The hype for Damien Leone’s Terrifier 3 started building, oh, probably about two hours after the first screenings of Terrifier 2 hit theaters. Whether you’re the type of horror fan who loves the over-the-top violent shenanigans of series villain Art the Clown or the type of genre fan who prefers your horror a bit more on the psychological side, there’s really no debate to be had that the Terrifier franchise is a bonafide phenomenon, and Art the Clown a horror icon for the current generation.
As such, we imagine there’ll be much rejoicing in response to the following news: according to Deadline Hollywood, Damien Leone’s Terrifier 3 will now hit theaters a full two weeks earlier than expected, on October 11th.
Says Deadline:
“The Terrifierย franchise has been one of the biggest success stories in grassroots genre moviemaking in recent years. The second movie in the slasher franchise showcasing the murderous Art the Clown was made for only $250k but last year took $11M domestic and another $4M internationally.
In the third installment, David Howard Thornton is reprising his role as Art the Clown and Lauren LaVera is reprising her role as Sienna. Also starring will be Samantha Scaffidi, Elliot Fullam, AEW star Chris Jericho and Daniel Roebuck is set to debut as Santa Claus. Director is Damien Leone and producer is Phil Falcone.”
If you read that and thought, “Wait, what – Santa Claus?” then chances are you haven’t been keeping up with the production of Terrifier 3, which is a decidedly holiday-themed affair which will find Art the Clown once again dismantling human bodies in a number of gruesome ways against the backdrop of the Christmas season (specifically Christmas Eve). If there isn’t a scene in this movie where Art the Clown utterly annihilates Santa Claus, we will be extremely surprised.
Says producer Phil Falcone:
โWeโre so excited to bring the nextย Terrifier to theaters this fall just in time for the Halloween season. Terrifier 3ย will deliver everything the fans expect and more with Art the Clown taking things to the next level. We canโt thank our fans enough for their support and for making us believe weโve made something truly special.โ
Adds Brad Miska, VP, Bloody Disgusting for Cineverse:
โI knew the second I sawย Terrifier 2 that it would be a generational horror film and was ecstatic when horror fans showed up to experience the movie in theaters making it one of the biggest indie horror successes of all time. With Terrifier 3, Damien Leone and Phil Falcone have handcrafted a theatrical experience like no other that will shock the hell out of audiences this fall. Art the Clown will slay October once again.โ
