FANTASTIC FEST 2024: In "TERRIFIER 3" (2024), Art's Home For The Holidays (REVIEW)
As the sun shines down on the city of Austin, TX with it so do the lights of the Alamo Drafthouse in South Lamar for the 19th annual Fantastic Fest! For eight days, some of the best genre films worldwide will showcase the current and future talents in genre filmmaking while celebrating some classics in new, revitalized restorations. This year, Macabre Daily is fortunate enough to have some boots (well, one person) on the ground basking in the glory of all the genre has to offer. As part of our coverage, we will post reviews, interviews, and previews of upcoming films and games taking center stage here, including some exciting new horror games from the indie studios showcased in Fantastic Games presented by Day of the Devs! We are honored and privileged to be here, thank you to our partners at Fons PR, and now let’s get to the good stuff with one of the festival openers and the World Premiere of, “Terrifer 3” from Cineverse and Bloody Disgusting (see our previous coverage). “Terrifier 3” will be released in theaters on October 11, 2024.
WHAT’S IT ABOUT?
Art the Clown is set to unleash chaos on the unsuspecting residents of Miles County as they peacefully drift off to sleep on Christmas Eve.
HOW IS IT?
Of all the movies premiering at Fantastic Fest this year, “Terrifier 3” is easily the most talked-about. Damien Leone and actor David Howard Thornton have carved out an incredible niche in the genre that has led us to have our first, new slasher icon since Ghostface in the 90s. The mark that these films and the character Art The Clown have left is undeniable and shows no signs of stopping, especially with this most recent entry taking on the holiday season in a gloriously bloody fashion. In essence, this third entry has a lot riding on it to maintain the interest of die-hards while also aiming to convert those who don’t buy into the series for a myriad of reasons. In “Terrifier 3”, Leone demonstrates once again that his flair for violence and practical effects is truly a “secret sauce”, but at the same time makes it clear that while he listens to fan feedback he has no interest in trying to make the series make any sense whatsoever. Fans of the films and the character will delight in the depravity of seeing their new favorite slasher do what he does best, but it also feels stale after “Terrifier 2”. As if Leone knows that fans of the franchise aren’t looking for lore explanations or consistency, but instead just here for seeing people die in absurdly fucked up and unrealistic ways. As a card-carrying horror fan, especially of the grotesque, one can’t help but feel that this formula is showing signs of wear.
There is no sense trying to go into the plot for “Terrifier 3” because it’s hanging on by a thread. In essence, Art’s back and tormenting Sienna (Lauren LaVera) as she attempts to recover from the trauma of their last encounter. The difference here is it’s Christmas, and that means all kinds of yuletide debauchery like you’ve come to expect from the franchise including a devilishly mean cold open which is one of the best scenes in the entire series. The holiday setting works extremely well with Art’s brand of silly meet seriously fucked up ways of dispatching those he comes into contact with. In addition to the cold open, a scene with Daniel Roebuck as a drunk Santa Claus is an example of how well the landscape is for the gory fodder these films deliver. LaVera is easily the best addition to this series and she continues to demonstrate that she has the chops to stand toe-to-toe with other finals girls much like how Art has with her slasher peers. She believably portrays the complexity of someone dealing with trauma and mental illness, while showing the vulnerability of someone trying to move on, but the script doesn’t do her any favors as far as making the case that Sienna is anything more than Art’s punching bag (literally and figuratively). This brings up one of the biggest issues in “Terrifier 3”, the tone. The gore scenes are perfectly extravagant in a playful way that isn’t likely to shock anyone whose seen the last two films, but it’s also in contrast to the sympathy we are supposed to feel for Sienna. The only way Leone seems to know how to pull on our heartstrings to feel for Sienna is to put her through the wringer emotionally and physically. It’s the same for some of the film's most “controversial” scenes as well, especially one involving a mall Santa that isn’t near as triggering as it could’ve been if it wasn’t so expected. And it’s wild that a movie like “Terrifier 3” is so intent on showing the nastiest things one can think of only to end up feeling boring.
This leads to the most prominent issue with “Terrifier 3”, it’s just not exciting. At just over two hours there is a jarring inconsistency in pacing. The moments intended to build character and emotion feel like filler just to get us to the next scene with Art. Thornton’s performance continues to deliver in spades, and he’s clearly having a blast here, but that doesn’t translate into the viewing experience. Like the last film, “Terrifier 3” tries to fill in plot holes, but in doing so it creates even more. In a way, it feels like Leone cares just enough about feedback to make marginal changes while not wanting to establish any sort of narrative consistency or intrigue. Even by the final act, nothing feels intriguing about the ultraviolence we see. Sure, it looks great, but it’s also rinse and repeat. And not for nothing, but it does look great. This is easily the best looking from an effects and cinematography angle these movies have ever looked, but it’s all vibes and no frequency as the violence becomes old and expected rather than original and compelling. Fans of the franchise will find it hard to excuse their bias, and seeing this in a theater is surely the best experience, but it is also setting an unrealistic expectation around quality due to the effect that watching something like this with other people can have on the experience. Sadly, “Terrifier 3” shows that this franchise is at risk of becoming a parody of itself as nothing more than a showcase for practical effects which is essentially a full circle reading from the first film. Leone and crew have a massive opportunity with this franchise and character but seem content simply doing the same thing again just with more money to do it with.
LAST RITES
“Terrifier 3” is more of the same which will appeal to fans and not to naysayers accordingly. Aside from the excellent effects and improvements to technical filmmaking, the plot is barely there and strong lead performances can only do so much to save a boring script with uneven pacing.
THE GORY DETAILS
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Where can you watch it?
Terrifier 3 will be released in theaters on October 11, 2024!
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