Damien Leone’s Terrifier 3 is one of the biggest horror movies of 2024. After Art the Clown (David Howard Thornton) seems to be defeated at the end of Terrifier 2, the beginning of the third movie shows he has more to do. Terrifier 3 happens during the holiday season.
Art dresses as Santa Claus and carries a big sack of presents, which hold much darker things he uses to kill the other characters. The Christmas setting looks very old-fashioned and classic.
The film also plays Christmas carols to remind the audience that it is the festive time of year. Art continues his usual slasher behavior in Terrifier 3, but how brutal are the kills this time?
How is Art the Clown Resurrected in ‘Terrifier 3’?
At the end of Terrifier 2, Sienna (Lauren LaVera) cuts off Art’s head, but it is clear Art will not stay dead for long. The question is not if he will return to life; that is answered in a mid-credit scene where Victoria gives birth to Art’s head. The real question is how he will come back to life.
The movie starts with Art’s decapitated body being found. After that, he attacks the man who discovers him. Art then boards a subway train and attaches the head of the man he attacked onto his own.
This adds a new layer to Art’s supernatural powers. He later goes to Victoria’s psychiatric ward and reunites his head with his body. In this process, he kills two nurses from the second movie, Leah Vaysey and Chris Jericho.
The film then skips ahead five years to catch up with Sienna. She is now visiting her Aunt Jessica (Margaret Anne Florence), Uncle Greg (Bryce Owen Johnson), and their daughter Gabbie (Antonella Rose), who looks up to Sienna. It is clear that Sienna is still affected by the events of the previous movie.
She experiences visions of her injured friends. Sienna’s brother, Jonathan (Elliot Fullam), is now in college and plays a smaller role in Terrifier 3.
Art the Clown and Victoria have been hidden in an abandoned building for the past five years. They wake up when demolition workers come to check the property. While shopping with Gabbie, Sienna sees Art and realizes that the nightmare is happening again.
How Does ‘Terrifier 3’ Expand on Art the Clown’s Backstory?
Art is still exaggerated as ever. There is an early scene where he meets Santa, showing a child-like wonder. This moment is one of Thornton’s funniest in the entire series. The kills in Terrifier 3 are also very brutal. Art uses an ax, liquid nitrogen, and a chainsaw to inflict pain.
However, Terrifier 3 also spends time building on the story introduced in the second movie. While unpacking at her Aunt’s house, Sienna finds her journal. It contains letters from her brother Elliot about how to defeat Art. These letters explain that Art is a demon who needs a host to survive.
The host must be recently deceased for Art to come back to life. Jonathan believed that the pale girl from the previous film was that host. If they could destroy her, they would kill Art. However, in Terrifier 3, Art now uses Victoria as a vessel. This is why she gave birth to his head.
The letters also explain that every demon needs a good counterpart, and Sienna serves this role to Art. While the second movie began to discuss this idea, Terrifier 3 expands on it much more. Flashbacks in Sienna’s dreams show her talking to her father as a child.
He gives her a drawing of his first female hero, which later becomes Sienna’s iconic Halloween costume. When her dad hands her the painting, something seems to stop him from letting go. It appears there is a spiritual connection between them.
He also talks about the story behind Sienna’s sword, linking it to his angel warrior drawing. He explains that her weapon has special powers and can never hurt her. It becomes clear to Sienna that she must go back to the Terrifier, where she left the sword at the end of the second movie, and use it to finally defeat Art.
Does Sienna Defeat Art the Clown in Terrifier 3?
After a random killing spree, including Jonathan’s roommate, Art the Clown and Victoria attack Sienna at her aunt and uncle’s home. They knock her out and she wakes up tied to a chair with her mouth taped shut. Aunt Jessica is tied to a chair opposite her. Greg is already dead, and his headless body is nailed to a wall in a cross position.
His head sits on the Christmas tree while Art wraps his intestines around it like tinsel. Victoria removes a cloth from a table to reveal a severed skull filled with rats. She tells Sienna and Jessica that this is Gabbie’s head, but then later claims it is actually Jonathan’s skull after placing his glasses on it.
Jonathan’s supposed death occurs off-screen, leaving the possibility of his return open. Jessica then faces one of the most horrible deaths in the series when Art force-feeds her live rats.
The demon within Victoria tries to take control of Sienna. However, Sienna is strong enough to resist. She feels protective over the still-alive Gabbie, which gives her strength. Art then grabs Gabbie and prepares to kill her. Gabbie insists that Sienna should open her present first.
Earlier in the movie, Gabbie was scolded for opening presents and re-wrapping them, showing she knew what was inside the mysterious gift box—a sword. Once Gabbie opens the box, Sienna stabs Victoria, who disintegrates on the floor, opening a huge demonic hole.
Meanwhile, an intense fight takes place between Art and Sienna. Art uses a chainsaw while Sienna fights back with her sword. After a fierce battle, Art’s chainsaw gets stuck on a table. This gives Sienna the chance to stab him against the wall.
However, Gabbie gets pulled into the hole, and Sienna tries to save her. Using the sword, she tries to pull Gabbie up but cuts her hands on the blades. Gabbie is not strong enough and falls into the void along with the sword. Sienna vows to bring her back, and her hand wounds heal almost instantly.
After the battle, Sienna looks at the spot where Art the Clown stood. All that remains is a bloody patch on the wall and a broken window. The film then shifts to a disheveled-looking Art waiting at a bus stop while “Silent Night” plays in the background.
He gets on the bus, where a woman reads The 9th Circle, a subtle nod to the first movie Art appeared in. As the bus drives away, it sets the stage for another fight in the recently announced Terrifier 4.
Even though some questions remain unanswered, Terrifier 3 adds more lore to the story and deepens the connection between Art and Sienna. It provides a clearer ending than the previous film while still leaving Gabbie and Sienna’s fates uncertain.
