TERRIFIER 3
****
Directed by Damien Leone.
Starring David Howard Thornton, Elliott Fullam, Lauren LaVera, Samantha Scaffidi.
Horror, USA, 125 mins, Certificate 18.
Released in Cinemas in the UK on October 11th 2024 by Signature Entertainment
Released in Cinemas in the UK on October 11th 2024 by Signature
Art the Clown has come a long way since we first met him in the 2013 low-budget anthology ALL HALLOW'S EVE to today in 2024 with TERRIFIER 3 being released across cinema screens worldwide simultaneously. For myself the Terrifier movies are a return to the all-out mayhem, moral panic and “dare you see this” type of set up reminiscent of the gore flicks of the 70's and 80's, as evidenced by the marketing for this new entry with sick bags available at its premiere screening.
TERRIFIER 3 kicks off with a sequence set to “Come All Ye’ Faithful” with a blood-soaked, grinning Art eating milk and cookies, firmly smashing the Christmas image of goodwill to all. What follows is a brutal and agonising sequence that sets the tone for the movie and its many devastating kills which, let's be honest, we are all here for. How depraved do they get and what new ways can Damien Leone dream up to absolutely annihilate a human being and elicit a reaction from the audience? Well, TERRIFIER 3 certainly does go places few mainstream films have gone before in terms of violence. If either one of the previous films weren’t for you, then this won't be either.
Sienna (Lauren LaVera) is back to battle Art. Living in a psychiatric care centre after the harrowing events of the previous film. Her brother Jonathan (Elliot Fullam) is now in college and along with their extended family they reunite for Christmas. However, Art has other plans which leave very little to the imagination, that will either have you wincing, cheering at the gruesome nature of these events or covering your eyes to simply give yourself a break. Art has also been reunited with his previous victim Vicky (Samantha Scaffidi) as an accomplice, with both working together on their plans to unleash terror. Sienna and Jonathan’s plans to rebuild their lives, eventually turn into a nightmare of bloody proportions and once again they find themselves in a battle for survival against the demented Art.
TERRIFIER 3 remains as funny as the previous instalments. I genuinely laughed out loud at a couple of kills and Art's antics as Santa at the mall. The plot is what it is, you know where it's heading, but it's refreshing to see a slasher franchise go so all out, upping the ante with each film with increasing levels of gore and the hellish kills we see.
It is gruesome and it doesn’t hold back. If you’re a hardened horror fan you’ll enjoy it, if you are a casual film goer, you’ll question why you bought a ticket. Mainstream audiences will definitely be shocked and then some! For the fans of this franchise, it more than delivers. Overall this really has become a cracking franchise with Art the Clown cementing his place as an iconic horror movie villain. TERRIFIER 3 builds well on the previous two films, going above and beyond in terms of gore, splatter and untold amounts of blood. The fact that it is set during Christmas just adds to the mayhem and absurd juxtaposition of what we see on screen. Strap in and enjoy the festive season like never before as Art goes on the rampage in his own bloody and fun style!
Mal Jutley
