Terrifier 3 (2024) review – Visually brilliant but desperately try-hard festive horror
Terrifier 3: Quick Verdict
The Verdict: A visually stunning but narratively bloated slasher that pushes the boundaries of taste to the breaking point. While Terrifier 3 is a gorgeous ode to 80s retro horror, boasting incredible practical effects and a magnetic performance from David Howard Thornton, it frequently stumbles into “try-hard” territory. Its desperate attempts to shock through tasteless violence often dilute the strength of its core characters. It’s a messy, overlong, but undeniable gore-fest that fans of Art the Clown will enjoy, even if it feels a little too “edgy teen” for its own good.
Details: Director: Damien Leone | Cast: David Howard Thornton, Lauren LaVera, Samantha Scaffidi | Runtime: 2h 5m | Release Date: 2024
Best for: Hardcore gore-hounds, fans of practical special effects, and those who appreciate the aesthetic of Golden Era 80s slashers.
Worth noting: The film features extreme depictions of violence, including scenes involving minors, which has led to walkouts and warnings in cinemas.
Where to Watch: Amazon Prime Video (Rent/Buy)🛒, Apple TV, Sky Store
Rating: 3.0/5 Stars
(Visually brilliant, excessively gory, overlong)
Welcome to Knockout Horror. We are continuing our Festive Frights season today with a movie that actually only released a few months ago. Despite being set during the Christmas holidays, Damien Leone’s Terrifier 3 was actually given an October, Halloween cinema release. I can only imagine this was done to double-dip on the holiday season.
Highlights
More of the Same… But at Christmas
Terrifier 3 continues the blood-soaked legacy of Art the Clown (David Howard Thornton) as he recovers his head and teams up with the possessed Victoria Heyes (Samantha Scaffidi) to seek revenge on the previous movie’s survivor, Sienna (Lauren LaVera).
It’s five years later and Sienna has been spending a lot of time recovering in a psychiatric hospital. She is suffering from some serious survivor’s guilt and has moved in with her aunt and uncle. It’s not just the plot that Terrifier 3 picks up with, it’s the violence and kills, as well.
The movie kicks off with a particularly tasteless scene that features a family being butchered in their house by Art, who is wearing a Santa costume. If the sight of a mutilated minor isn’t to your taste, you might want to check out of this movie right now. There is a lot more tastelessness to come.
An ode to retro horror
Terrifier 3 looks glorious! It’s filmed with Panavision, anamorphic lenses to offer the picture that very specific 35mm retro horror look. This is a movie that is visually absolutely brilliant throughout. It genuinely looks like it has been pulled right out of the early 80s and is a marked improvement on the first Terrifier film.
“It genuinely looks like it has been pulled right out of the early 80s and is a marked improvement on the first Terrifier film.”
It isn’t just the camera style, though. Leone has set up some excellent shots that are extremely reminiscent of the Golden Era of slashers. This is a movie designed to very much spark a certain feeling of horror nostalgia. It’s great throughout and a treat to behold.
Leone wasn’t content only aiming for a visual nod to retro horror cinema with Terrifier 3. He also wanted to tap into the mindless and senseless brutality that was oh-so-common in movies from that era. The only difference here is that it is turned up a significant notch. The gore is at a level that can only be described as ludicrous.
It’s actually a bit corny and try-hard
Limbs are chopped off, people are decapitated, and bodies are sliced from taint to tongue. It’s extreme even by slasher standards. The practical effects look fantastic and the realism of some of the kills is fairly stark. This isn’t a movie for the weak of stomach, but gore fans are going to be in heaven. A lot of it is tongue-in-cheek, but I do get the sense that Leone went out of his way to offend.
“Terrifier 3 is something of a horror movie equivalent of a nearly 30-year-old Gerard Way singing about how he is ‘not okay’ while surrounded by high school kids.”
It’s actually a little bit cheesy and slightly embarrassing, at times. Almost as if the movie was directed by a 14-year-old boy rather than an actual adult man of 40. Terrifier 3 is something of a horror movie equivalent of a nearly 30-year-old Gerard Way singing about how he is “not okay” while surrounded by high school kids. It’s a product made by adults that is squarely aimed at edgy teens. I can’t shake the feeling that it is all a bit cringe.
Terrifier 3 goes out of its way to shock, but never in a way that could be deemed all that interesting or creative. A character pleasuring themselves with a shard of glass and a number of young children being blown up in a mall feels, for the lack of a better word, desperate. It almost screams of “please share this on TikTok”.
It’s kind of a shame because it dilutes the product
It’s kind of a shame because there is a very watchable movie here. Terrifier 3 has a lot of nods to classic horror like Black Christmas and feels like it fits into that “oh-so-specific” niche of great Christmas horror movies quite well. But only when it isn’t going out of its way to offend.
When it is turning up the gore to 11, it doesn’t really work as it just gets lost in its attempts to be the bloodiest horror ever. When it is placing the focus on its strong and relatable protagonist, as well as its genuinely great villain Art the Clown, it is a ton of fun.
Art is fantastic and actor David Thornton (The Mean One) does a brilliant job. He is menacing but, also, completely hilarious and every scene featuring him tormenting people or miming his reactions to overheard conversations is a genuine joy. Just how interesting the character is makes the over-the-top violence feel rather unnecessary.
“Art is fantastic… He is menacing but, also, completely hilarious. Just how interesting the character is makes the over-the-top violence feel rather unnecessary.”
You could have done so much more just dialling back the over-the-top gore and giving up more Art. Sienna is a great heroine with a decent amount of depth. She feels strong and capable, despite her problems, and actor Lauren LaVera does a nice job with her character.
There are a couple of problems
There are more issues that the movie struggles to overcome, though. Scenes feel very poorly connected together and the bloated cast can feel a little too much. There is a strong feeling of disorganisation and poorly laid-out storytelling, and a bunch of stuff that doesn’t really need to be in the movie at all.
Terrifier 3 clocks in at over two hours, which is far too long for a horror. Particularly a slasher, and that is very evident with just how poor the last third of the film is. I couldn’t shake the feeling that they needed to wrap things up quickly, scribbled out a bunch of stuff, and went about it in a very haphazard way.
Terrifier could benefit from some much tighter pacing and a whole bunch of editing to create a little more cohesion and drop some of the redundant bullshit. It is messy, throughout, and full of pointless fluff.
The Good, The Bad & The Ugly
The Good
- Visual Direction: Filmed with anamorphic lenses, the movie nails the retro 35mm aesthetic. It is visually stunning for slasher fans.
- David Howard Thornton: Art the Clown remains one of modern horror’s best villains. His mime-work and physical comedy are top-tier.
- Practical Effects: The gore is incredibly realistic. For fans of practical “blood and guts,” this is as good as it gets.
The Bad
- Excessive Length: At over two hours, the film is far too long and suffers from a messy, disorganised final act.
- Tastelessness: Some of the shocks feel desperate and “try-hard,” often crossing into territory that feels more cringe than scary.
- Poor Pacing: The movie is filled with redundant scenes and pointless fluff that could have been easily trimmed for better cohesion.
The Ugly: The Mall Scene. Explosives and children are a combination designed solely for shock value, and it feels like a desperate attempt to trend on social media rather than serve the story.
Should You Watch Terrifier 3?
Yes, if you have a strong stomach and love Art the Clown. It is a technical step up for the series, but be prepared for a long, messy, and frequently tasteless trudge. It’s not the masterpiece some claim, but it’s an effective holiday slasher.
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