Terrifier 3 continues the story of both Sienna Shaw (Lauren LaVera) and her brother Jonathan (Elliot Fullham). After narrowly surviving the brutal Halloween massacre of the terrorizing Art the Clown (David Howard Thornton), the two siblings are estranged and struggling to piece together the remains of a normal existence in the time of peace, while suffering from survivor’s guilt.
But the time of peace comes to a shocking halt during the festive Christmas season when Art the Clown comes to town, decking the halls with blood and guts alongside his new partner-in-crime, Victoria Heyes (Samantha Scaffidi, reprising her role as heroine and villain in the prior films), with Sienna and Jonathan put to the test to stop him before he slaughters the town.
Writer/director Damien Leone has previously mentioned that with this third Terrifier film he wanted to up the ante in terms of characters and gore. And boy, he definitely held to his word. The Christmas motif in horror has been a staple since the ‘70s, with films like Whoever Slew Auntie Roo, Silent Night, Bloody Night and Black Christmas, and here the time of widespread joy and cheer contrasted with gruesome violence, human suffering and gallows humour proves to be another wonderful springboard for horror.
In the case of Terrifier 3, Leone has delivered a sterling example of stand-out horror which proves to be uncompromising, unapologetic and jolly, bloody fun. While the second film made sure that we cared about the characters and their plight, whilst preparing an odd yet compelling ponderance of backstory that dwells on fantasy, Terrifier 3 makes sure that the villains are the stars of the show, with Leone giving them plenty of opportunity to unleash his unbridled joy and terror.
Leone also amps up the macabre humour and childlike sensibility of Art, with his reactions to the people and the world around him proving bluntly funny. Great examples include his interaction with a mall Santa Claus employee (Daniel Roebuck) or when he overhears his infamy from true crime podcaster Mia (Alexa Blair Robertson), comparing him to other serial killers like Jack the Ripper. Having mentioned infamy, Scaffidi makes a big impression as Victoria Heyes, the-final girl-now-full-fledged villain. Much like how Howard Thornton exudes menace and mischief slathered with sadism, Scaffidi uses her physicality and acerbic tongue (pun intended?) to entertaining effect, resulting in the the scenes with Art and Heyes honing an extremely creepy and darkly humorous personality; the numerous cameos from genre favourites like Chris Jericho, Jason Patric, Clint Howard and Tom Savini add to the fun.
The black humour throughout informs the violence, giving it simultaneously a sense of purpose and repulsion. With new weapons (chainsaws and extinguishers, for example), adversaries and devices at his disposal, Art is as sadistic as ever as he spares no one. The use of Christmas imagery accentuates the comical aspect (angels in blood, anyone?), and the unsheathing of weapons is so ridiculous that it borders on cartoonish; the use of mallets being a prime example. Leone, however, handles these tonal shifts well enough that he is able to focus both the surrealism – which was present in Terrifier 2 – and the authenticity in order for him to gauge the kills by being cunning, devastating and cathartic. In terms of devastating, there is one particular set-piece later in the film that set this writer’s Musophobia (known as the fear of mice and rats) on overdrive.
The film’s stakes are felt through the returning characters and their inner turmoil; due to the nature of the story, Sienna and Jonathan feel more passive this time around. One particular stand-out is an unnerving scene involving one of Sienna’s deceased friends (Kailey Hyman, reprising her role as Brooke), looking mutilated and skeletal, berating Sienna for causing death to all those close to her. LaVera in particular, delves deeper into her character and shows more vulnerability and anguish with emotional aplomb, which, in turn, makes her character arc extremely rewarding.
As for its flaws, the film threatens to overstay its welcome at 125 minutes. Although the pacing is improved from the second film, as it is able to maintain a stronger focus and not overindulge in the fantasy, backstory or exposition, the film still remains willfully obscure in its intent that it does become slightly discouraging on both a character progression and narrative level. On that note, the film may feel a bit repetitive in the sense that the franchise could use more ingenuity. Fortunately, the conclusion promises a lot in the future sequel that is sure to be a game-changer.
Overall, Terrifier 3 is a stellar sequel that delivers the bloodletting, slicing, dicing and dismembering that gore-hounds will want, all jam-packed and stuffed in one succulent Christmas turkey. Highly recommended.
FOUR AND A HALF STARS (OUT OF FIVE)
Terrifier 3 is screening in Australian theatres from October 10th, 2024.
