With his breakout horror film “Terrifier”, writer and director Damien Leone achieved much with a budget of around $55,000. It's no surprise that the sequel, Terrifier 2, released in 2022, saw an impressive box office hit making $15.1 million with a slightly higher budget of over $250,000. Riding on this success, Terrifier 3 is on its way, scheduled to hit theaters this Halloween season, on October 25th.
Key Takeaways:
• Terrifier 3 set for a Halloween release on October 25th.
• The film will feature a Christmas setting unlike its Halloween-themed predecessors.
• David Howard Thornton, Lauren LaVera, Elliot Fullam, Samantha Scaffidi, and Chris Jericho reprise their roles.
• Terrifier 3, marking its fourth feature, aims to be the scariest of all the series.
• Despite the extreme gore, the director promises fun and unpredictable characters.
• The film started production in early February 2024.
Terrifying Christmas Eve
In a shift from the Halloween setting of its predecessors, Terrifier 3 is all set to ruin Christmas for the unsuspecting residents of Miles County. The familiar supernaturally monstrous Art the Clown will return to inflict chaos as they peacefully get ready for Christmas Eve. A teaser trailer revealing the Christmas setting has already garnered attention in the months leading to the production of Terrifier 3.
Cast and Characters: Faces Old and New
Reliable sources confirm that David Howard Thornton will return as the dreadful Art the Clown. Similarly, Lauren LaVera resumes as the Terrifier 2 heroine Sienna, with Elliot Fullam in the role of Sienna's brother Jonathan. The film also features Samantha Scaffidi as Victoria Heyes from Terrifier and Terrifier 2, and Chris Jericho, who made a cameo in Terrifier 2. Details regarding the roles of new members joining the cast remain under wraps.
Tone: The Scariest Terrifier
Terrifier 3, in reality, is the fourth feature intervention of Art the Clown, originally portrayed by Mike Giannelli in several short films. The goal for Leone with Terrifier 3 is to recreate the original spine-chilling atmosphere of Terrifier, making it the scariest edition of the trilogy. He has expressed his plans to give the film an old-school, raw slasher vibe, bringing the fear element of Art the Clown back to the forefront.
The second part leaned heavily into supernatural elements and metaphorical imageries of good versus evil. However, Leone aims to dial back these aspects a bit for the sequel, channeling a scarier and darker atmosphere. He expressed a desire to keep the new film under a duration of two hours, making it more concise compared to the 138 minutes of Terrifier 2.
Despite featuring extreme gore, Terrifier 3 aims to strike a balance by including levity and elements of fun. Leone wants to portray Art the Clown as a charming and unpredictable personality, setting an intriguing stage for his terrifying actions.
Production: A Gory Affair
Terrifier 3 boasts a budget of “a couple of million”, a significant leap from the earlier installments. With an intention to make it the goriest installment of the series, Leone has employed a Hollywood FX team, a departure from him and producer Phil Falcone handling all blood effects in prior films.
The production commenced in early February 2024, with Leone sharing a few shots featuring Art, the Clown, hinting an imminent wrap-up of shooting.
In conclusion, Terrifier 3 is shaping up to create a spine-chilling, darker aura around the now-familiar Art the Clown while ensuring an engaging balance between the elements of fun and horror. The anticipation around the release is high, promising a gruesomely memorable cinematic experience for horror fans.
