Terrifier 3

This installment follows the exact rhythm of the second film, featuring supernatural powers and giving off that vibe of the Friday the 13th series, where Jason evolved from a mere human killer into an undead evil spirit. It looks like this horror franchise is definitely heading toward becoming a full series.

In terms of gore and blood, this movie uses significantly more than the previous one, upping the level of disgusting detail quite a bit. I’m not usually one to enjoy such explicit, grotesque scenes, but in the current horror market flooded with mediocre entries, seeing a work like this is genuinely rare—so I gave it a slightly higher score. The movie was released about half a month after Halloween but is set during Christmas, so it kind of missed the mark timing-wise no matter when you watch it.

Summary: Worth watching, but with a very niche audience, and you don’t really need to think too much while watching.

Story overview: The survivor heroine from the second film is mentally unstable and constantly hallucinates. Her brother, during these five years, has been researching the clown killer and supernatural topics. He speculates that certain entities from hell require a dead body to enter our world, and serial killers make the perfect vessels. This theory is later confirmed by the plot.

At the beginning, the first film’s heroine has already been possessed by a hellish entity. Initially, she retains some control and tries to commit suicide to escape, but fails. Then, on Christmas, the first heroine and the clown both awaken and go on a killing spree.

The second film’s heroine is taken in by her uncle’s family, seen as mentally disturbed. The clown kills the heroine’s brother’s close friend at school, and that friend’s temporary girlfriend, who researches serial murders. The clown then kills the brother and the uncle who comes to pick him up, taking their bodies back to the heroine’s home.

The heroine breaks down, and her aunt is also killed. During their torture of the heroine, the clown and his female partner break the heroine’s hand and force her to open presents with her broken hand. However, the heroine’s little sister sneaks a look at the heroine’s diary, finds the sword used against the clown in the second film, and puts it into the gifts. The heroine then fights back and kills the clown and his female partner.

In the end, the female clown’s head is chopped off. She had tried to possess the heroine’s body but failed, proving the brother’s theory was right. The heroine is chosen to fight these demons. The female clown’s melting head creates a hole, opening a portal similar to hell, into which the heroine’s sister falls. The severely injured clown escapes the scene, leaving only the heroine alive.

The story ends with the clown getting on a bus, taking out his little horn, and flashing his creepy smile again.

Halloween is here! Today, let’s talk about Terrifier 3 .

Terrifier 3 is a horror film written and directed by Damien Leone, continuing the terrifying elements of the series. It tells the story of the protagonist, Sienna Shaw, who, after five years of battling the murderous clown Art, faces this deadly foe once again.

The first two films took place on Halloween night, fitting the theme well, but the third chooses Christmas—a very peaceful holiday—as its setting.

What’s the director’s intention?

Is it to say: no holiday is safe?

To all the working folks: better not celebrate holidays, just get back to work!

That’s truly terrifying—Halloween and Christmas, just to avoid Art the Clown, maybe we shouldn’t have holidays or go outside at all; just work from home!

If that’s really the director’s message, then that’s even scarier than the movie itself!

Just kidding. Back to the movie.

Terrifier 3 continues the style of the previous two: a mindless gore-fest, with about 80% of the film showing Art the Clown killing people, each kill more bizarre than the last, and blood splatter escalating sharply.

Some viewers literally threw up in theaters, and even I felt sensory overload after watching.

Despite being an R-rated splatter film, it has surprisingly good reception and box office performance in the West.

Made on a low budget of $2 million, it raked in $18.89 million in its North American opening weekend and has now reached $26 million—far exceeding industry expectations and becoming a phenomenon.

On Rotten Tomatoes, the “Popcorn Score” is 88%, earning a “Certified Fresh” badge, with an average rating of 4.4 out of 5 stars.

However, the series’ reception in China remains average, with an average rating of about 6.0 across three films. Terrifier 3 holds the highest Douban score at 6.5, though it is expected to drop.

It seems Western and Chinese audiences have quite different tastes. Regardless, Halloween and Terrifier remain a perfect match.

