Modern-day Scream Queen Lauren LaVera is leaving behind Art the Clown (David Howard Thorton) and taking up with Djimon Hounsou in the upcoming horror-thriller titled simply The Monster. LaVera starred as Final Girl Sienna Shaw in both Terrifier 2 and the recent box office success, Terrifier 3.
And LaVera (Marvel’s Iron Fist, Law & Order: Organized Crime) will soon be rubbing shoulders with Hounsou in New York City, where “two millennials” are pulling off a major real estate scam, until things go horribly awry. The synopsis for The Monster reads as follows (per Deadline):
“Monster follows two millennials who make quick money by leasing incredible New York City apartments they don’t own to people who don’t know they are being scammed. The con works brilliantly until they run into an apartment owner with a dark secret who flips the game on them.”
Darren Lynn Bousman will helm LaVera and Hounsou’s terrifying team-up. Bousman famously took up the mantle as director of the Saw series (Saw II, Saw III, Saw IV and later Spiral) after James Wan gave up the director’s chair following the original Saw’s (2004) success, as the fan-favorite cemented its way into the annals of horror history 20 years ago. Saw series stalwart Mark Burg is also attached as one of The Monster’s producers. Burg told Deadline when the trade broke the news announcing the film’s production back on October 18:
“Darren [Lynn Bousman] sent me a script with incredible twists and turns and the opportunity to work with him and the brilliant Djimon Hounsou. This movie will be amazing and scare the hell out of audiences worldwide.”
Lauren LaVera’s Very Real Fear of Clowns
Terrifier 3 slayed the competition at the box office over its opening weekend as the horror sequel began its theatrical run back on October 11. Filmmaker Damien Leone’s latest film made an astounding $18.9 million during its debut, and now everyone knows the name Lauren LaVera. But do fans realize LaVera has an actual aversion to clowns, even beyond Art the Clown? LaVera dished about her fear, which started with the horror classic Poltergeist, in an interview with Dread Central:
“It’s funny because I really didn’t find it all that scary generally, but it was that one clown doll that really messed with my brain. And ever since, I’ve been terrified of clowns. It’s their uncanny nature. They always have this plastered smile on their face, and it’s like that white makeup on their face, how jovial they’re meant to be…
But you just feel like they can switch and turn at any moment because they have this fake plastered smile. I think it would be easy to see them just snap. So, I think that’s why I don’t like them personally, but I think most people can probably relate.”
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Unlike 2016’s feature-length Terrifier, which does not include LaVera among its cast, and its 2022 sequel Terrifier 2, Christmas becomes a focal point of the supernatural horror series in Terrifier 3. However, like Clowns, LeVera can’t stand the “most wonderful time of the year.” Yes, that’s right, LeVera is not a fan of X-Mas either. The actress said during the same sit-down:
“I don’t like Christmas at all. I told Damien [Leone], too, when he said he planned to set this one at Christmas. I hate Christmas. I told him that, and he just said, ‘Yeah, this is going to be great.’ It added to the unease of everything Sienna was feeling. I don’t think she appreciates Christmas much, either. And I think you can see that in her.”
Fans can watch LaVera’s breakout performance as badass Final Girl Sienna Shaw in Terrifier 2 right now via Amazon Freevee for absolutely free. And be sure not to miss the franchise’s latest frightening entry while it’s still playing in theaters, because MovieWeb’s Terrifier 3 review declares “Art decks the halls with more gore than ever before.”