Bloody Disgusting has just released the official trailer for Terrifier 3, the upcoming horror sequel to the surprise box office hit, Terrifier 2. As you can see from the poster below, Art the Clown’s Christmas slay promises to be ultra-violent, perhaps making this the next great Christmas horror movie?
The film, which was teased when Terrifier 2 was re-released to theatres, will hit theaters on October 25, 2024. According to an announcement from Cineverse and Bloody Disgusting, the threequel will see Art the Clown “unleash chaos on the unsuspecting residents of Miles County as they peacefully drift off to sleep on Christmas Eve.” Franchise creator Damien Leone will return to write and direct Terrifier 3, but this time with a much larger budget said to be in the seven figures and a wide theatrical release.
“Terrifier 2’s remarkable success was driven not only by the insatiable appetite for new and thrilling horror icons like Art the Clown but also by its unparalleled theatrical release and marketing, along with its unyielding spirit,” Damien Leone said in a statement. “In a cinematic landscape where risk-taking is scarce, I will continue to push boundaries in Terrifier 3, and I can’t wait for you to see what’s in store for Art the Clown.“
Brad Miska, Managing Director of Bloody Disgusting, added, “In the world of horror, Damien Leone’s Terrifier franchise stands as a defiant embodiment of anti-Hollywood ethos. With an unwavering commitment to delivering precisely what the fans desire, Leone has crafted an entirely independent sequel. Terrifier 3 is going to have nastier kills, a bigger budget and an even crazier storyline.“
Leone has previously said that he wants to return to the spooky atmosphere of the original short film. “One of my main goals for Terrifier 3 is to recapture the creep factor present in the original Terrifier short film,” Leone said. “That had a genuinely spooky atmosphere that I’m still proud of. If all goes as planned, part 3 will be the scariest Terrifer thus far.“
That said, Leone has also said that the film will be closer to the tone of the first film, with Leone telling THR:
[Terrifier 2] really has that fantastical, poppy Dream Warriors vibe, and I’m trying to go back to part one, tonally,” Leone said. “So if part two is my Dream Warriors, I want to go back to the original A Nightmare on Elm Street tone with part three. When franchises lose their way, one of the mistakes they make is forgetting what made the franchise great in the first place. They just stray so far off of that path, so that’s something I’m trying to avoid. I just want to go back in that direction so I don’t forget where I came from, and I want this one to be the scariest one. And I do think it’s going to be the scariest, darkest, and most sadistic one, believe it or not, of the entire trilogy.“
Leone also promises that the movie will be under two hours. While the first movie ran a scant 86 minutes, the sequel was a whopping 138 minutes. However, fans are it up.
Thanks to word of mouth, Terrifier 2 was a surprising box office hit. It went on to gross $11 million domestically, and although that may not sound like much, it’s very impressive considering its $250,000 budget and lack of mainstream marketing. If you haven’t seen Terrifier 2, or the first film, Terrifier, you can catch them streaming. Terrifier is streaming for free on Tube TV, while Terrifier 2 is on Prime Video.. Neither has made it’s way to Shudder (yet).