Verdict: 3.5/5
When Art the Clown sits down to casually enjoy a glass of milk and some cookies moments after slaughtering a family in their beds in the opening scenes, proceeding to wash his plate carefully afterwards, you know what ‘Terrifier 3’ is about to deliver.
If you’ve seen all of the ‘Terrifier’ movies, you’d know just how far this franchise has come since the first film back in 2016. The low-budget original went for 1 hour and 22 minutes and developed a cult following, but not much more.
‘Terrifier 2’ got a bigger budget and another hour in length, and ‘Terrifier 3’ ups the production values significantly, allowing this flick to stand alongside some of the more well-known slasher flicks.
Of course, this isn’t for the faint hearted. You’ve got to be willing to accept that a passionate sex scene is about to be turned into a chainsaw massacre; or that not even children are safe from Art the Clown’s reign of terror.
The plot here is thin, and we pick up the story of Sienna (Lauren LaVera) from the first film; now back with family for the holidays after spending time in a mental health facility after the events of the second movie.
But if you’re seeing ‘Terrifier 3’ for the plot, you’re at the wrong movie. It’s not really supposed to make sense, so we’re best to just let the plot holes be.
The genius of this instalment is to set it around Christmas – allowing Art to don a Santa suit for much of the movie; it certainly adds to the trademark reactions he produces before, during and after his kills.
The disappointment here is how quickly we switched to the final showdown after what seemed like an overly long journey to get there.
It felt clunky and as if a Director’s Cut would provide a better transition.
If blood and gore isn’t your thing, give this one a miss. But if it’s what you want out of a movie, ‘Terrifier 3’ delivers in spades.
See this movie at Hoyts Penrith.
Troy Dodds
Troy Dodds is the Weekender's Managing Editor and Breaking News Reporter. He has more than 20 years experience as a journalist, working with some of Australia's leading media organisations. In 2023, he was named Editor of the Year at the Mumbrella Publish Awards.