Art the Clown will return for another round of gun-happy supernatural slashings in Terrifier 3, written and directed by Damien Leone and produced by Phil Falcone.
Originally played by Mike Giannelli, Art first appeared in the 2013 horror anthology film All Hallows’ Eve, Leone’s feature-length directorial debut. Set on Halloween night, the film is presented as a series of shorts on an unmarked videotape discovered by two children and their babysitter, all featuring the homicidal clown. The first All Hallows’ Eve incorporates footage from Leone’s short films The 9th Circle (2008) and Terrifier (2011), also featuring Art.
In Terrifier (2016), Art returned, and again four years later, in the Screambox Original Terrifier 2 (2020), a supernatural force resurrects the killer clown so he can keep terrorizing the residents of Miles County. Known for extreme gore and practical effects, Terrifier 2 gained national attention after reports surfaced on social media of audiences “vomiting” and “passing out,” raking in over $15 million worldwide at the box office, earning over four times what it cost to make, according to Yahoo! Entertainment.
While Art’s first appearances were love letters to slasher films and the horror genre as a whole, over time, Leone’s gore-filled shock fests started to develop their own voice. As such, the Terrifier franchise has gained a loyal following, thanks to some truly innovative violence (seriously, there was some stuff I’ve never seen before). Even comedian Pete Davidson is among those loyal fans, which led to Art’s cameo in Davidson’s strange hallucination sequence in the season 1 finale of the Peacock series Bupkis.
In a May 2023 Cannes exclusive, Deadline reported that the women-led production company The Coven was again teaming up with the Art the Clown filmmakers Leone and Falcone to handle worldwide sales on Terrifier 3. The Coven founder, Priscilla Ross Smith, said, “There will be a much bigger budget this time around, which is intended to give the filmmakers more creative freedom and let them be as wild as they can be. And, all jokes aside, we are going for that Oscar this year.”
Is there a trailer for Terrifier 3?
In for a Pennywise in for a pounding, Art is ready to take over a new holiday in Terrifier 3. During the theatrical re-release of Terrifier 2 on November 1, Dark Age Cinema and Fuzz on the Lens Productions debuted the first trailer for Terrifier 3.
On July 24, 2024, they dropped yet another teaser for the upcoming horror flick:
What is Terrifier 3 about?
“Terrifier 3 will be another boundary-pushing addition to the horror genre, continuing the no-holds-barred, uncompromising exploits fans of the franchise have come to expect and celebrate,” Leone told Deadline, alongside the threequel’s announcement. “If you thought Art the Clown’s reign of terror in Part 2 was extreme, you haven’t seen anything yet.”
While no official Terrifier 3 plot synopsis has been released yet, Leone has hinted at the film’s storyline in several interviews. Speaking to Insider, the director teased his plans for expanding the mythology behind the killer clown in a big way, expanding on Terrifier 2‘s religious themes. “There’s blatant religious mythic imagery [in Terrifier 2],” explained Leone. “The clown is this resurrected demon, and Sienna is slowly becoming aware that she’s sort of this Old Testament angel ready to do battle and going through that metamorphosis.”
The director added, “Because there’s a lot more to explore with Art the Clown, the pale girl, Victoria, and certainly Sienna as our final girl. We will be following her journey to the end of this franchise.”
Who is in Terrifier 3?
Having played Art the Clown in Terrifier and Terrifier 2, David Howard Thornton (Nightwing: Escalation) will return as the homicidal prankster. Also returning for the threequel are Terrifier 2‘s Shaw siblings Sienna, played by Lauren LaVera (Iron Fist), and Jonathan, played by Elliott Fullam (Get Rolling with Otis), and in a much more prominent role, heroine turned villainess Victoria Heyes, played by Samantha Scaffidi (Demon Hole).
Regarding Terrifier, Leone said his biggest regret was leaving Heyes underdeveloped. Originally, Terrifier 2 set up the character’s demise, but the director/writer deemed it too similar to the concept of 2021’s Malignant. While conceptualizing the birthing scene, he decided he wanted to keep Victoria alive and give her significant character development, as he enjoyed working with Scaffidi.
Does Terrifier 3 have a release date?
In May 2023, it was also announced that Terrifier 3 was expected to begin filming in November or December 2023 for release in 2024, followed by an exclusive streaming debut on Cineverse’s Screambox service.
(featured image: Bloody Disgusting)
Published: Jul 24, 2024 12:27 pm