'Terrifier 3' Reviews: "a horror movie so nasty and nightmarish that it's bound to be an endurance test for even genre buffs with the most hardened nerves and strong stomachs"

         On October 11, 2024, Cineverse releases 'Terrifier 3', which has earned rave reviews from critics, currently holding at 93% on Rotten Tomatoes. In this third entry into the bloody franchise, "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." The ensemble cast includes David Howard Thornton, Lauren LaVera, Chris Jericho, Jon Abrahams, Elliot Fullam, and Samantha Scaffidi. But what did the critics say?

        James Preston Poole of But Why Tho? A Geek Community says, "Terrifier 3 is the zenith of what the series shephard Damien Leone has worked towards—a film that throttles so over the line into bad taste it becomes something utterly enthralling. The Terrifier movies are nearly impossible to get a consensus on. Part of the horror community can’t stand them. Another faction holds them in high regard. Some only like the first film’s simple, practical gore showcase, while others are more drawn to the ambitious stylings of Terrifier 2. Regardless, it’s clear that Leone started a conversation that has led to high anticipation for the series’ third entry. Leone represents something of a modern grindhouse maestro who has turned cranking out low-budget and low-brow shockfests into an art (no pun intended)." Adding, "Five years have passed since the events of Terrifier 2. After the trauma she endured at the hands of serial killer Art the Clown (David Howard Thornton), Sienna Shaw (Lauren LaVera) has been released from a psychiatric care facility. She’s estranged from her brother and fellow survivor Jonathan (Elliot Fullam), trying her best to move on with her life. As Christmas approaches, Sienna is getting a very special present: the return of Art the Clown. But in Terrifier 3, his mangled victim, Victoria Heyes (Samantha Scaffidi returning from the first film), is an accomplice."

       Jacob Hall of Slashfilm notes, It's literally impossible to recommend "Terrifier 3," a horror movie so nasty and nightmarish that it's bound to be an endurance test for even genre buffs with the most hardened nerves and strong stomachs. But it's also easy to admire "Terrifier 3" and what writer/director Damien Leone has accomplished. Many horror movies aim to be transgressive, to shock and disgust, but here's one that actually manages to pull it off. It pushes your buttons with such deadly force that your inner machinery breaks –– you cannot believe what you're seeing. One can never accuse this movie, or this franchise, of taking the easy path or softening its edges to make for a safer, more palatable experience. Here's a horror movie that declares itself to be dangerous, and actually delivers on the promise." Continuing, "So, all of this asks a pretty big question: Who the heck are these movies for? The gore-soaked adventures of demonic serial killer Art the Clown are films for a certain corner of horror fandom, the kind that sheepishly admits to having seen it all and wanting something to shock their system to make them feel alive again. That's a polite way of saying "sickos," but I say it with sheepish grin because it's clear that I exist among those sickos. I'm fascinated by these movies; they blend nightmarish comedy with eye-scalding violence, practical creativity, and unrelenting, intentionally punishing Looney Tunes-but-with-more-viscera cruelty. You'll never catch me telling someone that they need to see "Terrifier 3," but you absolutely will see me warning folks about it, and assuming that warning will double as a recommendation for the right person. Some audiences just want a movie that's going to push them to some kind of limit, and Leone is ready to deliver the kind of experience that's destined to be the stuff of genre legend, whether you like it or not. To watch one of these movies to the end is to feel complicit in an act of evil."

Photo by Simon Ray on Unsplash

       Matt Donato of IGN Movies writes, "A Christmas-themed slasher in October? Why not? With Terrifier 3, director Damien Leone pays homage to ’80s and ’90s horror icons and the rapidly multiplying, increasingly “ridiculous” sequels that kept their franchises alive. (Like how Hellraiser, Leprechaun, and even Friday the 13th eventually launched their supernatural killing machines into space.) Leone takes every opportunity to weaponize festive staples and bastardize sainted Christmas imagery, adding biblical and batty layers to Terrifier’s signature, practical-effects bloodshed. By dressing like Santa Claus, silent psycho killer Art the Clown (David Howard Thornton) adds a new flavor to his immaculate brand of slasher mutilation – and with Leone overcomplicating his mythology with each new Terrifier, it’s much needed. Terrifier 3 mirrors Terrifier 2 in both positive and negative ways. It stages jaw-droppingly brutal death scenes (hell yeah) but indulges a story that’s spiraling out of control (hell meh). Lauren LaVera lives to fight another day as beloved Final Girl Sienna Shaw, the "Chosen One" destined to defeat Art. She's haunted by the unspeakable events of the previous film and obsessed with her quest to kill her grease-painted nemesis, which Leone addresses with a "just roll with it" jumpiness. Sienna repays her generous Uncle Greg (Bryce Johnson), Aunt Jessica (Margaret Anne Florence), and adoring cousin Gaby (Antonella Rose) by bringing Art to their doorstep – because what's a massacre without innocents to sacrifice?"