Colin Krawchuck’s The Jester lends horror flicks a different and harrowing definition. Jester chronicles a sinister entity sporting an orange suit, a black hat, and clown makeup who kills people on Halloween Eve. However, evil does give his victims a chance to save their lives. From what it appears, Jester gives them a task, probably something like reflecting on past mistakes and making amends with their families. If they succeed, voila, they live to see another day, and if they don’t, Jester will kill them in a manner only he could think of. At the beginning of The Jester, we see a middle-aged man named John Wheeler (Matt Servitto) begging forgiveness from his daughter for what he did. Unfortunately, his daughter, Emma, was in no mood to hear him out. She disconnects the call, and with that, the man’s only hope of surviving.
Spoilers Ahead
Who Are Emma And Jocelyn?
Emma (Lelia Symington) and Jocelyn (Delaney White) are half-sisters and the daughters of John Wheeler, the old man we saw Jester kill at the start of the film. They’ve arrived in town to attend their father’s funeral, whose death was ruled out as a suicide. Emma attended the service, just for the sake of it, and couldn’t wait to leave this god-forsaken town. However, at Jocelyn’s request, Emma met with her at a local bar. Even though the girls had the same father, they’d never actually met. Everything was going well; the sisters were bonding over beers and workplace stories. The air became thick when Jocelyn showed Emma an old picture. The photo showed Emma with her father, and was taken months before he left. In reality, Emma hated her father and abhorred him for what he did to her and her mother. John left her mother one day and never returned. Later, Emma got news that he had married again and had a beautiful daughter, Jocelyn.
Emma hated John her entire life and was glad when she heard he’d died. However, she couldn’t help but feel sad when she attended his funeral. Even though the timing was wrong, Jocelyn was excited to meet her half-sister. She was under the impression that Emma could finally bury the hatchet and accept her. Unfortunately, she was wrong, and Emma made it very clear. Jocelyn’s mother died some years ago, and after John’s death, she had no one to return home to. She thought she would have a bit of family left in Emma, but she, too, rejected her. This was the real reason why she was trying desperately to win over Emma. Unlike Jocelyn, not everyone in the town was very fond of John Wheeler. The man was no hero, said Larry (Joe Hansard), one of the townspeople. Larry knew John from his time in the factory. Working 15 years around the man had given Larry the idea that John Wheeler had secrets—things he never told anyone. He also believed that John’s death wasn’t suicide but murder.
What Are The Sisters Experiencing?
After killing John Wheeler, the Jester lines Emma and Jocelyn up in his crosshairs. At this point, it appeared that Jester wanted to hurt anyone connected to John Wheeler. The evil clown also wasn’t very fond of ill-mannered people. At John’s service, we saw him killing two people who mocked him and tried to call the cops on him. One of them died after falling into an open grave, while another perished after biting his own tongue. When Jocelyn told her friends that she doesn’t believe in ghosts, the Jester took it upon himself to prove her wrong. The entire night, she had been seeing her father sitting On his rocking chair. This troubled Jocelyn greatly, and she wanted to get her mind off her dad’s death. Thus, she decided to attend the great Halloween event that the town throws every year. Emma was also going through the same ordeal. At first, it started as a friendly Halloween prank, but soon it turned into something sinister. The Jester kept following Emma, making her uncomfortable. In one instance, he even slit his throat in front of Emma. The blood spewing from Jester’s slit-open throat bathed Emma in red, and she ran without turning back. Emma sought help from the police, but they laughed it off, saying she had been pranked. Maybe it was a guy dressed up as this character to scare people, the cops said. The cops believed Emma was either drunk or high on drugs. The situation took a harrowing turn when Jester pranked and killed those police officers.
Did Emma Save Jocelyn Or Leave Town?
Jocelyn’s friends became Jester’s next amusement. Jester plucked Liam’s eyes and teeth in a “friendly game.” Alexis also wasn’t so lucky and had her leg broken by the evil clown. Madison (Lena Janes), too, became a victim of Jester’s eerie smile. Jocelyn agreed to do anything if Jester left her friends alone. Meanwhile, Emma is met with a choice: either leave town or save Jocelyn. The Jester mocked Emma by reminding her that she was no different than her father, John Wheeler. She was difficult and never really cared for anyone. Jocelyn had tried to make amends with her, but Emma pushed her away. Her father, John, had tried countless times to bridge the gap between him and Emma, but she always rejected his efforts. Emma had the same choice: either continue playing the game or leave Jocelyn here to die. Emma made her choice and agreed to continue playing the game. However, it wasn’t going to be easy. Jester ridiculed her, suggesting John had never loved Emma and her mother, and that’s why he married another woman. Jocelyn was the daughter he always wanted, and Emma was just emotional baggage. It was with Jocelyn that John became the father he was meant to be, Jester suggested. None of this was true, but it was Jester’s ruse to make Emma leave Jocelyn to her fate. He was pitting Emma’s memories and school of thought against her. However, Emma eventually saw through his tricks and defeated Jester.
Unfortunately, Jocelyn was stabbed in the process. So, did she make it? Yes, as The Jester neared its conclusion, we saw Emma entering the bar to meet Jocelyn and her friends Alexis and Madison. Emma also finally buried the hatchet with her father. She forgave John for what he did to her all those years ago. Emma also apologized for not listening to what John had to say that night. As established earlier, Emma loved her father, but her world was turned upside down when, one day, he, without any justification, left his family. He never returned, and he married another woman. This was the reason why Emma had trust issues, thus explaining her reasons for refusing any emotional attachment. Jocelyn tried to connect with her but was shoved away. Emma hated her, even though she knew deep down that Jocelyn wasn’t at fault. John’s leaving Emma and her mother was solely his choice.
What Does Jester Represent?
The film never explains it, leaving us to derive our own theories. Jester wasn’t an evil maniac who goes around killing people for no reason. He was a representation of the obvious tension in the Wheeler family. The symbolism of choice is a recurring motif in the story. Jester becomes the arbiter of decisions, forcing all three to confront their own issues. At the start of the movie, we see Jester throwing John off the bridge, killing him. The evil claimed his life because he failed to mend his relationship with her daughter, Emma. Jester gave him a chance, and he failed and paid the price. Had he been successful, it was possible that Jester wouldn’t have bothered Jocelyn and Emma. Soon after, Jester gave Emma the same choice, and unlike her father, Emma succeeded. It was likely that Jester was tricking her when he suggested that he would leave Emma alive if she left town. If Emma had chosen to do that, it would defeat Jester’s purpose, and he would have to kill Emma. Emma accepted Jocelyn as her sister, and they both survived.
