31/25
a film is more conventional
Synopsis
Art the Clown is preparing to wreak havoc on the unsuspecting residents of Miles County as they sleep peacefully on Christmas Eve. Director Damien Leone said that several major studios were interested in financing the film based on the runaway success of Terrifier 2 (2022), even without a completed script, but he turned them all down because he was sure they would never let him do the single scene alone, which is “highly controversial.” Leone noted that the only reason he can be so uncompromising in his portrayal of horror and gore is because he independently finances his films, creates all of the special effects himself to keep costs down, and doesn’t have a major studio breathing down his neck. Mia mentions that the 5th anniversary of the original massacre is coming up, but it happened on Halloween and this film taking place 5 years later on Christmas would mean the anniversary was just 2 months ago… Julia’s Sister: Julia, I thought I said stay away from me – [Art kills him with an axe]. There is an uncut version of the film that runs 2 hours 25 minutes with 5 additional scenes. Starring: Terrorifier 2 (2022). Art by Drew Fulk, Joe Occhiuti, Paul Wiley, Spencer Charnas, and Steve Sopchak Artist: Ice Nine Kills and Shavo Odadjian.
This Terrorifier series is amazing
The first film sucks because there is nothing narratively or cinematically memorable about it, beyond featuring a memorable villain and impressively raw violence. It’s a horror movie that wasn’t stripped down to essentials, but somehow pushed forward. It’s a movie with nothing, no plot, and seemingly no care. Then came the second one, which made the villain even more memorable, and its scenes of bloodshed came off as more impactful. It also had a really good story and character development (I don’t think that’s a popular opinion, but I liked it), and for lack of a better word, introduced an interesting series mythology. Terrorifier 3 is everything the second film did right, and I think even better. Terrifier 2 felt overlong at 138 minutes, and Terrifier 3’s slightly shorter runtime helped the pacing immensely.
The violence is sickening
I still feel surprisingly invested in this series, which is shaping up to be something truly fantastic. They can end up overdoing that side of things, and they almost do here, but I really get what these movies have become. This is at least as sadistic as the second one, maybe more so. Art the clown is hilarious when he’s not killing people, but I really hate him. I love to hate him. Ironically, one of the best villains of the last 10 years. It’s Harpo Marx, if Harpo was a serial killer.
Chainsaws have never sounded louder
The last act made this movie that much better. I was worried I’d have a panic attack, and I felt bad. I’m a little shaken after all, now that it’s over. There was sadistic violence involved, but I think I was interested in it too. All of these characters have suffered a lot and are very invested in winning. The final scenes had me squirming more because I was invested than because of the violence. I think it’s fascinating, or maybe I’m just having fun.
Occasional rough deliveries and inconsistent acting here and there
There are a few scenes here that feel too cheap and the pacing isn’t perfect. It ties the first film and the second together in a way that felt awkward from the start. But most of the second half left me very on edge and I have to celebrate a film that grabbed me like that. There have been some high-profile disappointments in terms of new releases over the past month, so I’m very happy that Terrifier 3 was a film that exceeded my expectations. This is the best of the series so far.