Since Shanghai city center has banned spooky Halloween costumes—reportedly forcing people caught to remove makeup—why not just stay home and watch this horror movie with your partner?

What? You still don’t have a partner?

01

Terrifier 3 quickly grabs viewers’ attention with its striking violent aesthetics.

The visuals are stunning, especially in the presentation of gore and violence. Director Damien Leone unapologetically places slaughter at the heart of the narrative.

The first 20 minutes are nonstop scenes of Art’s frenzied killing spree.

On Christmas Eve, a little girl eagerly waits for Santa Claus to climb down the chimney with her desired presents.

But instead, Art the Clown appears under the Christmas tree.

Dressed as Santa Claus, he turns his head in a horrifying way, scaring the girl into hiding.

Then he enters her brother’s room, axe sounds ring out, and Art emerges holding a bloodied axe.

He moves on to the parents’ bedroom, hacking apart the father sleeping next to the mother.

The mother wakes to the sounds and sees blood all over her arm.

She realizes her husband has been dismembered, rushes to warn the children to run, but sees her son’s arms and legs severed.

Before she can find her daughter, Art slowly tortures her to death with the axe.

From then on, Art becomes another notorious horror killer after the likes of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre, gaining infamy and even interviews from survivors.

But who among the survivors truly escapes?

Art’s killing methods are brutal and direct. He hacks apart bodies with an axe or freezes victims with dry ice before smashing them bit by bit.

In short, his murder techniques are as extreme and unsettling as they come.

After killing, he casually snacks on crackers with bloodied hands.

Art prefers torture killings, not quick deaths, because the pain of his victims fuels his pleasure.

Unlike other killers, his joy comes from others’ suffering—the more pain, the happier he is.

So when he uses the axe, he never hits vital spots at first; he chops off limbs, then splits skulls and skins heads alive.

The scenes are nauseating and chilling. But thinking about it, they’re really just a visual spectacle.

Interestingly, Art’s name is a pun on “ART,” and through these scenes, director Damien Leone turns murder into an art form. The ugliness of the clown and the ugliness of the killing combine into a violent aesthetic of cinematic art—a rather ironic relationship.

02

After the 20-minute visual feast, the story finally kicks in—no wonder a mindless gore movie lasts over two hours.

Terrifier 3 ’s backstory: Sienna met Art five years ago. Art brutally murdered Sienna’s sister, mother, and friend Brooke. Sienna used her father’s demon sword to behead Art.

But that didn’t end the clown for good.

Victoria was possessed by a pale girl and later gave birth to Art’s head. Both were sealed in an abandoned house and fell asleep.

Later, two workers entered and woke them, leading to their rebirth and resumed killing spree.

Now, Sienna lives with her aunt but suffers from PTSD, taking psychiatric meds and occasionally hallucinating Brooke’s presence.

She records everything in her diary, which her obsessed younger sister Gabby discovers—setting the family in Art’s sights.

The pacing feels fast because Art’s killings happen rapidly: he kills a group of mocking old men in a bar, crashes a couple’s romantic bath to kill, and delivers bomb gifts to children.

Looks like Art is the only one working overtime on Christmas—no wonder he’s so angry!

However, the real confrontation between Art and Sienna happens near the film’s end. The first half uses dual narratives: one follows Art’s killing spree, the other Sienna’s mental collapse from trauma.

The ending returns to religious themes: Sienna beheads Victoria again with the demon sword but is injured by Art’s chainsaw.

Victoria’s blood burns through the floor, creating a portal to hell, and Gabby falls in with the sword.

Art escapes once more, and Sienna fails to completely kill the clown, meaning the series will continue.

03

What makes Terrifier so terrifying is its indiscriminate killing.

Children, elderly, men, women—no one is spared.

Anyone who catches his interest is slaughtered for fun.

The film opens with the murder of a family; the little girl hides in a closet but is found and killed.

