Terrifier 3 is released in cinemas tomorrow and excitement in the horror community is palpable following rave reviews praising the film's excessive gore and outrageous comedy elements. The latest instalment in Damien Leone's revered franchise sees Art The Clown return to Miles County following his gruesome rebirth in Terrifier 2, ready to cause chaos as locals get ready for the Christmas period. The first trailer has teased some of the blood-soaked mayhem fans are set to see which has become synonymous with the franchise, and early screenings upped the excitement with the London screening reportedly producing nine walkouts and one person vomiting.

Ahead of Terrifier 3's eagerly-anticipated release, FILMHOUNDS spoke to cinematographer George Steuber about creating each film's signature look, how they navigated a bigger budget and crew this time around, and what it takes to bring Terrifier's iconic kill scenes to life.

Terrifier 3 is coming out soon and it's a lot bigger than Terrifier and Terrifier 2. What was that like to navigate when it came to filming?

It's been a very interesting process. We've come a long way since the first Terrifier. But overall, it's been a lot of work. But we get something good out of each one.

The look of each Terrifier film is very distinct. Is it a conscious decision to make them look so different?

The first film was a very low-budget production. We kind of used what we had at hand, but with Terrifier 2 we upped it. The third one, we upped it too.

So the third one, we chose totally different camera lenses. They were Panavision lenses. We did a lot of testing with different lenses, but we decided on those. So they are all different and kind of unique, but they all still have a retro style to them.

Terrifier had a very gritty, grimy, 2000s horror appearance. How did you achieve that?

We shot the film with DSLRs so that probably played into it a lot, tremendously. The others were shot with cinematic cameras, so it's like a totally different ball game, yeah.

Terrifier 2, on the other hand, was very bright and vivid. What decision did you make and what tools did you use to create such a different look?

We made a conscious decision to shoot the bedroom scene bright, vivid, and really in your face. The film overall is a lot brighter. We had a lot more lights on set and we had a lot more crew, so we could do things a little differently, whereas in the first one, we were very limited with our lighting and crew. I mean, we really had no one. Two other people were helping me, but with Terrifier 3, we had 40 different people working on it.

Parts of Terrifier 3 appear as if they were shot on film. Were they, or was this effect created in post-production?

A lot of that was done in post. We shot on the (ARRI) Alexa 35 which had a lot of dynamic range. There's a lot of play (with the footage) afterwards, and the post-production process is really what made it. We were trying to give it a Black Christmas sort of a feel, but yeah, that's most of that was done in post.

This film was also lit in a different way. We used tungsten lighting, an old-fashioned lighting that the industry doesn't use as much anymore. It requires a lot more power, so we had to kind of figure that out, which was tricky, but it gives it a retro feel like Black Christmas.

Were there any drawbacks to working with larger crews on Terrifier 3?

It's actually pretty helpful. You have to get used to delegating duties though. We started very small and we were wearing many hats. Damien was doing everything, and Phil (Falcone, producer) and I wearing 10 hats. Once you learn how to delegate, it's a lot more of a streamlined process that makes it a lot easier.

The thing that most people speak about immediately when discussing Terrifier is the kill scenes. As the cinematographer, what do you need to bear in mind when creating the kill scenes to make them playoff?

The kill scenes are tough because it's all practical effects. So you need to think of certain things, like, maybe the blood should pop, or you need to create shadowing contrast ratios to make it scarier. But Damien is very, very good at what he does. I mean, he's exceptional. So I feel like we could tackle pretty much any kill scene. With him overseeing it, everything seems possible.

Speaking to the cast and crew, one thing everyone has commented on is how the Terrifier team is one big family. What is that like to be a part of?

It is like a family, we're very tight-knit, and it kind of helps because we all are trying to create the best films possible. Damien has a vision, and we're all working to create it. We all come together and we can share ideas, whereas on a traditional film set, that probably wouldn't be a thing. But since we're a family, it's a thing on Terrifier. And it definitely helps.

In such a short time, Terrifier has become a classic horror film. What do you think it is about the films that have made them so popular?

Everyone finds something different in each of the Terrifier films that they kind of connect with. I feel like a lot of that is based on Art The Clown. He's very likeable and he'll kill with comedy. It's, it's like a perfect combination to create an iconic figure.

When I met Damien, I was just doing music videos mostly. I did some narratives and stuff like that. And then I jumped into Terrifier and I've watched it grow exponentially. It's been such an overwhelmingly incredible thing. Sometimes we can't believe it.

From a cinematography perspective, how do you balance the horror and comedy elements of Terrifier?

David (Howard Thornton, Art The Clown) has a lot of theatrical training and he knows comedy too, so he kind of injects that into the character. Since started, we have found the balance between Damien's writing and David's acting. I think it goes very well together.

Terrifier 3 is released in UK cinemas on October 11, 2024.

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