If it wasn’t official already, in “Terrifier 3” Damien Leone has taken the baton from Eli Roth as the goriest filmmaker working today. He’s also the purest slasher filmmaker, essentially making what 1980s slashers would’ve been if they were unrated instead of slavishly answering to the MPAA.
Leone’s singular vision continues
But, in addition to being set at Christmas instead of Halloween, “Terrifier 3” is a little different from previous entries due to a more traditional storytelling structure. Previously, Art the Clown (an excellent mime performance by David Howard Thornton) was not one to hide in dark corners, he came right out into the spotlight for his kills.
That’s still the case when he does go on the prowl (amusingly, most people assume he’s just a guy in an Art the Clown costume till it’s too late). But – after a deliciously sadistic cold-open riffing on the Santa Claus mythology — “Terrifier 3” finds Art and facially deformed sidekick Victoria (Samantha Scaffidi) in a rat-infested country house, dreaming up new weapons of torturous death. (Or acquiring basic ones, like a chainsaw.)
“Terrifier 3” (2024)
Director: Damien Leone
Writer: Damien Leone
Stars: Lauren LaVera, David Howard Thornton, Antonella Rose
Those scenes are interspersed with the recovering (or trying to recover) Sienna (Lauren LaVera), graduated from the mental ward, and kid brother Jonathan (Elliott Fullam), starting college. Leone has always allowed us time to get to know characters (even in the grimier “All Hallows’ Eve” and “Terrifier 1”) and to establish the mythological rules of his world. That’s why the “Terrifiers” are better than your average slashers.
Now, I don’t mean that Sienna’s Chosen One arc as an angel warrior – introduced in “Terrifier 2” — is original, or that we’ve never seen a supernatural serial killer like Art before. I mean that Leone has crafted his storyline with care and a singular vision, something that can’t be said for the classic slasher franchises, which are run by studios and handed off to various creators.
Even the most polished of those franchises, “Scream,” has run off the rails in recent years with plot holes, the new trend of audience-favorite characters miraculously surviving dozens of stab wounds, and over-reactionary office politics determining casting — and therefore story direction.
The dark (comedy) season
With far more emphasis on buildup before the cat-and-mouse game between Art and Sienna, “Terrifier 3” should perhaps have an icy mood like the all-time best Christmas slasher, “Black Christmas,” which is all mood in its middle chunk. It’s not on that level.
I think the reason for this is another trait Leone newly emphasizes in this entry: dark comedy. I suppose there is a certain pitch-black sense of humor to the previous three installments, but “Terrifier 3” goes further into this realm.
Sequences include Art bellying up to a bar where three regular guys awkwardly try to figure out how to respond to him, and Art dressing up as a mall Santa and handing out presents. It’s all in good fun until (as we the viewer know in advance) it isn’t anymore.
Undeniably consistent with the previous films, though, is the emphasis on gore and the need to go at least a half-step further. The “Terrifier” saga’s reputation now precedes it, as witnessed by the fact that special-effects legend Tom Savini has a cameo. To describe the envelope-pushing scenes would be like giving away a punchline, but suffice it to say that the violence sometimes had me thinking “Is this too much?”
Not-so-happy holidays
I don’t mean that in any censorial context – either self-restraint by Leone or outside guidelines. I mean it in the context of enjoyment. I like watching horror films in October for a certain cozy mood: I witness danger on my screen while safe on my couch.
While it’s true that the “Terrifiers” establish a certain cartoonish quality shared by all the great slasher sagas, the creative nature of Art’s violence in this film is a lot. I was feeling disturbed and dirty to a greater degree than normal with a slasher. But Leone’s (and LaVera’s) excellent character work with Sienna – including believable relationships with her brother, her niece Gabbie (Antonella Rose), and her aunt and uncle – grounded me again.
And I also must reappraise my stance that the “Terrifiers” don’t have a thematic point. This installment touches on the immorality of the thoroughly mainstream activity of people loving podcasts about serial killers, the same way people used to enjoy cooking. It’s not an original point (we’ve had multiple TV series that parody serial-killer podcasts), but it’s another grounding mechanism.
The gore will cross a line for some viewers, but I don’t think Leone should worry about that, since everyone’s line is different. “Psycho” crossed a line for the majority of viewers in 1960, but I wouldn’t want to lose that movie. My quibble is that “Terrifier 3’s” dark comedy almost overtakes the chills. But I’m on board with Sienna’s journey, and I want to see Leone continue to explore Art’s origin story.
Here we have a filmmaker who loves what he does and is not interested in selling out by taming his product, even though he could make much more money with a PG or even R rating. In any season, that’s something to celebrate.