Fantastic Fest 2024 review: Terrifier 3 brings creeps, kills, and Christmas fear

As a die-hard fan of all things horror, I can confidently say that my heart skipped a beat (or maybe it was just a dismembered body part) upon witnessing the blood-soaked premiere of Terrifier 3 at Fantastic Fest. Having grown up on a steady diet of slasher films, this third installment in the franchise is like a gory Christmas gift that keeps on giving – or rather, taking.

To start off my visit to Fantastic Fest, I went to the debut of the long-awaited third installment in the Terrifier series. It’s great to report that in the franchise’s ongoing success, with each movie boosting its budget and expanding its fanbase, Terrifier 3 maintains the intense indie grindhouse gore that fans of the series eagerly anticipate. This shouldn’t come as a shock to any devotee of the franchise, given director Damien Leone’s penchant for ultraviolence. In fact, this movie might be the most brutal in the series yet.

5 years following the events of “Terrifier 2,” the story of “Terrifier 3” unfolds as Sienna (Lauren LeVera) and her brother Jonathan (Elliot Fullam) struggle to resume normal life after their harrowing experience with Art The Clown (David Howard Thornton). As before, Damien Leone, the mastermind behind the series since Art’s debut in “All Hallows Eve,” assumes both writing and directing duties for this film.

Instead of taking place on Halloween like the first two “Terrifier” movies, this one moves the murderous clown’s rampage to the festive season of Christmas. The production team and crew remain consistent with the earlier installments, ensuring a smooth transition in style for the sequel.

Moving from Halloween to Christmas provides numerous opportunities for character development, and in the movie “Leone and co.” exploit each one ruthlessly, wielding an axe symbolically. From terrorizing children as a murderous mall Santa to creating gruesome snow angels, Art outdoes even the Grinch in stealing the Christmas spirit. The film also employs much biblical imagery to broaden the mythology established in “Terrifier 2“; this choice seems fitting given the religious associations with the holiday. While I’m aware that this may stir up debate among some viewers (and the franchise has never shied away from controversy), I found that the biblical aspects of the film enhanced the narrative effectively.

In a seamless transition, Thornton reappears as his chilling, mute clown persona, offering a chilling yet comically grim portrayal reminiscent of an “evil Mr. Bean.” The character of Art, played by Thornton, evolves from a slasher to a full-blown supervillain, concocting fresh and macabre methods to annihilate unsuspecting victims or those he deliberately targets. Some scenes in Terrifier 2‘s infamous bedroom sequence are difficult to stomach for viewers; however, the kill scenes in Terrifier 3 surpass it in terms of intensity and shock value. It’s safe to say that audiences are not mentally prepared for what they’ll see.

Lauren LeVera’s portrayal of her character in the film is incredibly intense and moving, as she put in significant effort to fully embody the traumatized Sienna Shaw. This involved reaching out to trauma recovery clinics for insights on her role. Her scenes are undeniably captivating and powerfully performed. If you were impressed by her acting in “Terrifier 2”, you’ll find her electrifying in “Terrifier 3”. The movie also brings back the character of Victoria, played by Samantha Scaffidi, who was brutally mutilated in the first film and driven to insanity. Scaffidi delivers a chilling performance that is truly unsettling, with every bit of her unhinged madness shining through despite the impressive makeup covering her.

As a gamer, I’ve got to say that this movie takes the violence in the franchise to uncharted territories of raw brutality. You think Leone and his team have reached their limit? Think again! The opening scene itself sets the tone – they mean business. Thornton and LeVera’s performance elevates the classic final girl vs. slasher villain battle to epic proportions, ending in a gruesome, blood-soaked spectacle. In the end, just like Art the Clown has become a modern slasher legend, Sienna Shaw stands tall as a true modern-day final girl.

Despite some gruesome and intense kill scenes, I had trouble with the movie’s rhythm. The second act seemed overly prolonged before abruptly speeding up into the climax, going from slow to fast even faster than in the Terrifier series. The ending felt unnecessarily hurried, making me suspect that some scenes might have been cut during editing and they were trying to preserve the third act as much as possible. Although we’ve been promised a fourth film, the movie finale had the feel of Terrifier 3, part one.

In summary, “Terrifier 3” maintains the gruesome intensity and quality that fans have come to anticipate from this series. Despite a climax that left me craving more, the film’s final scenes were as wicked and intense as they come. The acting is spot-on, and the violence is relentless. With its abundance of dismembered limbs and sacrilegious visuals, “Terrifier 3” leaves even the most hardened viewers speechless.

Terrifier 3 is creeping down chimney’s and into theaters October 11th, 2024.

Read More

• TOMI PREDICTION. TOMI cryptocurrency
• PSP PREDICTION. PSP cryptocurrency
• GBP MYR PREDICTION
• UNIBOT PREDICTION. UNIBOT cryptocurrency
• USD ISK PREDICTION
• JPY VND PREDICTION
• GENE PREDICTION. GENE cryptocurrency
• CWAR PREDICTION. CWAR cryptocurrency
• NFAI PREDICTION. NFAI cryptocurrency
• EUR HUF PREDICTION

2024-09-20 21:25