REVIEW: Terrifier 3

By Madilyn B.

With us being at the end of the spooky season, many AHS students have horror movies on their mind, and one that many have watched or should watch is Terrifier 3. Terrifier 3 has teenagers going wild about how scary the newest movie is!

Terrifier 3 was released in theaters on October 11, 2024, and the film has sparked excitement among students at Airport High School, and they’ve been raving about the action-filled movie, even encouraging teachers and their closest friends to watch the movie whilst talking about Terrifier 4, which has not yet been released; it is scheduled to come out in 2026, with some sources targeting a Halloween 2026 release date.

Terrifier 3 is an extremely gory and violent movie, and it is based off of a Christmas-themed slasher film, known more for its shock factor and intensity than suspense or psychological tension. It relies on graphic, often drawn-out killings and physical brutality to shock the audience. The movie involves a clown that is more like a mime than a clown. The clown was given the name “Art.” The character Art the Clown was created by writer and director Damien Leone. Leone's idea for the character originated from a scene where a clown terrorizes a woman on a bus and was developed through a series of short films before being turned into the feature film. He is an all–black-and-white clown who does not speak and swiftly gets away with gruesome murders easily and quickly.

I, Madilyn B., sent some emails to see if I could dive deeper into the lore and see if anyone around the school was aware of these jaw-dropping movies.

First of all, Terrifier 3 is great because it leans into classic horror movie tropes. The fact that Terrifier 3 adheres to what we expect in a horror movie makes it a good movie because you alre. In my opinion, Terrifier 1, 2, and 3 are all amazing, suspense-filled, action-packed movies, and they all deserve each their own rating. Terrifier 1 was a classic horror film, released and premiered at the Telluride Horror Show on October 15, 2016. The movie stars two young girls, Tara and Dawn, who are stalked by the clown. One of the girls even mocks the clown, leading to her being brutally murdered by the sadistic clown in her car whilst waiting for her friend to come back from using the bathroom. The movie is a popular cult classic within the modern horror genre. Many say the first movie was bad; they mention its thin plot, poor acting, and low production value, although this is completely made up the more you watch the movie.

Secondly, Terrifier 2 is a very sinister film and also action-packed, and I'd like to say my personal favorite horror movie. It certainly is action-packed; many events occur in the movie full of meaning and questions, like Art being resurrected by a Little Pale Girl who looks exactly like him. It is sinister because Art terrorizes the siblings, who are also dealing with the grief of their father's recent death, with the help of the mysterious entity called the Little Pale Girl. The plot centers around how on Christmas Eve, the resurrected Art the Clown unleashes a brutal holiday massacre, forcing survivor Sienna Shaw to face her trauma and battle him once more to stop his demonic rampage. .

Terrifier 3, on the other hand, was absolutely thrilling, adrenaline-fueled, and exciting. After waiting for so long for the perfect Terrifier movie after Terrifier 2, we were blessed with the best horror movie of 2024. Art the Clown is set to unleash chaos on the unsuspecting residents of Miles County as they peacefully drift off to sleep on Christmas Eve. This movie is packed with gruesome scenes that could turn your stomach. Movies like this are perfect for Halloween and dark, rainy nights.

I wanted to see if others on campus shared my views about this film. One email was sent to Ms. Niland, a teacher at Airport High School. “I have no idea about those movies — I've never seen any of them... I don't do scary movies! Sorry I can't help with this one.”

Another email was sent to a student at Airport High School, asking about the movie. Elijá J., a 9th grader at Airport High School, responded. She said, “In my opinion it's a very good movie. I enjoyed it quite a bit. It has a lot of gore and I enjoy the movie. It is a scary movie that still pays attention to details. I enjoyed it. What is your opinion?”

Professional critics generally agree that Terrifier 3 delivers on its promise of extreme, boundary-pushing gore and a strong performance from David Howard Thornton as Art the Clown, but many also note that the film's storytelling and pacing are weak.

So, in my opinion, this movie is an absolute 10/10! If you’re searching for a night drenched in fear and adrenaline, this bone-chilling masterpiece will drag you deep into its darkness, found on Tubi and Pluto TV for free, where every scream feels a little too real and the screen is a little too hard to not look at.