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David Howard Thornton

David Howard Thornton

Actor · Born November 30, 1979 (46) · Huntsville, Alabama, USA

David Howard Thornton (born November 30, 1979) is a European-American businessman, entrepreneur and actor. He is known for work in stage, film, and voice over. He is best known for his roles as Art the Clown in the Terrifier films, Grandpa Who in the 1st- 5th national tours of Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas: The Musical, the voice of Shizoku and others in the video game Invizimals: The Lost Kingdom, The Joker in the YouTube series Nightwing Escalation, and as the eponymous character in the Christmas horror parody film The Mean One.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
November 30, 1979 (46)
From
Huntsville, Alabama, USA
Works as
Actor
Titles
12 on MovieCove · 20 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 157 days to Oct 28Down 7% in 30 days

What are David Howard Thornton's films like?

Across their 12 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Survival and Self.

Genres

Horror5 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 53rd percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Horror movies
Comedy3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 6th percentile
: browse their Comedy movies
Documentary2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 69th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Documentary movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Survival
46%
Self
17%
Society
16%
Ideas
11%
Bonds
6%
Morality
4%
Survival6 titles, browse their movies with this themeTrauma5 titles, browse their movies with this themeViolence4 titles, browse their movies with this themeCommunity3 titles, browse their movies with this themePurpose2 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 12 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Serious: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their serious movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

A split, not a type: Light 4 · Serious 3 · Dark 5

Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 4 · Stylized 4 · Heightened 4

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

A split, not a type: Gentle 4 · Charged 0 · Intense 8

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 4 · Shifting 7 · Whiplash 1

Straight-faced: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their straight-faced movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 8 · Some laughs 3 · Funny 1

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 4 · Even-paced 5 · Relentless 3

Engaged: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their engaged movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

A split, not a type: Casual 6 · Engaged 5 · Full focus 1

Affecting: How much it costs you emotionally; whether you need recovery time. Browse their affecting movies.
Demand · Emotional cost
easyheavy

A split, not a type: Easy watch 5 · Affecting 1 · Heavy 6

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 10 · Open-ended 2 · Ambiguous 0

Roles they play

6 analyzed roles

Usually the Shadow: 4 of 6 analyzed roles.

Shadow
4 of 6
Trickster
1 of 6
Threshold guardian
1 of 6

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
8
Dread
8
Contemplative
3
Warm
2
Absurd
2
Other
7

How their films linger

Unsettling6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteDevastating2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 4 with a twist

  • Happy1
  • Bittersweet5
  • Ambiguous5
  • Other1

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch David Howard Thornton's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 10 of their 12 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Prime Video (7).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for David Howard Thornton's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

20 credits, 12 with a MovieCove page; 5 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • The Dead Place(2026)

    as The New Kid

    Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • Rough Cut(2026)

    as Arnold Drewitt

  • Big Baby(2025)

    as Hooper

    Midcredits score: 8th percentile of all films

  • Namaka(2025)

    as Walter Notch

    Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films

  • Screamboat(2025)

    as Steamboat Willie

    Midcredits score: 5th percentile of all films

  • A Very Special Terrifier Christmas(2024)

    as Art the Clown

    Midcredits score: 20th percentile of all films

  • Terrifier 3(2024)

    as Art the Clown

    Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all films

  • Stream(2024)

    as Player 2

    Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films

  • Bupkis(2023)

    Show 1 episode · as Art the Clown

    Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all shows

  • The Mean One(2022)

    as The Mean One

    Midcredits score: 6th percentile of all films

  • Terrifier 2(2022)

    as Art the Clown

    Midcredits score: 46th percentile of all films

  • The Dark Offerings (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2021)

    as Tim Cobb

  • The Exigency (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2019)

    as Bumbo (voice)

  • Terrifier(2016)

    as Art the Clown

    Midcredits score: 28th percentile of all films

  • Behind the Mask II: The Return of Leslie Vernon (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    as Arthur

  • Night of the Living Dead II (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Actor

  • Screamboat 2: Nothing Stays Dead (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    as Steamboat Willie

  • Stream 2: Sudden Death (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    as Player 2

  • Terrifier 4 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    as Art the Clown

  • The Autopsy of Albert Kemper (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    as Albert Kemper

Career shape

Star power in the 95th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 20 titles, 14 of them dated from 2018 to 2026; peak year 2023.

Biggest box office

Terrifier 3 (2024)

$90M worldwide

Highest rated

Stream (2024)

Midcredits 55th

Most popular right now

Terrifier 3 (2024)

Film career

20182026

Peak 2023 · at the high point of their film career. Top draw in 5 MovieCove titles. Film roles by billing, audience size and rating; 25+ votes. A show carries a single first-air date, so shows are not on the curve.

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting20 of 20: 20 only acting, 0 with another role · typical Midcredits score46th

By decade

2010s2 · acting2020s12 · acting

Billing

usually 1st · top billed in 50% of 6 roles

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored. Billing is TMDB cast order for roles with 25+ votes, billed in the top 30.

How do David Howard Thornton's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 37th percentile, the median of the 10 of 11 with a score; across their 11 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 46th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

46thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 11

Approval · how many liked their films

48thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 11

Reach · how many have seen their films

81stpercentile
Typical film, the median of 11

Midcredits score across 11 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up1
  • 50th to 74th4
  • 25th to 49th2
  • Below 25th4

Shape of the crowd

6 of their 11 titles are Mixed.

  • Divisive2
  • Crowd Pleaser3
  • Mixed6

Most divisive · actor

The Dead Place (2026)

98th percentile spread · 40% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor

Namaka (2025)

Midcredits 81st · 88% liked

Reviewers score the acting 61/100 in their films, across 8 reviewed titles; fans 74, detractors 29. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is David Howard Thornton's work okay for kids?

Across up to 6 MovieCove titles with content scores, violence & gore, sex & nudity, profanity, alcohol & drugs and frightening / intense run heavier than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore6 titles84–94 · median 92 · severeheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity6 titles39–69 · median 62 · intenseheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity6 titles62–86 · median 77 · intenseheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs6 titles36–71 · median 45 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense6 titles77–91 · median 89 · severeheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 39

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.

Who does David Howard Thornton work with?

People who share at least 2 of David Howard Thornton's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Michael Leavy shares the most, 6.

Directors

Actors

Composers and cinematographers

Producers