Art picks Christmas—akin to Chinese New Year—a special holiday where reunion and parting create irony, and peace and killing contrast sharply.

Kids expect gifts but find explosives; parents and children are blown to bits.

In a bar, Art first harasses a Santa and some men around him. When Santa gets annoyed and pushes him away, Art urinates on him. After being mocked, Art shoots all of them in the head.

The last man standing, the most mocking Santa, is left alive—not killed quickly, because Art enjoys slowly torturing for his pleasure.

A couple discussing Art casually get sliced up, targeted especially while being affectionate.

Art truly is the “chosen lonely guy”—he can’t stand others showing affection.

Near the climax, Art’s killing methods become even more creative.

He inserts a tube down Jesse’s throat, then uses a blowtorch to force rats into Jesse’s throat, where Jesse is eaten alive.

His methods are bloody, disgusting, and wildly inventive—kudos to the director for such twisted kills.

After watching, it’s thrilling but not scary—just bloody. Even someone like me who fears haunted houses and horror films stayed calm throughout, which says something.

Still, it’s pretty gross and twisted, so watch with caution!

When it comes to clown movies, the image of Batman's archenemy from Gotham naturally comes to mind, especially after Heath Ledger (the actor who played the Joker in The Dark Knight ) was found dead in his New York apartment. A month later, he was posthumously awarded the Best Supporting Actor at the 81st Academy Awards—a tragic event that catapulted the Joker's reputation to unprecedented heights.

Sixteen years later, another unforgettable clown character has emerged in film history: Art the Clown from Terrifier . Director Damien Leone has fully embraced the gore-soaked Cult film genre. The first installment follows Art stalking two women in a house, where one woman's sister arrives to "deliver herself to death" but manages a feeble counterattack. She survives after Art gnaws at her face, and the clown is shot dead by police—only to mysteriously resurrect at the morgue. By the end, I couldn't help but curse, "What the hell, resurrection again?" Turns out, it's a supernatural horror film.

The sequel is even more outrageous. Before criticizing, I must praise the creative haunted house chase in the amusement park—a "ghost within a ghost" twist. This time, the protagonist is a smarter heroine who ventures into a "death island" for her vulnerable brother. After a series of gruesome killings, she drowns in a water tank. But then... the plot takes a wild turn—she opens her eyes underwater,复活 (resurrects)! Yes, she has superpowers too. OMG! Like Popeye after spinach, she instantly decapitates Art. But it's not over: Art's head is reborn from the surviving woman's abdomen in the first film. I was left dumbfounded—seriously, this is how you make a movie? The director's imagination knows no bounds.

Now, the third film, which has a higher rating than its predecessors, has caught my attention. Netizens even compare it favorably to the同期 (contemporary) Joker movie. The first two installments were set on Halloween, a holiday where eccentric costumes are tolerated. Art's outfit is crudely made, trading the traditional clown's humor for sheer horror.

The third film shifts the setting to Christmas, with Art resuming his killings five years later. The resurrected heroine alternates between psychiatric hospital stays, while her brother starts college. The film opens with a shocking kill, breaking the horror movie taboo of sparing children—no one is safe, as an entire family is wiped out. Art is silent throughout, without a single line, deepening his mysterious and terrifying aura. Yet he's not completely mute; his rich body language guides the audience through the plot. This time, he plays a clown version of Santa, sneaking into a mall to replace the official Santa and hand out gifts to kids. Surprisingly, his eerie black trash bag—usually filled with torture tools—actually produces cute trinkets. I was genuinely taken aback.

But Art's main mission is murder. When a boy opens the last gift box, boom! It explodes.

The resurrected heroine is picked up by her uncle's family for Christmas. Hearing about the mall explosion on the news, she knows Art has returned—the demon who killed her family and friends five years ago. Highly unstable, she takes sleeping pills and lies down. Half-asleep, she overhears her uncle and aunt discussing sending her back to the asylum and even threatening to smother her. When she goes downstairs to check, she finds Art and a female clown at the door! Her uncle is killed, his body hung like Jesus on a cross, head placed on top of the Christmas tree. Art even drapes a length of intestine on the tree. SOS.

