Art The Clown Is The Worst Mall Santa Ever

Summer is coming to an end, which means that both Halloween and Christmas are right around the corner. And you know what’s better than either of those holidays individually? A combo of both! That makes “Terrifier 3” the perfect horror movie to look forward to. The first two “Terrifier” films were both set around Halloween, enabling blood-drenched killer Art the Clown to blend in with other folks dressed up for spooky season. Now, “Terrifier 3” is changing things up by telling a story set during Christmas time. Holiday-themed horror is a beloved subgenre, producing a gaggle of Christmas-set scare flicks like the classic “Black Christmas,” the sleazy “Silent Night, Deadly Night” franchise, and more recent entries like “Krampus.” Hell, you could even consider “Gremlins” to be a Christmas horror movie if you want. 

The “Terrifier” franchise has become embraced by gorehounds and genre fans who can’t seem to get enough of David Howard Thornton’s Art the Clown. As for me, I count myself as a fan of this series. While I thought the first “Terrifier” was a little lacking, I appreciated its practical gore effects. The sequel, “Terrifier 2,” was a huge improvement (you can read my review here). Taking criticisms of the first film to heart, writer-director Damien Leone strove to create a superior sequel, and he succeeded. Not only was “Terrifer 2” bigger and bloodier than the first movie, it also gave the franchise a strong final girl in the form of Sienna Shaw, played by Lauren LaVera. Sienna was able to vanquish Art in “Terrifer 2,” but you can’t keep a good clown down. Sure enough, “Terrifier 3” sees Art returning around Christmastime, forcing Sienna to confront him once again. There’s a bloody new trailer for “Terrifer 3,” and you can watch it above. 

This trailer gives us a glimpse of the film’s plot. We see that Sienna and her younger brother Jonathan (Elliot Fullam) are trying to go about their lives, having survived the bloody antics of Art from “Terrifier 2.” But Sienna is convinced that Art is still around, even though Jonathan seems skeptical. Of course, Sienna is right — Art is back! Not only is he back, but he’s also donning a blood-soaked Santa costume, which leads to a scene where Art poses as a mall Santa. Would children really flock to a terrifying Santa Claus clown? I have my doubts, but the “Terrifier 3” trailer gives us that exact moment, so I guess we just have to roll with it.

Beyond that, we see that the disfigured Victoria Heyes (Samantha Scaffidi) is back, and appears to be working with Art. That makes sense, since when we last saw Victoria she was … uh … giving birth to Art’s severed head. In addition to Victoria and Art, we also see some sort of demonic masked figure. Who is he? What’s he up to? I want to know more. In addition to this details, let me just add that this movie looks great — I love the grainy visual style, and I think it confirms that Leone has only grown as a filmmaker since the first “Terrifier” film. Kudos to cinematographer George Steuber. 

Here’s the full synopsis for “Terrifier 3”: 

After surviving Art the Clown’s Halloween massacre, Sienna and her brother are struggling to rebuild their shattered lives. As the holiday season approaches, they try to embrace the Christmas spirit and leave the horrors of the past behind. But just when they think they’re safe, Art the Clown returns, determined to turn their holiday cheer into a new nightmare. The festive season quickly unravels as Art unleashes his twisted brand of terror, proving that no holiday is safe.

“Terrifier 3” opens in theaters on October 11, 2024.