Art the Clown returns to cause havoc in Damian Leone's latest gore-fest, firmly cementing the character as an icon of modern horror.
The success of the Terrifier series is one of the more hopeful stories to come out of Hollywood in the past decade, with a rabid fanbase latching onto and supporting the filmmakers to continue making these films on a grander scale. The new clown in town made headlines by emphatically dethroning Joker Folie a Deux at the box office, with strong critical recpetion and joy from the fanbase. Known for their excessive gorey content, the Terrifier films certainly aren't for the feint hearted, but under the microscope, it isn't all just mindless brutality although it certainly indulges in that.
Making headlines with its first installment, the Terrifier films are notorious for their gruesome content, drawing inspiration from classic video nasties that push the boundaries. Within the thid film, director Damian Leone continues to push this, creating many unsettling, memorable graphic scenes (the locker room and Auntie scenes in particular), mixed in with the general creepiness of the villains and its use of violence against children. The gore and SFX are likely to dominate the hedlines, but the sound effects are just as big a part in creating such an unsettling depiction of such brutality.
Within this slasher, though, is the aftermath of the previous films events and how they effect lead Sienna played by Lauren LaVera. LaVera is great yet again, proving to be a fantastic, bad-ass final girl whilst exploring her trauma. The effects of '2' are on display, with the psycological issues Sienna faces following the previous encounter with Art the Clown. This goes down a lot better than the connection between her father and Art, something that is briefly touched on but it is still fairly lacking in terms of depth. The aspect of a child sidekick to Art is also excluded from this edition, with the film opting to focus more on Sienna's psyche alongside the duo of Art and the first film's victim. The focus on the outcome of the previous attacks also just works a lot better, a common trope within a slasher series but one that makes perfect sense. The commentary on the true crime fascination was a welcome touch that added to a great scene as well, a cleverly done aspect amongst the chaos.
Amongst the madness, this film is set around Christmas time, however it is far from Christmas cheer. Despite that, the character of Art is one that still provides some humourous dark moments with his mannerisms and actions throughout the film. Despite his lack of speech, Art fills the void of charasmatic and teasing psycho killers, following in the footsteps of Freddy Kreuger. The lack of dialogue allows actor David Howard Thornton to flex his chops as a great character actor. He brings life to this character that really helps Art stand out from the others and which will likely grant the character iconic status in the horror genre.
A grand finale has been set up for a fourth instalment which is all but announced to happen. The commercial and critical success will allow for one final showdown between Sienna and Art. If the way the series has gone so far has suggested anything, it's that it's going to be a wild ride that continues to push audiences to the limit. Certainly not for everyone but for its target audience, Terrifier 3 more than delivers and stands as one of the decades strongest horrors.
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