By Jack Ransom - October 7, 2024
The third entry in the brutal cult favourite slasher series from the twisted mind of director Damien Leone. Terrifier 3 sees Art the Clown (David Howard Thornton) return to the unsuspecting citizens of Miles County to inflict chaos and pain as they celebrate the Christmas holidays.
The success story of the Terrifier franchise is a real fist in the air triumph for the independent horror landscape. Leone and his ghoulish creation Art the Clown have been a duo since 2008 (of which Art appeared in his short film The 9th Circle), then as the star in 2011’s Terrifier short and more prominently in the 2013 anthology All Hallows Eve. However, it was three years later in 2016’s feature length Terrifier flick where Art instantaneously became a slasher favourite. Grossing just over $400,000 on a $35k to 50k budget. However, it was 2022’s Terrifier 2 that launched the series into gorehound top levels and grossed an astonishing $15 million from a $250k budget. Now in 2024 we have the third instalment, which I still am stunned to say is getting mainstream coverage and is set to slash its way into cinema chains across the country (I am genuinely stunned that I can go and see this again at convenient times at a local multiplex).
Whilst it was overlong and suffered from dodgy performances and dialogue, Terrifier 2 set a high bar to follow with its strong character work for series hero and instant final girl favourite Sienna (Lauren LaVera) and of course, its diabolically gruesome practical effects and creative methods of murder. This third entry to me is on par with the second flick. Where it falters in its character work and plot investment compared to its predecessor, it makes up for with slicker pacing, a bolstered budget allowing for more cinematic direction, lighting and cinematography and a nailed balance of slapstick screwball comedy moments alongside genuinely uncomfortable, mean spirited and grotesque bursts of violence.
To me, the plot here is more akin to that of Halloween Kills, where the chaos and brutality is amped up as Art goes on a Yuletide spree, yet the characters and story are held back. Sienna’s arc here is one that we have seen countless times before in genre sequels: dealing with the trauma of the previous encounter by moving in with relatives, taking medication, freaking out in public and recounting the events in a diary. However, she of course doesn’t truly believe Art is gone once the visions start reappearing and the body count creeps up. It’s not badly executed by any means, but it is quite generic.
The film also, very much leans into setting up a cliff-hanger (and undeniably hype building) ending for the recently announced fourth tale of terror. The hints at Art mythology and the twisted dark comedy of he and the even more terrifying Vicky Heyes (Samantha Scaffidi) are thoroughly sadistic and Leone certainly pushes this aspect over Sienna’s family (especially her younger brother, who was far more prominent in Terrifier 2).
The main question people will be asking here is: does this go as hard as Terrifier 2? The answer is a resounding “Yes!”. From the opening sequence it is abundantly clear that the filmmakers are not messing around. The direction ratchets up the tension more so than anything in the prior entries and the execution is of course, skull crushingly brutal. We get the expected parade of decapitations, limb lopping, shootings and impalements. However, there are a few particularly eye-poppingly ruthless scenes, that I will not spoil, but individually involve chainsaws, rats, explosives and putting glass where it really, really should not go. The budget here is $2 million (8 times its predecessor) and the creative direction, cinematic lighting and variety of locales certainly showcase this and also showcase Leone’s continued improvement as a director. The score taps into the retro/Grindhouse synths of the previous flick and also delivers one of the standout Christmas themes of the year.
LaVera delivers a very 2018 Halloween Jamie Lee Curtis-esque performance here. Though the material is familiar, LaVera is still great and she once again taps into the final girl badassery seen in the previous film. She and her niece (played by Antonella Rose) are more so the emotional core here than her and her brother, who is largely side-lined to his college dorm room here. David Howard Thornton is once again relishing his character’s joy at the atrocities he is committing. There is a sequence in a bar involving a drunk Santa Claus which got deservedly big cackles from the audience. Samantha Scaffidi is a standout here as the totally disturbed, maniacal, infatuated-with-Art remains of what was once Vicky Heyes.
Terrifier 3 is a solid third feature in this gruesome slasher throwback that is undoubtedly going to be a huge hit for both fans and the filmmakers behind it. It may lack in terms of character work, can fall into repetition and does have an undeniable overhanging of 4th film set up to it. However, it proves again that Leone and co. are not messing around when it comes to pushing boundaries, delivering absurdly bloody, uncomfortable, creative and disgusting kills with continually impressive practical effects. The performances are solid, the dialogue is improved and the stylistic elements feel even more cinematic than ever before.
Terrifier 3 releases in cinemas October 11
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