Terrifier 3: Release date, cast, plot & more

❘ Published: 2023-12-12T17:37:08

Bloody Disgusting

Art the Clown is back, baby – and this time he’s targeting Christmas. Here’s everything we know about Terrifier 3, including its release date, teaser, cast, plot, and more.

Damien Leone first brought Art the Clown to life in 2008’s The 9th Circle, before giving him the spotlight in 2011’s Terrifier, a short film following a young woman who witnesses one of the villain’s murders.

After appearing in All Hallows’ Eve, Leone adapted Terrifier into a feature-length film in 2016, with the clown stalking three young women on Halloween. It’s trashy in the best ways, features a jaw-dropping upside-down kill, and whet people’s appetites for more.

Enter Terrifier 2, last year’s most shocking horror movie, responsible for fainting and vomiting across cinemas in the US. Of course, now we want to know when Terrifier 3 is coming out, so here’s what we know so far, including any possible release date, cast, and plot details.

Is there a Terrifier 3 release date?

Terrifier 3 is set to be released on October 25, 2024.

‘TERRIFIER 3’ releases on October 25, 2024 in theaters. pic.twitter.com/r2ctw3efzO
— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) November 2, 2023

In a conversation with Deadline, Leone said filming for Terrifier 3 will kick off at the start of February 2024. “We are in pre-production right now. We’re going to start shooting in two months, beginning of February. So, we’re in the thick of it,” he said.

“We’re assembling our crew; we’re still casting; we’re getting locations in order; special effects are being created; and we’re still working on drafts. It could always be better and tighter: I never stop doing that all the way through production. I’m finally getting to the stage where I’m very excited about it. We’re about to make a movie again, which is my childhood fantasy come true.”

In June 2023, the outlet reported that French distributor The Coven had launched world sales on the threequel, with Leone and producer Phil Falcone returning to helm the franchise’s continuation.

The director previously said a third film is in the works – and possibly even a fourth. He told Variety: “I had a Part 3 in mind when writing Part 2. There are so many questions brought up in Part 2 that are not answered, and that was part of the design because I know I’m going into a Part 3,” he said.

“I pretty much have the entire treatment ready for Part 3, but it’s getting so big that it could potentially split into a Part 4 because I wouldn’t want to make another 2-hour 20-minute movie. So we’ll see.

“My fear is that eventually the well is gonna run dry, we’re gonna wind up jumping the shark, there will be nothing left to say with this character. It happens with a lot of franchises that I’m still a huge fan of. I’ve watched all these Part 10s and Part 13s, but sometimes that could really ruin the entire franchise.

“For them to peter out or not have this satisfying arc or the movie goes in another direction, that could be devastating to your overall franchise. I want to try and avoid that.”

In the aforementioned Deadline interview, Leone added: “It doesn’t have to end, and you know, once we open the door of the supernatural, anything’s possible in this franchise. So, I don’t think you could ever officially put the nail in the coffin, but if I ever did want to end it, I now have a satisfying conclusion for myself as an artist, as the creator.”

In mid-June, it was confirmed that Bloody Disgusting and its parent company Cineverse had acquired the North American rights to Terrifier 3, in news first reported by Variety. Following a theatrical run, the threequel will be available to stream on Screambox, the horror platform owned by Cineverse.

Terrifier 3 trailer: Is there a trailer?

Although the full trailer is yet to be released, a teaser arrived on November 13, 2024, showing Art the Clown getting into the spirit of Christmas. Check it out:

And you can check out the trailers for Terrifier and Terrifier 2 below:

Terrifier 3 cast: Who’s in it?

The cast of Terrifier 3 hasn’t been confirmed, but we can bank on two stars: David Howard Thornton as Art the Clown, and Lauren LaVera as Sienna Shaw.

This was shared in the Deadline report, which said: “David Howard Thornton (who plays Art The Clown) and Lauren LaVera (Sienna) are among cast expected to return.”

We can also expect to see the return of Amelie McLain as The Little Pale Girl, who debuted in the sequel and stole every scene she was in. As for Victoria (Samantha Scaffidi), she wasn’t in the best state in Terrifier 2’s post-credits scene, so perhaps she’ll also return.

Terrifier 3 plot: What is it about?

According to Screambox, which has acquired North American rights to Terrifier 3, “In the third installment of Damien Leone’s breakout horror film, 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.”

Leone previously teased: “If you thought Art the Clown’s reign of terror in part 2 was extreme, you haven’t seen anything yet” – and there’s also a far bigger budget to play around with this time.

Speaking to Deadline, Priscilla Smith of The Coven said of the threequel: “There will be a much bigger budget this time around, which is intended to give the filmmakers more creative freedom, and let them be as wild as they can be. And, all jokes aside, we are going for that Oscar this year.”

Leone added: “Terrifier 3 will be another boundary pushing addition to the horror genre, continuing the no holds barred, uncompromising exploits fans of the franchise have come to expect and celebrate. If you thought Art the Clown’s reign of terror in part 2 was extreme, you haven’t seen anything yet.”

Discussing Terrifier 2’s “twisted ending” and how he doesn’t want to do a “disservice” to Art, the filmmaker told the Nightmare on Film Street podcast: “My biggest fear is doing a disservice to the protagonist that you build up, which happens a lot in these franchises.

“Eventually, the villain overpowers everybody and all these heroes that you’ve been following for like six, seven, eight movies, they wind up petering out, or the actor dies, or the character gets killed off and then it’s just like, well, what was the point of all of that? You can’t really watch it as a whole complete series with a satisfying arc or journey.

“I’m not going to say that I’m not going to fall into that trap. I hope I don’t but right now, in my head, I’d love to just tell a solid story. Way more talented filmmakers- filmmakers with amazing artistic integrity fall into those traps, so I’m not going to say that I’m not going to, but I’m going to try not to.”

Also speaking to Variety, Leone said: “There’s something very interesting that’s going to happen with the pale girl in Part 3. That’s all I can say right now.

“Sienna is crucial to the franchise moving forward. There are a lot of interesting things that are going to be brought up with that character and her trajectory. I know there were a lot of things thrown at the audience in this movie and it sort of unravels like a nightmare, but nothing was thrown in just arbitrarily for the sake of being weird. Everything means something, and it’s all going to make sense, for sure.

“I kind of regret doing this, but I recorded a director’s commentary for the Blu-ray and I actually did explain a lot of stuff that I shouldn’t have. People might want to check that out because they’ll definitely get some spoilers as to what’s going on.”

We’ll keep this page updated with the latest Terrifier 3 news. You can read more of our horror content below: