Back in 2013, a horror icon was born in Art The Clown when Damien Leone‘s All Hallows Eve was released. Following the anthology film, the monochrome menace was the focus of their first feature in 2016's Terrifier, a gruesome slasher that quickly became a word-of-mouth hit thanks to its gory kills and humorous yet horrifying villain. Terrifier 2 put the franchise on the map in 2022 when word of people fainting and vomiting in screenings turned it into a word-of-mouth sensation. The success of Terrifier 2 meant Terrifier 3 was given an even higher budget – but its status also meant it came with even higher expectations from horror fans.
Swapping his usual Halloween massacres for some Christmas carnage, five years after he last tormented the residents of Miles County, Art The Clown (David Howard Thornton) is back alongside a mutilated and maniacal Victoria Heyes (Samantha Scaffidi) to bring his twisted version of joy to unsuspecting families gearing up for the holidays. Meanwhile, Sienna Shaw (Lauren LaVera) has spent her time in and out of medical facilities following the brutal events of the last film which saw her mother murdered by Art before Sienna could ‘kill' him with a magical sword gifted to her by her late father. Traumatised by what she experienced, Sienna's life is turned upside down when she sees Art again in Miles County, turning to her brother Jonathan (Elliott Fullam) as well as her uncle Greg (Bryce Johnson), aunt Jessica (Margaret Anne Florence), and cousin Gabbie (Antonella Rose) for help.
Within the first 10 minutes, Terrifier 3 ups the ante for the franchise with a jaw-dropping kill that changes the formula we associate with the previous entries while maintaining the blood and guts we've come to love them for. Leone takes some bold swings with the latest film in the franchise, obviously listening to what firm fans wished to see in future films and developing a movie that both furthers his vision and is built on feedback. The gore is what keeps horror fans seated when it comes to these films, and Terrifier 3 gleefully delivers buckets of blood in a masterclass of practical effects. There's a more diverse range of victims this time round—some of which are sure to shock and appal viewers—as well as even more creative weapons and sequences that showcase the depraved minds of the Terrifier team.
Terrifier 2 introduced a supernatural element to Art's character which is explored more in Terrifier 3, but maybe not to the extent that is needed as the film answers some burning questions while posing much more. In a post-screening Q&A, Leone compared Terrifier 3 to Star Wars Episode V: Empire Strikes Back in that it ends on a cliffhanger and leaves open plot threads for a following film, and it does mean the narrative doesn't pack the same explosive punches as previous films have as it builds a foundation for future projects.
What will have many cinemagoers heading to the cinemas is, of course, Art himself, and the clown is firing on all cylinders with more of Thornton's signature mime artistry and exaggerated performances that make the character so captivating. Unlike other slasher franchises in which the killer receives very little screen time, Art is the star of the show and Thornton is simply magnetic in every scene he graces. You'll want to look away as blood and viscera lash the screen, but you can't take your eyes off his astounding performance. Similarly, LaVera delivers a strong performance as Sienna struggles to deal with the trauma surrounding her attack while also keeping her loved ones safe during a fresh batch of slayings. Scaffidi's Victoria is given more room to terrify audiences with her razor-sharp tongue, unpredictable demeanour, and some truly vomit-inducing sequences that mean she becomes a more than worthy accomplice to Art's reign of terror.
Gleefully deranged and drenched in gore, Terrifier 3 gives Terrifier fans exactly what they want from the franchise and more to boot, building on Art's strange and fantastical mythos while delivering more extravagant kill sequences and gross-out moments that will haunt anyone who can stomach sitting through them.
Terrifier 3 is released in UK cinemas on 11th October 2024.
