If you consider yourself a horror fan, then you’ll know the current talk of the town in horror circles is Terrifier 3. The movie – from writer director Damien Leone – stars David Howard Thornton, Lauren LaVera, Elliott Fullam, and Samantha Scaffidi; is currently playing in UK and US cinemas; and is sending horror fans into a bloodthirsty frenzy.
The film out performed Joker: Folie à Deux last weekend and it is looking like it will be a sizable earner this Halloween season. And due to its extreme content and over-the-top gore it’s likely to turn a few stomachs too.
Is it any good? Well, I will get to that momentarily, but I will say if you’re a fan of the first two films in the Terrifier series you will no doubt enjoy this latest offering. Although, is ‘enjoy’ really the correct word to describe any of the Terrifier movies?
I guess that is open to debate. I personally feel that curiosity and morbid fascination is what drives the success of these films, as well as the general feeling they can’t get any more extreme, can they?
Once again, that is also open to debate. But based on some of the kills in Terrifier 3, I’m certain writer/director Damien Leone is keen to test that theory.
Anyway, before I go any further, let’s deal with an important detail about the new movie. You need a plot summary.
Picking up five years after the events of Terrifier 2, Sienna Shaw and her brother Jonathan are trying to deal with the tragedy which befell their lives. Both survived an encounter with murderous maniac Art the Clown, but it was a survival with consequences.
Sienna and Jonathan are struggling to put the past behind them. Sienna in particular is having difficulties with her mental health and is suffering from horrible visions of her friends and family all blooded and battered.
Meanwhile, Art and his disfigured cohort, Victoria are back and are out for revenge. Sienna and Jonathan are the ones that got away and they are keen to settle the score.
The above is about it as far as the plot summary for Terrifier 3 goes. The Terrifier movies are not known for their intricate stories or well-crafted narratives and Terrifier 3 is no different.
The Terrifier films are generally all about the ‘kills’ with a vague plot weaved around the set pieces and that’s about it. Terrifier 3 maintains this formula, so no huge deviations, although on this occasion there is the general sense Leone is beginning to tighten things up a touch.
In terms of story and structure, Terrifier 3 isn’t the best written horror but it is a smidge stronger than Parts One and Two. Those films were very rough around the edges, and in places a bit amateur, while this one is a fraction more polished.
Leone could still learn a thing or two about how to edit his films and Terrifier 3 does fall into the same pitfall that stumped Terrifier 2, i.e. it is too long for a film with so little story, but the pacing is better. Overall this latest instalment feels a fraction less padded and this is an improvement.
Now, let’s talk about those ‘kills’, which is clearly the selling point of this series. Yep, they are as gross, violent, and sadistic as you might expect, and things certainly haven’t been toned down for Part Three.
The Terrifier films go beyond what audiences have seen in previous horror movies and continue to be more gruesome than the Saw series, more depraved than The Human Centipede flicks, and generally nastier than anything you would find in Hostel, the Texas Chainsaw films, or any of the Nightmare on Elm Street movies.
To be very clear, this is brutal, disgusting, and frankly quite vile stuff. There are times where you do have to question if this sort of thing should really be seen by anyone; especially anyone slurping a Coke and tossing back popcorn at the local multiplex.
Either way, the Terrifier films are allowed to get away with murder and my job is to make you aware of what to expect. And what you should expect in Terrifier 3 is various scenes of maiming; a sequence involving a tube and some rats; and a scene in which one character pleasures herself in a way that could never be described as truly pleasurable.
Nothing quite hits the level of extreme nastiness as the bedroom scene in Terrifier 2 (if you know, you know), although a shower scene in Terrifier 3 does come close. The sequence goes from hot-and-horny to horrid- and-horrific in a quick minute, and is arguably where Terrifier 3 peaks in terms of its level of sadism.
Outside of the ‘kills’, there’s nothing particularly special about Terrifier 3 and if you’re not a fan of this sort of thing, it’s unlikely to make you a convert. The various victims do their bit, and I’m happy to say the acting from everyone involved has improved, but there’s not much going on here other than slicing and dicing.
However, if that’s all you want from this film, then you will be perfectly fine with what is on offer. This film doesn’t reinvent the wheel, it simply picks up from where things last left off, and offers more of the same.
As previously noted, it is all a bit too long and things do go off the boil in places, but it pretty much does what it says on the tin and you can’t really argue with that. As I always say with these films, they are called the Terrifier for a reason and it’s fair to say they are indeed terrifying.
The fact that Terrifier 3 still maintains the scares while demonstrating some technical improvements over its predecessor, is also a positive thing. This should be recognised, even if this film isn’t going to win an Oscar.
Terrifier 3 is essentially more of what has come before in the series, but it is arguably the strongest entry so far. Whether this is ultimately a radical improvement is up to audiences to decide, and I’m not entirely sold, but if you are a fan then you’ll not be disappointed.
Those who have never experienced a Terrifier film may wonder what all the fuss is about, but those well-versed will be happy. I expect a fourth entry will soon follow, as well as a fifth, and sixth, and it’s clear with this film that Art the Clown is here to stay.
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Thank you for taking the time to read this review on It’s A Stampede!. For more reviews, check out the recommended reads below.
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