Terrifier 3 Fantastic Fest Review — Bloody Threequel Attempts to Overexplain Its Mythos

The Terrifier franchise has gone from a small but devoted cult following to being one of the most recognizable IPs in the horror genre. The third film in the franchise, Terrifier 3, attempts to take the series to bigger heights in storytelling as well as gore. While there are sporadically satisfying moments, the experience is shockingly boring.

Terrifier 3 Review

The third entry in the Terrifier franchise follows Art the Clown as he returns from his apparent death to maim, torture, and murder the residents of Miles County on Christmas Eve. With each entry, the Terrifier franchise has become increasingly focused on its story; unfortunately, this is the weakest aspect of Terrifier 3.

This threequel picks back up with the protagonist of the second movie, Sienna, years after her traumatic experiences. Although the character and her arc are very generic, the role is elevated by Lauren LaVera, who gives an unexpectedly and genuinely good performance. She has the sincerity it takes to be a great scream queen, and it’s apparent that this is the tradition in which her character and performance are envisioned.

With this deeper character development, Leone also attempts to add thematic depth to his work, and while it doesn’t always work, it is exciting to see him evolve as a storyteller. This entry covers very familiar thematic ground in its exploration of trauma, following in the footsteps of any number of slasher sequels — particularly the Halloween franchise.

Terrifier 3 also attempts to expand the mythos of Art the Clown, and the results are incredibly confusing. David Howard Thornton’s mute performance as the demented mime is still as fun and unhinged as ever, but in attempting to explain the character as more than a relentless killing machine, Leone destroys some of the mystery that made the character so intriguing. This film also introduces a secondary antagonist in a strange decision that feels crassly consumerist.

As for the killers’ victims, they’re pretty disposable, although that’s nothing new for the franchise. Ultimately, this seems to be the biggest thing holding the Terrifier movies back from becoming truly harrowing slashers and not just exercises in fun. It’s a very nihilistic approach to horror, where we want to watch anyone and everyone die in the most brutal ways possible. There is much more fear when you actually care about the people getting attacked.

Terrifier 3 also takes the franchise into another subgenre with its Christmas setting, but unfortunately, Leone doesn’t add much to the festive horror pantheon. The extent of the film’s “holiday cheer” is a Santa Claus variant costume for Art the Clown and one or two Santa-themed kills. It feels like there was a lot of untapped potential to have Art do some unwholesome things with wholesome imagery.

Of course, the main reason fans buy tickets to the Terrifier franchise is to see brutal, sadistic kills, and the third entry mostly satisfies this department. Admittedly, the movie peaks early, with its meanest, most creative moments coming during the awesome cold open. However, some moments sprinkled throughout really deliver, especially some that are reminiscent of some of the more iconic moments from previous films in the series.

The visual effects in the movie to pull off these sequences are as strong as ever, but that should be a given, considering Leone’s background in special effects. Viewers who simply come into the film wanting an abundance of blood and gore will certainly leave satisfied. However, this entry is also an aesthetic improvement over its predecessors in several ways, including the 35mm cinematography — a departure from the digitally-shot first two movies that do wonders for the Christmassy vibes.

Is Terrifier 3 worth watching?

Terrifier 3 offers some satisfying kills and incredible practical effects, but with a runtime of over two hours, that’s unlikely to satisfy anyone beyond the franchise’s core fans. While it’s admirable to see Leone invest more in the story to make this franchise more than just a sizzle reel, this effort has more swings than misses.

Terrifier 3 is playing at the 2024 edition of Fantastic Fest, which runs September 5-14.