A distraught father, John (Matt Servitto), rings his estranged daughter, Emma (Lelia Symington), for the first time in many years. The call doesn’t go well, and it’ll get worse as a tall, mask-wearing chap is following him we’ll know as the Jester (Michael Sheffield). While he might be suicidal, the Jester magically tightens a noose around his neck, deciding for him. Emma turns up at his funeral and meets up once more with her half-sister, Jocelyn (Delaney White). They reluctantly have to join forces to defeat the silent but deadly force of the Jester.
What might strike you with director Colin Krawchuk’s film (which he co-wrote with Sheffield) is the similarity to the Terrifier movies. However, Krawchuk doesn’t take the overly explicit gore route (although it does have its moments), and the comparison pretty much end with a non-verbal stalking mime. Deep inside the horror overtones is a tale of depression, grief, wrong decisions, and forgiving. It may not be handled perfectly – it’s the director and writers’ first feature, after all, which expands on a trilogy of shorts with the same titular character – but there’s something more than just a relentless killing machine. Sadly, the pacing lets it all down. Just as we’re getting to grips with something horrific, there’s a shift to the more drama-based approach.
This mix of drama and horror doesn’t quite gel here, which is a shame. It picks up as it progresses, and there will certainly be times when you’ll question whether you’re being shown reality or if it’s a projection of what’s inside the characters. Like Art the Clown, the Jester is a great, simple concoction that is creepy enough to enter the imagination of fans.
THE JESTER is out now on Blu-ray, DVD, and digital download from Dazzler Media.
