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Terrifier 3 is out now in cinemas, which marks the first film in the series to get an initial release that way, given that the first two only recently had a big screen outing for the first time, in the UK at least, two weeks before the third one came out.
Below, I’ll give a brief summary for the first two films, but I’ll put part of this behind a spoiler where I’ll reference certain scenes, but even if you skip them and just watch No.3 for the time being, you won’t exactly be in the dark, as we’re in Halloween-style territory, but with a clown as the antagonist.
Terrifier largely centred around two young women out on Halloween, Tara (Jenna Kanell – Renfield) and Dawn (Catherine Corcoran), who find themselves being followed by the evil-looking Art the Clown (David Howard Thornton), but then given the time of year, it’s not unlikely to see someone being creepy when you’re out and about, and no-one was yet dressed as Phillip Schofield.
And a key scene in the first film…
Terrifer 2 then picked up right after the first one ended, but with Art meeting the Little Pale Girl, also dressed like him – who I thought might be thought of as his daughter at one point, but then when you have a film series where Art can be decapitated, while a woman gives birth to a new head, all bets are off as to how the plot can progress.
Naturally, more deaths ensue, but the main protagonist this time is Sienna Shaw (Lauren LaVera), who spends a lot of time cosplaying for an event in her Wonder Woman-style ‘Warrior’ outfit, and we could’ve done with the return of that in No.3.
However, while the first film was a brisk 82 minutes, No.2 really should’ve been trimmed down, as it’s almost an hour longer at 138 minutes, and could easily cut out at a lot of its soap-opera-style plot setting.
For Terrifier 3 – now set at Christmas, it packs a punch from the off, showing a family being brutally murdered, and continuing to play out like an ’80s-style horror with actual practical effects, rather than forever relying on CGI like most modern movies.
Hence, when you see a woman being woken from her deep slumbers to occasional squelching sounds along with thuds, her husband becomes an early victim courtesy of an axe. Even when it came to her turn, the first strike was away from the camera – making me think they’d dumb it down a little now that this third movie was getting a wide release… but no, Art really digs in with his axe!
However, what did turn me off is this film’s propensity to not turn away from killing young children. That’s a new low in cinema. Adults and annoying teenagers, yes, but come on, guys. That’s not right. It’s like Art the Clown has turned into Benjamin Netanyahu!
Before we come back to the present day, events briefly head by back five years to the end of the first film, involving Art with mental asylum resident Vicky (Samantha Scaffidi), the latter being a character from the first film, and I’ll avoid spoiling how she comes into the plot, so you can go and watch that one in the meantime.
Coming back to 2024, Sienna is seeing leaving the hospital in which she’s been trying to recover, while circumstances have led to Art and Vicky being in some sort of state of hibernation, only to be woken up by two unfortunate security guards, one of whom has their head peeled open. Yes, I said the baddies have superhuman strength.
Her brother, Jonathan (Elliott Fullam), is at University and trying to get on with his life after the events of the second film, but Christmas is coming up leading to situations where Sienna thinks she starts seeing Art here and there, and that the only way to deal with him will be to return to the Terrifier, a haunted fairground attraction, and collect her father’s sword… yep, magic sword.
One of my favourite murders in Terrifier 3 was when Art freezes a rat with liquid nitrogen, which is a great scene, because rats are gross and they deserve what they get.
However, I still found it unnecessary and gross that kids are killed and squelched to bits. Come on, you can do better there, when Terrifier 4 invariably comes along, since this film cost just $2m to make and is No.1 in the Top 10.
Instead, Art could’ve gone after the two individuals at the end of my row, who were constantly scrolling on their phones. After a while, I looked straight at them, and when their eyes met mine, I said: “Can you turn your phone screens away, please?”
There is no mid- or post-credit scene.
Terrifier 3 is in cinemas now, and is available to pre-order on 4K Blu-ray, Terrifier 1-3 Blu-ray Boxset, Blu-ray and DVD, ahead of its release date TBA.
Detailed specs:
Cert: 
Running time: 125 minutes
Release date: October 11th 2024
Studio: Bloody Disgusting
Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1
Cinema: Odeon Trafford Centre
Rating: 7/10
Director: Damien Leone
Producer: Phil Falcone
Screenplay: Damien Leone
Music: Paul Wiley
Cast:
Sienna Shaw: Lauren LaVera
Art the Clown: David Howard Thornton
Gabbie: Antonella Rose
Jonathan: Elliott Fullam
Victoria Heyes: Samantha Scaffidi
Jessica: Margaret Anne Florence
Greg: Bryce Johnson
Mia: Alexa Blair
Cole: Mason Mecartea
Jennifer: Krsy Fox
Juliet: Luciana VanDette
Smokey: Clint Howard
Eddie: Bradley Stryker
Santa / Charlie: Daniel Roebuck
Burke: Chris Jericho
Bystander: Tom Savini
Michael: Jason Patric
Mark: Alex Ross
Brooke: Kailey Hyman
Timmy: Kellen Raffaelo
Dispatch: Lisamarie Falcone
Officer Evans: Stephen Cofield Jr
Bag Lady: Corrine Kelly
Dean: Joseph Falcone
Cosplayer: Peter Mitchell
Reviewer of movies, videogames and music since 1994. Aortic valve operation survivor from the same year. Running DVDfever.co.uk since 2000. Nobel Peace Prize winner 2021.