Art the Clown Returns in Terrifier 3: A bloody Mess, But Did It Need to Be So Long?
Terrifier 3: A Gore-Fest With a Seriously Boring Human Storyline
Art the Clown is back, baby! Damien Leone's ultra-gory Terrifier 3 (hitting theaters October 11th) is a non-stop bloodbath that doesn’t shy away from showing the most disgusting things possible. That’s what makes it good. That’s its key appeal. However, the problem is; that very specific and rather appealing aspect – the completely unhinged, chaotic gore; doesn’t always get that desired, hoped-for dramatic payoff due to many creative and other production-related shortcomings that negatively impact that cinematic appeal. There is however, so much else, some terribly interesting parts involved in a largely terrible experience that results in those many questionable choices.
The movie begins with a wildly confusing jump between different timelines. Then, Sienna Shaw (Lauren LaVera), who survived Art's attacks in Terrifier 2, is let out of the mental hospital. She immediately goes to her relatives; then she faces another problem. She’s still haunted by those awful experiences; and now those terrible situations that followed in the prior film continue. It seems extremely weird; an unexpected disjointed beginning and some rather surprising development issues affect both characters; making some scenes absolutely awkward to sit through. Yet, while that introduction seems quite problematic; there’s so much more!
Two Movies in One? Terrifier 3's Split Personality
This horror franchise totally thrives on Art the Clown's insane killing sprees! And the film starts with an over-the-top gore sequence; this immediately shows just how terrifying and extremely creative this movie’s killing scenes would become. But the problem here: It sets the tone, but Terrifier 3 doesn't manage to meet the huge level of insane gore delivered. Those gory moments should continue; creating that awesome and completely gory atmosphere.
Terrifier 3 actually splits into two separate storylines: Art doing his thing and Sienna trying to cope (a mostly boring subplot). Those separate stories run completely independent, until they converge during the last 30 minutes and some other additional and rather unique scenes that bring everything together.
This results in pacing issues. Those moments intended to be thrilling or even suspenseful get split. A scene cuts from an Art kill; to Sienna, and that complete disruption to tension and other storytelling elements entirely harms what otherwise could have easily been fixed by simply shifting the structure; and many feel it greatly negatively impacts what viewers will see! We get scenes after scenes of people getting brutally murdered— after a certain number of such scenes those details simply do not impress viewers in this kind of horror subgenre that emphasizes intense gore. This was however never enough; leaving Terrifier 3 feeling sluggish and intensely disjointed and poorly produced, as it simply felt completely tedious to sit through. We get that feeling of having already seen this repeatedly; the intensity had long gone!
Art the Clown: The Only Reason to Watch
Thankfully, we have Art the Clown! David Howard Thornton's performance is brilliant–manic, silent, incredibly creative! He's just terrifying, creating the kind of awesome scenes that every fan anticipated; yet those same kind of highly memorable scenes should not merely exist briefly! Yet, there is that problematic plotline of hiding Art in the climax! The decision completely undermines the effect Thornton brings as those earlier scenes showcase how easily this should have been included throughout. This missed opportunity, this decision harms the film. Why hide the best part?
There’s even an interesting subplot which explores additional thematic concepts which attempt to explore additional meanings for the storyline; with various plot elements centered on Christmas; but that very subplot involving Jonathan’s friend getting an interview for a podcast plus another subplot involving that previously encountered disfigured person possessing Sienna–all those parts completely feel underutilized; almost as if they should’ve only briefly touched and further expanded by using completely different plotline design choices!
This ultimately created a film where there simply isn't enough of a cinematic reason to maintain those longer moments for these sideplots, instead those kinds of poorly written subplots might've even helped deliver greater results had it simply shortened those aspects that viewers did not appreciate! These elements create additional flaws in an already deeply problematic plot arrangement.
Conclusion: Terrifier 3's Gore Isn't Enough to Save a Messy Movie
Terrifier 3 delivers those awesome gore sequences; yet it is entirely hampered by some incredibly poor storytelling decisions: There were unnecessary jump cuts and oddly structured scenes that are too long; which were deeply affected by production limitations; yet none of that makes up for how terrible that storyline feels and all its weaknesses, and ultimately creates a film with little tension because it's incredibly predictable, the pacing is slow; the side plots are too long and entirely unnecessary. It's almost like a bad teen drama with occasional Art the Clown breakouts! Despite Thornton's superb performance; it simply isn't enough to elevate an already boring plot and poorly crafted narrative!
