Terrifier 3 has received a special screening at this year’s Fantastic Fest, and first reactions have suggested that Damien Leone has managed the impossible and created an even more depraved, bloody, lore-filled installment than the seemingly insurmountable Terrifier 2. It is not simply a case of upping the gore levels either, as reviews have made it clear that there is a story to Art the Clown’s reign of terror – and it’s not over yet.
Terrifier 2 made a household name of the comical but deadly Art the Clown, more than a decade after he made his screen debut in a short film and the anthology horror All Hallows Eve. His first solo appearance in 2016’s Terrifier was a dark and brutal, but mostly grounded slasher that brought with it a peek through your fingers kill that set something in motion to make the character a cultural phenomenon and a glorious throwback to dark and nasty horrors of the late 1980s/early 1990s.
When Terrifier 2 arrived on the back of a hugely successful crowdfunding appeal, the franchise transformed into an altogether different beast, with mythical imagery, a final girl who became instantly iconic, and a “bedroom scene” that suggested boundaries had been pushed to their limit and there was nowhere left to go. It seems that everyone was wrong about that.
Terrifier 3’s Early Reviews Have Surpassed All Expectations
Damien Leone promised that Terrifier 3 would include scenes that would disturb even more than the previous movies, and it seems that this time around he has done that with a “shower scene” that many have said will go down in history with that of Psycho. But it is more than that, Leone has a plan for Art, and that has clearly come across, with several reviews noting that something of biblical proportions is coming – and this isn’t a job for the Ghostbusters.
As shared by Bloody Disgusting, reviews have piled in following the screening and have unanimously marked Terrifier 3 as nothing short of a complete success. @Thebelledegore commented, “You silly fools have no idea what is waiting for you in Terrifier 3. You wouldn’t believe what these eyes have seen.” @AnAntLife broke down a summary of many points others have said about the movie, writing:
“A sicko Christmas blood bath!Leone brings his twisted humor while still harboring a darknesses that digs deeper into Art the Clown’s lore. Lauren LaVera is outstanding growing her already traumatic broken role. David Howard Thorton’s vaudeville performance is perfect”
Here are some of the other first thoughts on what is sure to be Leone’s biggest hit yet, and also one of his most controversial.
What is clear is that Leone has somehow managed to outdo himself once again, building on the previous movies to create the kind of horror movie that has not been seen for a long time – one that is as creative as it is vile, and as ambitious as it is conscious of its budgetary limits, and above all else, one that has remained true to itself and not sold out to a big studio. The only question remaining now, is how Terrifier 4 will ever compete?
Terrifier 3
is released in cinemas on October 11.
Terrifier
and
Terrifier 2
come to Tubi on October 1.