Art the Clown

Art the Clown
Terrifier character
David Howard Thornton as Art
First appearance	"The 9th Circle" (2008)
Created by	Damien Leone
Portrayed by	Mike Giannelli (2008–2013) David Howard Thornton (2016–present)
In-universe information
Species	Demon
Classification	Mass murderer
Primary location	Miles County, New York
Signature weapons	Cat o' nine tails, scalpel, hacksaw, cleaver, gun, chainsaw, axe

Art the Clown is a fictional character and the primary antagonist in the Terrifier franchise and related media. Created by Damien Leone, the character first appeared in the short films The 9th Circle (2008) and Terrifier (2011). Both shorts were included in the anthology film All Hallows' Eve (2013) which marked the character's feature film debut. In these early appearances, he was portrayed by Mike Giannelli before his retirement from acting. He was replaced by David Howard Thornton, who portrayed Art in Terrifier (2016), Terrifier 2 (2022), and Terrifier 3 (2024).

Art debuted as a background character in Leone's directorial debut short film to test out different horror concepts. Audiences responded most to Art, leading Leone to develop the character into a recurring slasher villain over the next decade. Art became a pop culture figure and iconic evil clown after the critical and commercial success of Terrifier 2.^[1] The character's background remains ambiguous, although all of his appearances show him possessing supernatural abilities. His archenemy is the final girl Sienna Shaw (Lauren LaVera), with Leone writing Sienna and Art to reflect biblical undertones of good and evil.