10 Horror Movie Characters Who Don't Say Anything

From House of 1000 Corpses’ murderous Captain Spaulding to the wisecracking Pennywise from IT, clowns have been terrifying audiences for decades, ensuring that horror fans stay as far away from circuses as possible. However, none of these sadistic clowns are as diabolically depraved as Art the Clown from Damien Leone’s Terrifier films.

Throughout the course of each of these grimy grindhouse excursions, viewers watch on helplessly as Art enacts increasingly gnarly acts of cruelty upon his victims. There’s no limit to his repulsive actions, with each kill depicted in excessively graphic detail. Regardless of what he does, though, this clown remains completely silent.

Played with a feverish glee by David Howard Thornton, Art’s movements and expressions are carried with all the comedic exaggeration of a pantomime artist. Whether he’s staring menacingly across a deserted restaurant at his next victims or slowly sneaking up behind someone like a cartoon character, Thornton’s skill in physical comedy will have audiences laughing whenever they’re not covering their eyes in disgust.

Putting his years as a children's theatre perform to effective use, Thornton combines the silent comedy of Charlie Chaplin with the debauchery of Freddy Krueger to create the most hilariously evil horror villain of all time.