The story of “Terrifier” is terrifyingly low-budget and ridiculously gory which has been an interesting journey for the industry as a whole. The low budget and extremely gory nature of these horror films have proven that not every genre fan desires “elevated horror.” Sometimes all you want is a slaughter fest, which is exactly what Damien Leone tries to do. He tries to one-up the carnage in each story and gleefully expresses his excitement that people have reportedly passed out and thrown up during these screenings. Some of these movies do have their positives like the great makeup effects and an incredibly underrated physical performance by David Howard Thornton, but “Terrifier 3” does not seem to meet the requirements after the significant improvement in filmmaking quality from the first film to the second. Leone is still progressing as a filmmaker, and there is something compelling about watching him develop throughout the series. His screenwriting, on the other hand, continues to disappoint him substituting his ideas with lazy world-building, cringe-inducing dialogue, and absurd padding. This has resulted in yet another film in the series that exceeds two hours. Even though I am still cheering for Leone to make it work, it is not in this case.
Terrifier 3 is Christmas-themed themed which allowed the filmmaker Leone to get creative, especially with Costumes. His primary focus was the sadistic clown Art (Thornton) who spends half of the movie in a Santa suit while going on a murder spree, proving that it truly is the most wonderful time of the year. Although using religious iconography with holiday scenes is a little unsettling, it does give a profound visual to a chainsaw-carrying, clown makeup-donned, sunglasses-wearing Santa. Leone had the right idea, but mitts it slogans and subdues his messages a little too much for my liking.
Terrifier 3 picks up from the last film’s bonkers end scene where Victoria (Samantha Scaffidi) gave birth to a set of Art’s severed head. There is no need to repeat what is blatantly obvious. Out of all the things I liked about the second movie, having a more supernatural approach to storytelling is what sets it apart. It manages to capture the audience’s attention far more than showing it alongside the integrated plot points. Because of this, trying to piece together how Art reattaches his head to the neck is never a question worth searching for.
Art and Victoria live in an eldritch old house where the final girl Sienna (Lauren LaVera) is trying to shut her mind off due to the trauma enacted on her in the last film. After getting discharged from the psychiatric hospital, Sienna is now living with her Aunt Jessica (Margaret Ann Florence), Uncle Greg (Bryce Johnson), and the granddaughter Gabbie (Antonella Rose) who is nothing but a means for being put in harm’s way. While Jonathan (Elliot Fullam), Sienna’s brother, is in college now and trying to get his PTSD under control, this is also a weak platform for further Art skinning victims that he does look to indulge in. The plotting of Terrifier 3 primarily deals with the inaudibly sharp undertone of building character to Art the clown, and I mean for a reason because during the beginning, this is Sienna talking about her trauma and it simply does make you feel a little bit more desperate to see the further acts of cruelty done by Art the Clown.
It wasn’t long ago, and it still is not very hard to see the disgusting relish with which the movies showcase kill scenes. The “Terrifier 3” concentrates far more on misanthropy than the previous 2 installments of the series, and because of that, the level of sadism is astounding. The absurdity of the over-the-top portrayals is too painful for me. Even so, I wouldn’t fight against people who were insulted by the fact that people try to go this deep into not just torture and mutilation in a movie, but something as extreme as killing children, which even horror fanatics draw the line at.
What’s the point of completely ignoring “Terrifier 3?” Two reasons stand out. First, it’s the first hybrid film I’ve seen that has a DIY passion within it that I remember as my favorite horror flick and the very reason I still cherish it is horror is unlike other genres, it doesn’t gatekeep, so anyone passionate enough can make a movie like this for under a reported $2 million budget, a figure it will surpass in profit before school gets out on Friday. Second, Thornton is great, there are few in the modern era who portray the way he does. His performance is so physical, that it is what I would refer to as a modern-day mime within a modern gory film medium. (And adding Victoria to chatter away reduces the silent killer’s tension in this one. That was a joke. Don’t do that for the fourth film again, Damien). So, while Leone and his maniacal alter ego still have some work to do, mostly in the writing department, I’m all in for “Terrifier” to amass some much-needed popularity. After all, everybody loves a clown.
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