The fanaticism for the long running Terrifier franchise is nothing short of fascinating. Exploding in popularity primarily through word of mouth, the gruesome exploits of silent, creepy slasher villain Art the Clown has taken the horror world by storm (whether they’ve embraced it or not is a completely different story), and writer/director Damien Leone’s decision to expand what was once a relatively linear story into a full-fledged one with strong characters is unexpected and admirable. Now arriving eight years after its first full-length entry made its way into the world of modern-day horror (though if you want to count shorts, this is Art the Clown and Terrifier’s 16th birthday), Terrifier 3 has come to, in layman’s terms, plant high explosives in your chimney. For you see, this marks the movies’ first time outside of the season of the witch and into the time that anyone who’s ever worked in retail before detests with a passion: Christmas!
The story picks up immediately after the events of Terrifier
2, where we saw Art (played here once again by David Howard Thornton) get
his comeuppance via a satisfying sword decapitation. Turns out that despite
getting your head chopped off, you can’t keep a good clown down and, well, he
gets better. Now joined by an accomplice in the form of physically deformed,
insane survivor Victoria Hayes (a returning Samantha Scaffidi, one of only two
performers to appear in every full-length entry of the series), they enter a
five-year-long hibernation. When they’re accidentally disturbed by demolition
workers, Art resumes what he’s been so good at doing. This time around though,
he discovers that he’s woken up during a different holiday, which leads to him
grabbing a Santa suit and committing more horrible acts (but now with some
X-mas themed flair). Elsewhere, Terrifier 2’s survivors Sienna and
Jonathan Shaw are trying to move on with their lives, though the former has
been released from a mental health center and is wrecked with survivor’s guilt,
while the latter is trying to settle into a life of normalcy at college. It
doesn’t take terribly long for the two to discover that perhaps their greatest
nightmare has returned, and they attempt to concoct a way to finish him off for
good.
Let’s get the biggest positive of Terrifier 3 out of
the way right now: it is shorter than its predecessor and flows much better
than prior installments (though we’re still subjected to some scene lingering
here and there). I think this shows Leone’s growth as a filmmaker and
understanding the audience a little more. While we’re more than satisfied
watching the extravagant and expertly shot murder sequences of these flicks,
it’s like watching a “death match” in professional wrestling. There’s a good
chunk of people who love the sheer insanity and audacity of it all, but we need
a breather from time to time. Speaking of those slayings, to the surprise of
absolutely no one, the deaths in Terrifier 3 are chaotically,
unapologetically gruesome. For every time that I thought to myself “I don’t
think you can top the ‘bedroom’ centerpiece from the second film,” Leone and
his crew manage to prove you wrong. If you have any suspicions that Art may
have lines he doesn’t cross, then I’d like to point you to a sequence that
takes place inside of a mall. Understandably, the movie’s most infamous moment
(and what will likely nab it several awards at niche horror-themed ceremonies
from the likes of Dead Meat and Fangoria) is a double kill involving a chainsaw
that would make fans of 1980s cult favorites such as Pieces very proud
and the creators of violent video game series Mortal Kombat blush (side
note: NetherRealm Studios, put Art the Clown in your newest game as DLC and
watch your sales skyrocket). Simply put, the movie’s kills are like putting
Mortician lyrics from pen to screen. In what is perhaps the most pleasant
surprise, Terrifier 3 is also a lot funnier than its predecessors. These
films were never joyless slogs, but actor David Howard Thornton is really
getting a chance to showcase his comedic chops via great body language and little
mannerisms that briefly defuse the horrors of what you’re seeing on screen. It’s
similar to what we’d see in some of the later-day Elm Street sequels,
but with a villain who never utters a single word to the audience.
Perhaps the greatest triumph of the Terrifier series
above all else though has been the rise of our now recurring heroine Sienna
Shaw (played wonderfully by a returning Lauren LaVera). She has emerged from
the events of the prior flick with plenty of mental and physical scars, but much
like the strongest of horror protagonists (or hell, just film in general), they
haven’t weakened her and have made her more alert than ever. It’s akin to seeing
the growth of classic horror heroines such as Ellen Ripley or Nancy Thompson, and
her performances are the anchor to this gorefest of a franchise. Without going
into any spoilers, it’s going to be very interesting to see where her character
goes after the events of Terrifier 3, but as long as LaVera and Leone
continue to work together, I’m all here for it. Put her in the ‘S’ tier of
all-time best “final girls.”
At this point in its lifecycle, the Terrifier franchise,
for better or for worse, is here to stay and is a testament that you don’t need
an astronomically high budget to shock or disturb audiences. They’re very much
like that local restaurant that you’ve dubbed “the best *insert food item* in
town.” While that statement is a debatable one amongst you and your colleagues,
it’s still a very satisfying meal for what they charge. It’s blood-soaked
comfort food, and regardless of whether this kind of stuff is your jam or not, I
think it’s incredible to see an unrated motion picture top the box office (and
to dethrone the highly anticipated Joker: Folie a Deux with relative
ease). It’s neat to see things shaken up sometimes. That, and it’s a great big
middle finger to that anti-union, “anti-woke” jackass Todd Phillips. If you’ve
got the stomach and want a splatterific way to kill two hours, come on down to
the clown café again.
