Special Guests

David Howard Thornton

Colorado Festival of Horror is thrilled to welcome actor David Howard Thornton back for our 6th year at Colorado Festival of Horror: Clowns vs. Witches. Best known as the iconic Art the Clown from the TERRIFIER film franchise, David will be meeting fans throughout the weekend—participating in a Q&A, signing autographs, and snapping selfies. Fans will also have the opportunity to take part in a special Photo Op on Saturday, September 19th at 2pm, featuring David as Art the Clown in full makeup and costume—a must for any TERRIFIER fan!

Clowns are coming… witches beware.

David Howard Thornton is an American actor originally from Huntsville, Alabama, now based in the Los Angeles area. He works extensively across stage, film, and voiceover, showcasing a wide range of physical and vocal performance skills. David is well known for portraying “Grandpa Who” in the 1st through 5th national tours of DR. SEUSS’ HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS: THE MUSICAL, as well as voicing “Shizoku” and other characters in the video game INVIZIMALS: THE LOST KINGDOM. David has also appeared as “The Joker” in the YouTube series NIGHTWING: ESCALATION and made an appearance on FOX’s GOTHAM.

Most notably, David portrays "Art the Clown," the unrelenting silent killer in the fan-favorite and critically acclaimed TERRIFIER horror film franchise. His expressive, dialogue-free performance has brought Art to life as one of modern horror’s most terrifying icons. David reprised the role for TERRIFIER 2 and TERRIFIER 3, released theatrically on October 11, 2024, which went on to become the highest-grossing non-rated film in movie history. He is set to return as Art the Clown in TERRIFIER 4.

Additional credits include appearing as Art the Clown in the Ice Nine Kills’ music video “A Work of Art,” and portraying The Joker in the award-winning short film JOKER’S WILD. David can also be seen in THE MEAN ONE, a horror spoof of THE GRINCH, as well as the indie horror films STREAM and SCREAMBOAT, the latter of which won the Fangoria Chainsaw Award for Best Public Domain Resurrection. In 2025, David completed filming THE AUTOPSY OF ALBERT KEMPER.