Terrifier 3

There aren’t that many true cult films that break into the mainstream. John Wick is the prime example of a modest release, turning into a juggernaut of a series. The Terrifier series started with a short film, a low budget feature, followed by an ambitious follow up, with a planned limited theatrical release that just kept pulling in the audiences.

Now Terrifier 3 has a full-blown cinema release schedule, with slick marketing to match. Its really quite remarkable for an independent film, producer, writer and director.

However the Terrifier series isn't about financial and audience figures. For fans casual or not, its about the ever-escalating violence and imagination behind that of writer and director Damien Leone.

And in that respect Terrifier 3 is everything that audiences want and expect along with taking the story forward. Sibling survivors from Terrifier 2 Sienna (Lauren La Vera) and Jonathan (Elliott Fullam) are respectively trying to return to normal life with her aunt and uncle after a year in hospital, and trying to get established in college. Both as would be expected still have serious mental scars.

The killers, Art (David Howard Thornton) and Victoria (Samantha Scaffidi) have gone into some sort of hibernation until they are woken by demolition workers with the expected results.

With the two now free and on the rampage which includes the use of liquid nitrogen, axes, and explosives, the killings and torture are amped to the max. Pushing the boundaries of taste and tolerance to the limit. The results are naturally horrific and possibly controversial, there’s the attack on children visiting Santa in a mall.

Within this mayhem, the lore surrounding the seemingly unkillable Art the clown is developed though this is less satisfying with a weak script that feels padded. This softens the film and while never truly boring it just seems to amble between the violence.

As a result, Terrifier 3 is actually quite hollow neither developing the sympathy required for Sienna and Jonathan’s characters, or the potential black comedy of Art’s character through his mime, the latter’s attempts bordering on the pathetic.

But Leone has probably done enough to keep this franchise going for at least a while longer. The film is guaranteed to make money for one, and he’s proved a canny business operator. And not forgetting that as a filmmaker there’s still a lot of potential to tap.

Terrifier 3 is out now in UK cinemas.