26/20
Next is Terrifier (2016)
Scenario
Art the Clown is ready to wreak havoc on the unsuspecting residents of Miles County as they sleep peacefully on Christmas Eve. Director Damien Leone has said that several major studios have expressed interest in financing this film based on the unexpected success of Terrifier 2 (2022), even without a completed script, but he turned them all down because he is certain they would never let him film the opening scene alone, which he describes as “very controversial.” Leone has commented that the only reason he can be so uncompromising in his depiction of horror and gore is because he finances his films independently, creates all of the special effects to keep costs down, and doesn’t have any major studio breathing down his neck to make the film more popular. Mia mentions that the 5-year anniversary of the original massacre was coming up soon, but it happened to be on Halloween, and this film being set on Christmas 5 years later would mean that the anniversary had just passed 2 months ago. Julia’s Brother: Julia, I thought I told you to stay away from my -[Art kills him with an axe]. There is an uncut version of the film that is 2 hours and 25 minutes long with 5 additional scenes. A masterpiece Written by Drew Fulk, Joe Occhiuti, Paul Wiley, Spencer Charnas and Steve Sopchak Directed by Ice Nine Kills and Shavo Odadjian This Terrifier series is fascinating. The first film is kind of bad, it has nothing memorable narratively or cinematically, really, other than introducing a memorable villain and having impressively gruesome violence.
It’s a kind of nothing film, with no plot and seemingly not caring
It’s a horror film not broken down to its essential elements, but taken down a bit more somehow. Then the second one came along, made the villain even more memorable and had scenes of bloodshed that proved more shocking. It also had some really good story and character development (I don’t think that’s a popular opinion, but I liked it), and introduced more of an intriguing series mythology, for lack of a better word. Terrifier 3 takes everything the second film did well and I think does it even better. Terrifier 2 felt a bit too long at 138 minutes, with Terrifier 3’s slightly shorter runtime helping the pacing immensely. I still feel surprisingly invested in this series, which is turning out to be something genuinely fantastic. They could eventually go overboard on that side of things, and they almost do here, but I really like what these films have become.
The violence is disgusting
It’s at least as sadistic as the second one, maybe more so. Art the Clown is hilarious when he’s not killing people, but I hate him deeply. I love to hate him. Unironically, one of the best villains of the last 10 years. He’s Harpo Marx if Harpo was also a serial killer. The final act elevated this movie immensely. Chainsaws have never sounded so loud.
I find that impressive, or maybe I’m just easily entertained
I was worried I was going to have a panic attack and I felt nauseous. I feel a little shaken after it all, now that it’s over. The sadistic violence played a role, but I guess I also cared. All of these characters have suffered so much, and I was so invested in their victory. The final scenes made me squirm in my seat more because I was invested than because of the violence. There are a few scenes here that feel really cheap, and the pacing isn’t perfect. Occasional harsh line delivery and inconsistent acting here and there as well.
This is the best in the series so far
It kind of ties the first film and the second together in a way that felt a little rough at first. But much of the second half had me so on edge, and I have to celebrate a film that gets me like that. The last month or so has seen some pretty high-profile disappointments in terms of releases, so I’m really happy that Terrifier 3 was a film that exceeded my expectations.