What follows is a showdown between the resurrected heroine and Art. The outrageous plot continues: tied to a chair, she's told by her dying cousin, "Too bad you didn't open the Christmas gift." The female clown suddenly changes her mind, forcing the heroine to unwrap it herself—a perfect setup for a counterattack! Inside is a "destined" sword. The heroine's power spikes, slashing them to pieces; the female clown is defeated. She even gains self-healing abilities. Art flees, boards a bus, and heads to the set of Terrifier 4 .

**The film begins in the dead of night. Young Juliet (played by Luciana VanDette) tells her father Mark Grinch (Alex Ross), "There are footsteps." Lying in bed, Mark replies with his eyes closed, "Sure, and jingle bells too, right?" Jennifer (Krsy Fox), already up, pushes Mark to get out of bed. Juliet insists, "But I really heard him." Mark tells Jennifer to handle their daughter—he needs three more hours of sleep.

Jennifer takes Juliet back to her bedroom, dismissing it as a nightmare. "I wasn’t dreaming. I heard someone on the roof," Juliet protests. Jennifer, unconvinced, warns her not to wake her brother, spinning a tale about Santa checking the roof’s sturdiness to prevent reindeer damage. After tucking Juliet in, Jennifer is shocked to find Santa’s gifts hanging from the front door handle. Locking up, she heads to the bedroom, scolding Mark, "You forgot to lock the door again."

Juliet spots a Santa Claus in the house and runs to get her brother Timmy (Kellen Raffaelo), who’s too sleepy to believe her. Sneaking downstairs, Juliet hides behind a door as Santa—Art the Clown (David Howard Thornton)—pulls an axe from his red bag and heads upstairs. On the stairs, Juliet glimpses Art in his Santa suit. A bloody axe attack on Timmy’s bedroom door terrifies her. After the lights go out, Art emerges with a bloody axe and enters her parents’ room.

Jennifer and Mark sleep as Art swings his axe, decapitating Mark. Jennifer wakes to blood on her arms, screaming as she finds Mark’s headless body. Art grins, continuing his attack. Juliet flees downstairs as Jennifer locks herself out of the bedroom, only to find Timmy’s mutilated body. Art chases her, axing her back, stomach, arm, and finally her head.

As snow falls and Christmas carols play, Art enjoys cookies and milk, even washing the plate. Just as he leaves, a noise from the cupboard reveals Juliet hiding inside. The title Terrifier 3 appears.

Five Years Prior (2018): At New York’s Old Carnival, Officer Evans (Stephen Cofield Jr.) responds to a dispatch about an armed suspect. Finding Art’s decapitated body in a church, he calls for backup—then hears a noise in the basement. Turning, he finds the headless corpse gone. Art’s headless body grabs him by the neck; Evans shoots it repeatedly.

In a subway car, a Bag Lady (Corrine Kelly) rummages through her bag as Art’s headless corpse—now with Evans’ head—boards. Across from her, Art sits silently, terrifying the Bag Lady.

At Miles County Psychiatric Hospital, orderly Burke (Chris Jericho) wakes from a nap to find security monitors blacked out. A nurse’s scream leads him to a horrifying sight: Art’s head is feeding on a nurse, attached by a cord to Victoria (Samantha Scaffidi), who pretends to cry for help before attacking Burke. Art’s headless body rips off half of Burke’s face.

Later, Victoria sits beside Art on a subway. A cosplayer (Peter Mitchell) in a clown suit boards, mistaking them for fellow performers and taking photos. In an abandoned building, Art wears the cosplayer’s fresh suit (implying the cosplayer’s death). Victoria, seeing her disfigured reflection, smashes the mirror, slits her wrists in a bathtub, and dies.

Present Day (2023): At Sunny Valley疗养院, Greg (Bryce Johnson) picks up his niece Sienna Shaw (Lauren LaVera). Driving through Miles County, Sienna asks about her cousin. Greg notes his daughter is "fiery," like Sienna.

