"Terrifier at home." "Terrifier from Wish." Yada yada yada, I don't care. Telling the story of two estranged sisters who reunite after the apparent suicide of their father only to find themselves pursued by the same enigmatic jester figure who did away with daddy, "The Jester" lacks originality but makes up for it by being perversely funny and making great use of practical effects and Michael Sheffield's miming skills as the titular villain. Sure it's plagued by the kind of iffy acting you might expect to find in a Tubi Original (here's looking at you, blank-faced extras), but does it really matter when there are cops being decapitated by top hats, cup games resulting in the loss of bodily parts, and a story arc that sees its final girl (Lelia Symington) earn her status in a truly purgative way? This is a fun little film that finds room for both physical and psychological horror without necessarily going for the gross-out effect or being convinced of its own weightiness. It's popcorn horror to put a smile on your face, and I love that for it.
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