One evening, a man named John (Matt Servitto) walks around alone in a small community. While walking, it’s evident that something, or perhaps someone, is following him from a distance. John also appears to have strange and unexplainable visions of a little girl. The visions only encourage him to reflect on an old photo of himself and his daughter. Shortly after, he pulls out his mobile phone to contact his daughter. While John successfully reaches his daughter Emma, the mysterious figure gets closer and closer without John’s knowledge. Making matters worse, John’s phone call with his daughter doesn’t end well as John is seeking forgiveness, and his daughter Emma is uninterested. As Emma hangs up on John, the mysterious figure reveals himself. The figure is dressed as a Jester wearing a facemask, a top hat, and an orange outfit. John seems too aware of The Jester’s presence and claims he tried his best but was unsuccessful. With John’s effort to reconnect with his daughter being unsuccessful, The Jester takes matters into his own hands, which results in John’s death, and afterwards, The Jester walks away.
However, The Jester’s torment among the community and its people is far from over. During John’s funeral, we are introduced to Jocelyn (Delaney White) and Emma (Lelia Symington), John’s daughters. It’s evident that the two sisters are distant from one another due to secrets from their past, and Jocelyn is surprised that Emma even showed up. After the funeral, strange events occur, with Emma witnessing The Jester standing near John’s coffin from afar before disappearing. Emma is invited to meet Jocelyn at a local bar on Halloween evening. At the bar, the pair continue to share disagreements and disappointments from their past before going their separate ways. However, The Jester is lurking in the shadows among the streets and stalking Jocelyn and Emma separately. Anyone who gets in his way is a potential victim.
The Jester is a horror film based on a series of short films directed by Colin Krawchuk, which had the same concept: an evil Jester figure terrorising people. This is Colin’s official feature film debut, and he also serves as the film’s writer. Within the opening scene alone, there’s evidence that he enjoys and loves this character.
The general look of The Jester is excellent, and the costumes, along with the style of the face mask, look impressive. Given that the mask doesn’t allow any form of facial expressions, most of the communication comes from the body, which, again, I felt Michael Sheffield, who plays The Jester, did excellently through movement and communicating with hand gestures. However, one fault with the character’s costumes (a minor imperfection and nit-pick) was that I could see hair outside on the back of the mask, which instantly removes the illusion that viewers are watching some form of entity or malignant being. The filming and locations used were good, as were the set designs and backgrounds.
Pacing-wise, I found the film started strong as it introduced The Jester and his capabilities, and the film delivered an intriguing yet complex showdown in its third act. However, the second act is hugely slow, with The Jester dragging out his interactions and games with others before commencing any kills. It’s not enough to just kill someone; instead, victims are tormented by the odd, playful game first, such as finding a hidden ball among three cups. The second act includes borderline cringe-worthy dialogue, such as when Jocelyn interacts with her close friends. The music and film score feel B-grade and almost best suited for a midday TV movie.
Overall, I completely understand if you receive Terrifier vibes just by looking at the film’s poster alone. While the film consists of a Jester lurking around the shadows, messing with people, and conducting various kills, to my surprise, it introduced an interesting angle with its story and positive messages. As a direction debut from Colin Krawchuk, it’s evident there’s plenty of heart to make this character shine as best as possible, and the design and movements of The Jester are also great. Dialogue, sadly, is a weaker aspect, and the film’s second act seems to drag on and lack interest in its storyline before heading towards an exciting yet complex finale.
The Jester (2023) will be available on DVD and digital starting February 7th!
4.3/10
23rd January 2024
Written by Peter Walkden
WALKDEN ENTERTAINMENT
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