Terrifier 3 (Subversive Christmas Splatterpunk Demonomania)
You’ve probably heard enough already, so this is going to be different than all the chaff. I’m not going to waste time on film history platitudes and name drops, so let’s get to the grit. I first heard about the original Terrifier far after release, in fact far after the release of Terrifier 2, and learning about the release of Terrifier 3 I decided to delve into the depravity to prepare myself. What hasn’t already been said about the first installment? To summarize it was basically a movie sans plot as a vehicle for a quiet-type clown to kill the shit out of everything (I’d still rate it at least a 4 though). This was followed by the second, which provided more plot along a supernatural path, though it left many questions unanswered in lurking unknown weird fiction style. Add to that some tracks by Paul Wiley, and you have the perfect package. So what in the hell could Damien Leone, apostle for all the bottom dwellers of the world, and his team, possibly do with Terrifier 3? Just double down on the gore? Not going to be enough, and as I personally expected, there’s far more than extreme violence in the latest appearance of Art the Clown and friends. Terrifier 3 was already a classic before release.
Should you see the other two first? Probably, but Terrifier 3 can stand on its own with its more complex plot and character development, but, of course, get ready for some raw, impressive, hands-on practical gore effects taken to extreme lengths. We now find Sienna (Lauren LaVera) visiting the remains of her mother’s side of the family during the Christmas season as Art the Clown (David Howard Thornton) and his quasi-undead pseudo-lover Vicky (Samantha Scaffidi) return with netherous powers of Hell fueling their sadistic behavior. You’ve certainly heard about the Christmas theme in Terrifier 3, which actually assists the film in defeating Christmas Evil as the greatest anal stab to the season. Not an easy feat and the reason for this is multi-faceted. Terrifier 3 succeeds beyond expectations because it cleverly balances the extreme gore fans anticipate with its clear, supernatural story. In the second film, the supernatural element was somewhat ambiguous, though implied to be demonic in nature, and here the unknown force is more exposed while leaving a sense of mystery by the end. Of particular note is LaVera’s incredible delivery of Sienna, with all of the nuanced and tragic mental health issues that come with severe trauma. She’s not entirely heroic for what she’s experienced, but rather a martyr, and her depiction of the reality of mental illness and its impact on family life is exceptional. The gore, further, is integrated into the plot as a furtherance of the story, not simply a spectacle, with Thornton’s Art fully developed as a grotesquely deviant Harpo Marx whose sense of humor can only be understood by the wicked. The balance between the villains and Sienna, culminating in an awesome battle scene at the end with an eldritch cliffhanger, is the final Santa-skin mask on Terrifier 3, which is self-aware to the point of metafiction. There’s a variety of reasons to love it, but rarely does a third act further the direction of previous films this well, and for a film of this type, subverting modern Hollywood and pissing on its bloody remains, it’s a holiday treat you’re glad you discovered hiding behind the tree on Christmas morning.
Written by Stanley, Devourer of Souls
Terrifier 3 (2024)
Director: Damien Leone
Distributor: Bloody Disgusting, Cineverse, The Coven, Dark Age Cinema, Fuzz on the Lens Productions
4.8 / 5
