Terrifier 3 is only in cinemas 11 October. Distributed by Signature Entertainment.
Synopsis
After surviving Art the Clown’s Halloween massacre, Sienna and her brother are struggling to rebuild their shattered lives. As the holiday season approaches, they try to embrace the Christmas spirit and leave the horrors of the past behind. But just when they think they’re safe, Art the Clown returns, determined to turn their holiday cheer into a new nightmare. The festive season quickly unravels as Art unleashes his twisted brand of terror, proving that no holiday is safe.
Review
Terrifier 3 dives headlong into the extreme gore that defines the franchise, but this time, it drowns in it. While the practical effects are undeniably impressive and stomach-churning, they can’t compensate for a film that lacks direction and a cohesive narrative. It feels like director Damien Leone wrote some gruesome murders and loosely tied them together with a shoestring plot, resulting in an ultimately meh experience.
Art the Clown remains a terrifying presence, and David Howard Thornton’s performance is as unsettling as ever. His silent, gleeful sadism is truly disturbing, and fans of the series will find plenty of shocking and creatively gruesome kills to satisfy their bloodlust. However, even the most dedicated gorehounds might find themselves growing numb to the relentless brutality, as the film fails to build any real tension or suspense. Everyone that encounters Art does not last long so there is little room for any real tension to build.
The “final girl” from the previous film, Sienna, returns, but her storyline is a mess. She’s plagued by disturbing visions and hallucinations, but their purpose and connection to Art remain frustratingly vague. Her character arc feels disjointed and underdeveloped, leaving the audience with little emotional investment in her fate. Her father clearly has nightmare visions and tried to set his daughter up to win but that is about as far as the details go, which three films in (two involving Sienna) leaves us questioning what little plot the film had.
The film does attempt to expand the mythology surrounding Art the Clown, bringing in supernatural element to his existence at the end of Terrifier 2, however, these additions feel forced and convoluted, adding unnecessary complexity to what should be a simple slasher premise. Instead of enriching the story, they create confusion and distract from the core appeal of the franchise: watching a terrifying clown unleash horrific violence.
Despite it’s runtime clocking in at just over two hours, the film feels both long and yet rushed. Some scenes drag on, and the pacing is uneven, leading to moments that feel repetitive and tedious. Tighter editing and a more focused narrative would have significantly improved the overall experience. With very minor characters given a gruesome murder with much larger and more involved characters being killed offscreen. The decision for this is simply baffling but leads into the belief that the writer just wanted the gore scenes and slapped the story around them.
Three movies into Art the Clown and his horrific journey and 5 and a half hours of content, we’re still given very little origins of who Art was and this paranormal spin on his inability to die. All the horror icons have their origins and lore and it feels Art the Clown is lacking in this area, mostly gaining notoriety though his kills and upbeat (if not messed up) humour.
Verdict
While Terrifier 3 certainly delivers the extreme gore that fans expect and ultimately want, it fails to capture the raw intensity and focused terror of its predecessor. The film prioritises spectacle over substance, resulting in a bloody mess that ultimately loses its way.
⭐⭐
