“Terrifier 3” is officially on the way in October 2024 with director and writer Damien Leone offering a tease about his plans for the upcoming slasher sequel…
Art the Clown is back and this time he’s coming for Santa Claus’ head.
On the heels of the breakout success of “Terrifier 2” this past year, Damien Leone’s “Terrifier 3” will officially land in theaters on October 25, 2024 and the film actually takes place at Christmas time.
A brief teaser for the upcoming film was shown during a one-night theatrical re-release for “Terrifier 2” this past Wednesday that showed a little girl coming downstairs to find Art the Clown dressed in a Santa outfit as he placed presents under a Christmas tree. Moments later we find Art covered in blood from head to toe while dipping something — definitely not cookies — in milk while enjoying a late night snack.
David Howard Thornton is returning to portray Art the Clown and it’s expected that he’ll be joined by Lauren LaVera, who portrayed his nemesis Sienna in “Terrifier 2” when she thought his rampage of terror was ended after she lopped off his head. Clearly, Art will be resurrected again.
As far as what to expect from this latest installment, Leone — who writes, directs and handles all the effects for the “Terrifier” movies — said he plans to shift the tone of this film closer to the original but still adding new wrinkles, especially now that he’ll have a bigger budget to work with. “Terrifier 2” was shot on just a $250,000 budget before earning a surprising $11 million at the box office.
“I think tonally, I’m going to pull back more from that Dream Warrior vibe, which I considered [Terrifier 2] to have because that was the inspiration for part two,” Leone told Bloody Disgusting. “In terms of the tone, I wanted to capture a Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors vibe. Now you’re going to have this film, which will feel more epic, like part two. We’re going to have a bigger budget. We’re shooting in anamorphic widescreen, so I want it to feel more like an old-school John Carpenter movie.
“It’s going to still have that epic feel of part two, but now have the tone of part one with Christmas. It’s going to be a completely different beast. It’s just going to look different. It’s going to feel different, but it’s still going to have everything you love in it. But it’s going to be very fresh. It’s not going to be like you’re sitting through part one or two all over again.”
There’s no word yet when production on “Terrifier 3” will officially begin, especially with the actors’ strike still happening but the film is targeting an October 25 release date in 2024.
