Terrifier 3 is a 2024 American slasher film directed by Damien Leone, and the cast includes David Howard Thornton, Lauren LaVera, Elliott Fullam, and Samantha Scaffidi.
Some films and franchises are just destined to stay within their dark little corners of the horror world, and usually, movies that lean as hard into violence and gore like Terrifier 3 does don’t get any mainstream attention, and are destined to stay in the cult following category.
But somehow, Terrifier 3, the bloodiest and most brutal entry in its series, has smashed all expectations and broken records and has become loved by mainstream audiences.
This low-budget shock-fest, featuring Art The Clown (David Howard Thornton) has been a massive success for the studio and has gained the mainstream success with audiences that big budget blockbusters normally enjoy, it's been quite crazy really.
People who wouldn't normally wouldn't watch this kind of film have flocked to see it, this certainly isn’t a PG-13 horror film with a few jump scares, it’s a gory nightmare that will also make you laugh.
Terrifier 3 has broken through its niche and somehow captivated the mainstream.
If you haven’t seen the first two Terrifier movies, don’t worry, you don’t need to, but you should still watch them anyway.
The premise for Terrifier 3 is simple, as we watch a clown named Art, return with a vengeance, and his mission? To haunt, torment, and brutalize Sienna Shaw (Lauren LaVera), his returning nemesis.
Art doesn’t just want to scare Sienna, he’s out to destroy everyone and everything she’s ever loved, and accompanied by his sidekick Victoria, we see major mayhem wherever he goes.
He’s not just a villain, he’s like a horror tornado, wiping out everything in his path with creative, nightmarish levels of brutality.
Art is more than just a killer, he’s absolutely relentless with no limits or remorse, and the same could be said of the movie itself.
This isn’t a film that shies away from anything; it goes full-throttle, offering a spectacle that’s both hard to look at sometimes and hard to look away from.
In the traditional sense, Terrifier 3 or any of the Terrifier movies are not exactly what you’d call good movies.
None have complex storytelling or deep character development, and they don't tug at your heartstrings or offer any meaningful life lessons.
But within the world of horror, Terrifier 3 is technically impressive, and a whole load of fun, it's not meant to be taken too seriously, you don’t watch Terrifier 3 for an emotional rollercoaster; you watch it to test your limits.
The movie is surprisingly meticulous with its sound design and pacing, and the opening scene alone is unsettling as we see Art the Clown, dressed as Santa Claus, sneaks into a home on Christmas Eve, as we listen to the sound of his footsteps wondering what he is going to do.
Director Damien Leone knows how to build tension, and he uses these subtle details to amplify the horror, and Leone fully understands that it’s the small things, the atmospheric details, that make the movie’s violence feel even more sinister.
I think you can guess whether I think it is worth watching, and many would agree it is considering the success it has had.
Terrifier 3 is unapologetically nasty, and it’s hard to say exactly why people love it, but it’s clear it has struck a chord.
There’s something thrilling about a movie that doesn’t hold back, that delivers on its promise of blood, guts, and horror without a hint of restraint.
The film is ugly, with moments that will make you want to look away, and yet, it’s also a tightly made film that knows exactly what it’s doing.
It’s a clever and intense and is a film that just nails it and I very much doubt this is the last of Art The Clown we will be seeing, as we now have a phenomenon on our hands that while it has always had a cult following, it has now become a mainstream phenomenon.
Terrifier 3 doesn't try and be something it is not, but it's a film that has got everyone talking and an icon that is now only going to get bigger and bigger.
Damien Leone can see the dollar dollar signs in his sleep, and so he should.
Add this one to your annual Christmas horror viewing.
I would rate this film 76% on my horror movie nerd-o-meter.
[Terrifier 3 on IMDB] [Where to watch Terrifier 3]
Read some more horror movie reviews: