The Jester is a 2023 American independentslasher film written, directed and edited by Colin Krawchuk in his directorial debut. It stars Michael Sheffield, Lelia Symington, Delaney White and Matt Serivtto. The plot follows a deadly magician who terrorizes the inhabitants of a small town on Halloween night.
Krawchuk said in an interview, "Originally, we had tried coming up with a story that addressed the 'mechanics' of the Jester; how he worked, what he was, where he came from, etc. Then, at a certain point, we realized we don't actually want to know those answers. We wanted to instead focus on the characters in the story, which were 2D horror-movie archetypes at that time."[2]
Release
The film is distributed by DREAD. It had a limited theatrical run starting on September 29, 2023, followed by a video on demand release on October 3, 2023.[3]
Martin Unsworth of Starburst magazine gave the film 3/5 stars, writing, "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."[5]
Phil Hoad of The Guardian gave the film 2/5 stars. He praised the Jester, but said, "It's just a shame the non-homicidal portions have none of the same sprezzatura. Writer-director Colin Krawchuk saddles us with a poorly written, lead-footed plot delivered in stodgy lumps between killings."[6]
Sequel
A sequel titled The Jester 2 was released in September 2025, with Sheffield reprising his role as the Jester.[7]
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