would beryllium stepping to nan autobus stop. We’re extracurricular and he’s for illustration drinking thing done a straw. I’m already bloodied and beaten up and group would look astatine america and I’d beryllium like, “Why are they staring?” [Giggles] Oh, yeah, that’s because I look for illustration I’m dying and he’s a clown. By nan extremity of filming, it was conscionable benignant of like, “Eh, it’s Mike, but he’s sewage overgarment on.”

Photo: Ruthless Studios

What a memory! What was your favourite series to shoot?

I really liked nan car segment wherever I get picked up. It was great. We were a small spot into filming astatine that point. I felt a small spot much comfortable. And I deliberation I for illustration it because it was nan 1 that Damien really, really kept having to opportunity to me, “I request you to do thing more. Like, this isn’t working. You request to do thing more.” I deliberation I sewage successful my caput and I really did get legitimately upset and I was really crying. It’s really benignant of nan astir that I speak successful nan film, truthful to person those lines and to benignant of push done them and really beryllium melodramatic was very fun. Yeah, that was astir apt my my favourite 1 and I loved that it ended up successful nan trailer. 

You’ve told maine that nan instrumentality guidance has amazed you. At what constituent did you get nan telephone that Damien wanted you to person a cameo in Terrifier 3?

I mean, we’ve kept successful touch done nan years and it was really done Instagram DM. I deliberation I mightiness person reached retired and said, “Congratulations, I’m truthful excited that this is really taking off. I’m truthful happy for you.” I’m not judge if Terrifier 2 had conscionable travel out. They were doing a batch of conventions successful bid to raise money. People would motion autographs and return photos. Damien had primitively mentioned, “Sometimes group inquire for you. You should subordinate america connected 1 of these.” I was like, “That would beryllium nan coolest point ever.” And past Terrifier 2 took disconnected successful nan measurement that it did. He past said, “You cognize what would beryllium really cool? If you do a cameo for nan fans.” So they could beryllium like, “Wait, was that nan woman from nan first one?” I retrieve reasoning to myself, “Nobody is going to admit maine from nan first one.” Even up until seeing nan movie a mates weeks ago, I still didn’t deliberation anyone was going to notice. Then I started seeing my societal media rustle up and it was, “Oh my God, wait! That was you! You were nan receptionist.” That’s erstwhile I recovered retired astir the Art nan Clown Appreciation Society, it’s huge. That’s really I recovered retired astir the movie connected Tubi pinch nan head commentary. Yeah. It’s been really fun. Really, really fun. 

Photo: Ruthless Studios

Going backmost to your character, she is not killed by Art nan Clown. Damien made it clear he wanted nan worst point you could do to a female without sidesplitting her to befall her. Where do you deliberation she is now, 10 years later? 

[Gasps] 

[Laughs] Have you thought astir this?

I mean, you… I would hope… When you aftermath up and Art nan Clown is sitting location and you person nary arms and legs, I would dream that she would conscionable dice quickly. I don’t deliberation there’s immoderate measurement that my bloody torso could crawl retired from nether his grasp.

Well, Art nan Clown is personification who kills group slow and he takes pleasance successful nan torture and each that. So he astir apt wouldn’t fto maine dice quickly. But I guess, you know, fingers crossed that she did. 

This question and reply has been formatted for magnitude and clarity.