“Terrifier 3,” releasing in theaters today, is Writer/Director Damien Leone’s attempt at finding out where to go next. His first cult hit—released in 2016—gained a solid following due to practical effects in lieu of CGI and people’s fascination with Art the Clown (David Howard Thornton). Leone’s second film, released in 2022, upped the ante on its budget and kills (especially a bedroom scene that some think pushed the envelope too far). But it had a story. It had a heroine, Sienna, played likably and fiercely by Lauren LaVera, who brought believable notes to the story.
Sienna’s back in “Terrifier 3,” and LaVera makes her trauma and will to survive poignant. Regrettably, Sienna—like much of Leone’s third installment—is hamstrung by a script that wants to go above and beyond on gore and light on story. There’s more Art, the film is significantly more brutal, and some scenes are horrific to watch. But there’s something missing. Its side plots and random elements make it confusing, and its ending is unsatisfying and ambiguous. Yet there’s something here. And as Leone reported the film’s shorter run-time from “Terrifier 2” was his attempt to limit the film’s polarizing nature, perhaps editing and trimming is “Terrifier 3’s” biggest sin.
Less Story than Part 2
Is there a plot? Yes. 5 years have passed since “Terrifier 2’s” events, and Sienna is released from a psychiatric hospital following the trauma she experienced. She’s staying with her aunt and her husband (Margaret Ann Florence, Bryce Johnson). They are eager to see her, but leery of her mental health issues. But their daughter, Gabbie (an excellent Antonella Rose) loves her, and things slip into something like normal. It’s Christmastime. And Gabbie loves art and fantasy, just like Sienna. LaVera brings expert notes to Sienna’s trauma and really makes us like her. Meanwhile, her brother, Johnathan (reprised by Elliot Fullum) is at a nearby college. He also wants to see Sienna but is cautious. He has moved on from the tragedy while she hasn’t, and it’s clear her mental health issues bring everybody down.
This is the plot the film examines—tersely—as Art the Clown (Thornton, reprising the role) is running amok. It’s been 5 years since Sienna cut his head off with a magical sword connected to her late father, and a skeptical set of events take place that attempt to show why—or how—Art is still alive. But it’s for not. By this point in the series, filmgoers have already assumed that Art isn’t human, and “Terrifier 3” basically goes the whole way and suggests he’s a demon that may have once been a man, etc. But it’s really beside the point. Art exists as a need to commit carnage, and gore lovers will not need a reason for his existence. Yet I question how this is now the clown’s third attack on fictional Miles County, and yet he waltzes through the streets in his clown costume without drawing attention.
‘Terrifier 3’ Will Not Disappoint Gore Lovers
Gore lovers will not be disappointed with “Terrifier 3,” however, as the carnage is off the charts. The film’s opening sequence with Santa Art terrorizing a family is overkill gore, taboo breaking, and mean-spirited. And several other scenes follow suit. I’ll avoid spoilers, but Art’s bag of tricks is ever-expanding, and he finds creative uses for a plethora of items such as hammers, guns, chemicals, and more. His kills and their protracted nature are the reason to see the film, and Leone finds new, inventive, and prolonged scenes to showcase Art’s decadence. A scene towards the middle is overkill for the sake of overkill, while a mall scene will likely make some people wince, even though I was able to foresee it’s intended conclusion before it happened.
The revelry in which gore lovers enjoy these scenes should not be understated. I cringed during several of the scenes, and felt others were brutal and unforgiving. However, a semi-full theater around me laughed during these scenes. It’s a reaction I don’t share, but after all these films are intended for entertainment. The film’s budget is listed as $2M—similar to the last one—and the effects are on par. However, I seriously doubt anyone will puke or leave the theater due to this movie. By this point, viewers know what they’re getting into and such reports are but marketing to draw people in. The film is gross. The kills are mean. But it’s really no different than the previous two productions. Maybe my cynicism is the result of “Saw” fatigue. After watching that series from start to finish, nothing really shocks me anymore.
Editing Issues, Too Much Comedy, and Confusing Plots
However, “Terrifier 3’”s criticisms are its skip-jerk pace, its mixing of genres, and its terse ending which feels tacked on. Art here is funny, I suppose is the right word, and Leone and Thornton bring a lot of laughs to his sinister nature. Sometimes during a kill when he does it it’s expected, but other times (such as one scene where a college coed calls Art the ‘biggest serial killer since Jack the Ripper’ and Art—listening in the hall—gushes fame) it’s not. Laughing during a horror film is fine, of course. However, it feels as though Leone wants us to like Art, rather than be horrified of him. A lot of the film takes place through his lens—not a POV, but rather scenes that take place with him—sometimes just walking—and it takes away the creep factor of Art sneaking up and surprising people. He’s a clown and a lot of it is pantomime. However, sometimes the comedy gets distracting, mixing flying limbs and blood-splattered walls with jokes á la Freddy Krueger.
Leone’s dark/comic switching is what ultimately brings the film down a touch. It has notes of the grimy nature of his first, “Terrifier” with interspersing of Holiday trappings seen in Hallmark films. Yet “Terrifier 3” can’t decide if Art is a villain or an antihero, and including (**spoiler**) Samantha Scaffadi’s massively disfigured Victoria from the previous two films as an accomplice?—to me—took the onus off of Art and just made things confusing. There’s a dark, heavy, unsettling horror piece lurking somewhere along Leone’s three films he has yet to unearth. But possibly Leone believes comedy is the only way to offset the film’s tremendous gore. Or maybe I’m just analyzing too much.
But Still, a Brutal Horror Film
Either way, these issues—alongside a very shortchanged climax and treatment for Sienna’s character—dent the film. The gore is there, which will please Leone’s hardcore audience, and it’s doubtful wether ordinary movie lovers will wander into “Terrifier 3” without having seen the first two to know—and love—what they’re in for. However, the film’s ending happens almost as an afterthought—complete with religious references and demon lore—that struggles to wrap up as the film hits its conclusion. Maybe Leone’s teased extended edition will remedy this. However, I feel it will just be more gore and carnage—the “Terrifier” universe’s strong suit—and not story and exposition points that gives Sienna and her family the underscoring they deserve.
