Christmas has come early this Halloween with Terrifier 3, the latest entry in the Terrifier series. Unlike the previous two films, Terrifier 3 falls flat in its presentation and disappointing story.
Picking up five years after the traumatic events of Terrifier 2, Terrifier 3 follows “Final Girl” Sienna Shaw (Lauren LaVera) as she is once again terrorised by the terrible Art the Clown (David Howard Thornton), this time during the Christmas period. Whilst the film retains it’s dark comedy, the scene of Art and Santa being a real highlight, much of it is lost because of the complete focus on gore and blood.
Terrifier 3 occupies a strange place in the timeline as the two leads of the previous film have went through significant changes off-screen, making catching back up with them a difficult task.
“I saw him today”
Image credit: Cineverse
Terrifier 3 starts with an opening that is arguably better than the rest of the film. It follows a young girl as she thinks Santa has come to her house to deliver presents early, that’s until she realises the man dressed as Santa is actually Art the Clown. If you struggle with violence against children, this opening is very difficult to watch.
Sadly the tone and scares of the opening don’t translate well to the rest of the film. The kill-count may be higher, and Art is far more creative, but the film starts to spin its own wheels round about the half way mark.
David Howard Thornton’s performance as Art really does carry the Terrifier franchise, and no where is that more evident as in Terrifier 3. He brings a glee and fun to the role that helps to balance out the brutal displays of violence, and it’s also heavily entertaining to watch him joke around.
Lauren LaVera also does a great job as Sienna Shaw. Her performance remains just as good as it was in the second film and is only elevated by the characters trauma, which she also does a great job displaying. Sienna’s trauma is a big focus point of the film and it’s the most interesting thing about. It isn’t played down and only gets worse when she realises Art is back from the dead, and is coming for her.
The side characters of Terrifier 3 are a real mixed bag. Unlike the previous films likable cast of characters, the new inclusions often feel very one-note, especially Sienna’s extended family that are forced into the story to give her more to worry about. However, a couple of iconic horror character actors and behind-the-scenes legends make cameo appearances that’ll have die-hard horror fans excited.
“He was dressed as Santa”
Image credit: Cineverse
Terrifier 3’s runtime is just over two hours. It’s a long bloody ride that starts to drag as it approaches the ending, sadly, there’s no happy endings to be felt this time around. Most of the cast is killed off, leaving very few leads alive going into Terrifier 4, which is being talked about as the last film in the series.
Sienna and her brother Johnathan’s (Elliot Fullman) relationship takes a back seat to make way for Sienna’s newly introduced cousin. This change feels very out of place as one of the key themes of Terrifier 3 is survivors guilt and how it is a terrifying truth of trauma.
The kills are especially disgusting in Terrifier 3 and are all somehow worse than the infamous “bedroom” kill in the prior film. Two in particular left me feeling ill, one involved rats and the other takes place in a shower. You’ll know them when you see them.
Art also takes a back seat in the later part of the story due to another evil killer that has been set up over the course of the previous two films. This change and adjusted focus ruins the tension and of the last act and leaves Art feeling like a side character in his own story.
“How can you be sure its him?”
Image credit: Cineverse
Terrifier 3 is a step down from the first two that have cemented themselves as horror classics. Whilst the gore and violence are amped up, the story takes a backseat and looses a lot of the charm that made Terrifier 2 so good.
Art as Santa is a fun concept and having him slash across all the holidays is great fun, but that’s about how far the concept goes. It’s not too inventive but it’s a boat load of fun.
I wish I could recommend any of the Terrifier films, however they just aren’t made for the general public. The success of the most recent has been a joy to see for independent cinema. I’m happy these films exist and Art has become a new horror icon, but Terrifier 3 doesn’t hold a candle to the previous films.
Featured image credit: Cineverse
Third year Film and journalism student
Gaming and Tech editor
Horror fanatic
Yes, totally agree. We left the theater disappointed this time. This one had a sloppiness to it. I sort of wish they had just made the two movies and left it alone because this one tarnishes the second installment’s epic finale. Really was looking forward to this, now sadly not really interested in future installments of this series.