At home, Sienna reunites with cousin Gabbie (Antonella Rose) as aunt Jessica (Margaret Anne Florence) welcomes her. Meanwhile, demolition workers Dennis (Jon Abrahams) and Jackson (Michael Genet) arrive at Art’s abandoned building. Jackson recounts how 1990s serial killers buried children there, calling it haunted.

Sienna unpacks a photo of her father Michael (Jason Patric). In a flashback, young Sienna (Luciana Elisa Quinonez) asks Michael to draw a female superhero to defeat "Blastman." He promises to do so in his comic. Gabbie finds Sienna’s diary about the "Clown Cafe," but Sienna snatches it away.

In the basement, Jackson finds Victoria sitting in a bathtub, covered in mud, and is stabbed to death. On the roof, Dennis is attacked by Art, who scalps him with a box cutter as Victoria pleasures herself with a shard of glass.

At dinner, Sienna hallucinates her dead friend Brooke (Kailey Hyman) demanding rice. Greg and Jessica notice her distress, but Sienna brushes it off.

At college, Jonathan (Elliott Fullam) finds his roommate Cole (Mason Mecartea) with Mia (Alexa Blair Robertson). Mia insists Jonathan join their podcast about the "Miles County Massacre," but Sienna calls, warning him Art has returned. Jonathan dismisses it, but Sienna plans to retrieve the "Wonder Woman sword" that killed Art.

At a bar, Santa-clad Charlie (Daniel Roebuck) and others party as Art enters. After a scuffle, Art shoots the bartender and freezes Charlie’s limbs with a nitrogen tank, smashing them with a hammer and collecting his bearded face.

The next day, at Centeville Mall, Sienna and Gabbie shop as Art—disguised as Santa—enters, waving at Sienna (who thinks it’s a hallucination). On campus, Jonathan watches Mia’s podcast, which questions Sienna’s sanity. Sienna confronts Mia, then tells Jonathan she saw Art. They decide to find the sword.

At the mall, Art replaces the real Santa, handing out gifts. When a保安 tries to remove him, a child’s gift box explodes. That night, Sienna hides the sword by the fireplace, seen by Gabbie.

On Christmas Eve, Art attacks a frat party, killing Cole and Mia with a chainsaw. At home, Sienna learns of the mall bombing on TV, proving Art is real. Jessica sedates Sienna as Greg goes to get Jonathan.

Sienna wakes tied up, seeing Art and Victoria with a headless body. Victoria tortures Jessica with rats, then threatens Gabbie. Gabbie hints at the sword in the gift box. Art smashes Sienna’s hands, but she opens the box, wielding the sword to decapitate Victoria and slit Art’s throat.

Art attacks with a chainsaw, but Sienna disables him by grabbing his testicles. As Victoria’s head melts, a hole opens in the floor, swallowing Gabbie and the sword. Art flees, and Sienna’s hands heal.

Post-Credits: Art boards a bus on a snowy night. The driver and a passenger notice his bloody suit. Art grins, raising a horn.

A while ago, I heard that some people got sick and vomited in foreign cinemas while watching the movie, which piqued my curiosity. The first film, split into two parts, really shocked me—it was the first time I saw such graphic gore without any censorship, so vivid and direct. Yes, this is truly a pure blood-and-guts movie, with no explanations—right from the start, it’s all about shark torture. After getting used to the style, the rest of the film didn’t feel strange at all. But you really shouldn’t watch it; seriously, don’t watch it. I’ve seen a lot of movies in this genre, although mostly domestic versions that were edited, but my tolerance is much higher than most, and even I was shaken by this. If you watch it, you’ll probably end up vomiting. What I really liked is that each film has its own distinctive plot—the first one’s split into two parts, the second with the female lead’s best friend’s family, the third with the awakening of the two clowns… and that actor is really amazing, with a weirdly playful performance. I’m actually looking forward to the fourth installment.