Art The Clown Will Return In Terrifier 3, Which Is Officially Moving Forward
Gorehounds rejoice: everyone's favorite ultra-violent clown is coming back for more.
Deadline is reporting that "Terrifier 3," the third entry in the blood-drenched series, is moving forward, with France-based distributors The Coven launching worldwide sales. There are no plot details to speak of just yet, but you can bet that Art the Clown will be obliterating people in typically gory fashion. The first film, "Terrifier," was a low-budget, mostly under-the-radar affair when it arrived back in 2016.
Then came "Terrifier 2" last year. The film had a big marketing push, with much talk about how "extreme" it all was. That paid off in a big way: the sequel grossed $15 million on a $250,000 budget. That's a big return, folks! With box office numbers like that, it was only a matter of time before Art the Clown returned.
'Another boundary pushing addition to the horror genre'
Again: plot details for "Terrifier 3" are non-existent at the moment, at least to us. But Deadline reports that Art the Clown actor David Howard Thornton is set to return. Also likely returning: Lauren LaVera as Sienna, the capable final girl from "Terrifier 2." Writer-director Damien Leone is back, too. Filming on the third film is expected to begin this winter, with a 2024 release date likely. The budget for this third entry has also been increased from the previous films, which makes sense.
Regarding the new movie, Leone said:
"Terrifier 3 will be another boundary pushing addition to the horror genre, continuing the no holds barred, uncompromising exploits fans of the franchise have come to expect and celebrate. If you thought Art the Clown's reign of terror in part 2 was extreme, you haven't seen anything yet."
The Coven's Priscilla Smith added:
"There will be a much bigger budget this time around, which is intended to give the filmmakers more creative freedom, and let them be as wild as they can be. And, all jokes aside, we are going for that Oscar this year."
I personally thought the first "Terrifier" was kind of awful. But "Terrifier 2" surprised me. It has its problems — some of the acting is not great, to say the least. But the sequel was such a big, bloody swing for the fences that I had to appreciate it (you can read my review right here). With that in mind, I'm curious to see what Leone and company do with "Terrifier 3."
What could Terrifier 3 be about?
So, just what will "Terrifier 3" be about? Again: we don't have plot details just yet. But we can probably take a few guesses. Lauren LaVera's Sienna Shaw is expected to return, and that means Sienna will likely be going up against Art the Clown yet again. Giving the franchise a strong, capable final girl is part of what made "Terrifier 2" superior to the first film, and bringing Sienna back to battle Art once more is fitting with the idea of a horror sequel. Horror movies and their sequels love a final girl, and as much as you may love Art and all his bloody shenanigans, it's the final girl who is worth rooting for. Art also killed Sienna's mother in the previous movie, so she's obviously going to want revenge against the killer clown. Sienna's brother Jonathan survived the previous film, but it's unclear if he'll be coming back for the sequel.
"Terrifier 2" also introduced a character called the Pale Girl, a little girl dressed as a clown who appears to Art throughout the film. Will she be returning, and will her character be expanded on? It's a good bet, as she remained rather mysterious in the last movie. And then there's the post-credit scene from "Terrifier 2." Victoria, one of Art's only surviving victims, is seen in a mental asylum giving birth to Art's severed-but-living head. Yes, really. The implication is that while Art was seemingly defeated by Sienna, he's being reborn again through one of his victims. It's a wild and crazy idea, and it's the type of out-there concept that the franchise needs more of. The weirder this gets, the better.
Will Terrifier 3 be split into two parts?
After "Terrifier 2" arrived in theaters last year, director Damien Leone spoke with Variety about a potential third movie. According to the filmmaker, he had "Terrifier 3" in mind when writing "Terrifier 2." As Leone put it, "There are so many questions brought up in 'Part 2' that are not answered, and that was part of the design because I know I'm going into a 'Part 3.'"
Leone also added that he "pretty much [has] the entire treatment ready" for the third film written already. However, it's growing so big that it might need to go the route of "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse" and split itself in half, giving us not one sequel but two. As the director put it:
"[I]t's getting so big that it could potentially split into a 'Part 4' because I wouldn't want to make another 2 hour 20 minute movie. So we'll see. My fear is that eventually the well is gonna run dry, we're gonna wind up jumping the shark, there will be nothing left to say with this character."
Whether or not we get not one but two "Terrifier" sequels remains to be seen. For now, only "Terrifier 3" is confirmed, which is exciting news for fans who just can't get enough of that crazy, murderous Art the Clown.