The 70s gave us Leatherface and Michael Myers, the 80s, Freddy Krueger, Jason Vorhees, Pinhead and Chucky; the 90s, Ghostface, and the 00s, Jigsaw. But since then, there has been a distinct lack of horror villain icons. Many have tried, but all of them struggled to achieve the celebrated status of those that have come before. Then, Art the Clown arrived in Terrifier. The mute monochrome clown immediately captured audiences’ attention and his maniacal antics have seen him quickly ascend the horror ranks. Whereas Terrifier and Terrifier 2 both released straight to digital and DVD, the franchise’s ever-increasing popularity means that Terrifier 3 is being given the full theatrical release.
Picking up five years after the events of Terrifier 2, Terrifier 3 shifts from Art’s usual Halloween holiday setting, to Christmas. Audiences have seen the carnage that Art unleashes on Halloween, but even the most hardened-stomached person will struggle with the Hell that Art inflicts on the festive season. Opening with what is one of the franchise’s most heart-wrenching sequences, Terrifier 3 manages a series first – it actually makes the viewer afraid. Up until now, the Terrifier films have been all about bloodshed and grotesque imagery, but with this opening scene, director Damien Leone demonstrates talents in other areas. A chilling home invasion story, Terrifier 3 begins with an unnerving and disturbing attack that leans into the ‘less is more’ approach. It is refreshing to see this other side to Leone’s craft and it is this scene that will keep viewers up at night.
As effective as this beginning section is, Leone knows what the Terrifier fans want and does not disappoint. Each Terrifier film that has gone before has one kill that rules them all, and whilst that is certainly the case once again for Terrifier 3, there is plenty of gnarly gore throughout the film to keep the competition healthy. The biggest change-up this time around addresses a longstanding issue with the series. For years, some have criticised the franchise’s apparent fascination with torturing female characters whilst quickly dispatching the male victims. In Terrifier 3, Art is more interested in hacking men to pieces in a plethora of gross and protracted ways. Gore is gore, but the change certainly helps rebalance the series, enabling it to win over those who have been against the films that came before.
David Howard Thornton is once more having a ball playing Art the Clown. His warped performance is akin to a deranged Mr Bean, the actor perfectly nailing that line between humour and malice. The switch from silly to murderous Art is a skill that Thornton has been practising on the previous films, and in Terrifier 3, he has perfected it. A scene in which he meets Santa is superb, as is a sequence of him eavesdropping on some potential victims; add to that Art revealing his domestic goddess qualities, and there are all the ingredients for a quirky vein of comedy. After appearing at the end of Terrifier 2, Victoria (Samantha Scaffidi) takes on a more central role, with Scaffidi acting perfectly deranged. With it releasing in the wake of Joker Folie a Deux, Art and Victoria are the Harley Quinn and Joker of the horror realm.
Returning once more to face down Art are Sienna (Lauren LaVera) and her brother, Jonathan (Elliott Fullam). Sienna’s arc, in which five years on she is still severely impacted by her ordeal with Art, feels more authentic than some other final girls in circulation. The plot sees her released from a psychiatric hospital into the care of her aunt, uncle, and younger cousin, just in time for Christmas. However, it doesn’t take long for Sienna’s mental health to decline once more, and it isn’t long before Art is haunting her every moment. Jonathan gets less to do this time around, which is a shame as Fullam and LaVera are great together. Instead, Jonathan’s sidekick role from Terrifier 2 is taken over by young cousin Gabby (Antonella Rose), injecting a riff on the Ripley and Newt dynamic into the proceedings.
With the Terrifier fanbase being as devout as they are, Leone rewards them with some sneaky Easter eggs and nods to Art’s other outings. Those familiar with Art’s early short film appearances, and his turn in All Hallow’s Eve, will be especially rewarded. But Leone doesn’t stop at the Art films; there are several homages and hat tips to films as varied as Psycho, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, and Point Break, ensuring that more general film fans less familiar with the Terrifier series still have a treat or two to uncover. Leone also rewards the fan loyalty with an expansion of Art’s lore, and how both Victoria and Sienna figure into it.
Terrifier 3 is a fantastic continuation from Terrifier 2. Leone manages to up the stakes, both in terms of kills and story to create a woefully grotesque third film in the series. The switch up from Halloween to Christmas adds a much needed freshness to the franchise. As witnessed in Halloween movies, there are only so many halloween massacres that can occur before they become stagnant. The Christmas setting allows for new directions, but also makes Terrifier 3 harder to stomach. At Halloween, people expect scary things, but Christmas is meant to be a time of joy, comfort and love. By placing Art the Clown into this setting, Leone strips that safety from the viewer. The inclusion of a strong strand of home invasion horror also helps Terrifier 3 ascend to the next level.
Fans of the Terrifier franchise have been somewhat patiently waiting to see what an Art the Clown Christmas looks like, and the end result does not disappoint. A near constant onslaught of blood, gore and goo, Terrifier 3 ups the ante from its predecessors. Sure to be a hit with the Terrifier crowd, this third outing might just be the most gruesome yet, with several deaths set to immediately rocket to the top of ‘Terrifier best kill’ lists everywhere. Christmas has never been redder, nor victims deader, than in Terrifier 3; a wicked continuation of the Terrifier lore that will have audiences struggling to keep their lunch down.
Terrifier 3 is only in UK and Irish cinemas nationwide 11th October. Distributed by Signature Entertainment.
Terrifier 3
Summary
Art the Clown paints the town red – or should that be crimson? – as he unleashes his brand of horrific kills in a Christmas setting, with terrifyingly grotesque results.
