A Terrifier 3 set photo offers a new glimpse at David Howard Thornton’s return as Art the Clown. The upcoming sequel will see the horror villain, who has previously only struck during Halloween time, going on a bloody rampage during the Christmas season. The returning cast also includes Samantha Scaffidi as Victoria Heyes, who originally appeared in 2016’s Terrifier, as well as Terrifier 2 survivors Lauren LaVera as Sienna Shaw and Elliot Fullam as Jonathan Shaw.
On his official Instagram account, writer-director Damien Leone shared a set photo from the upcoming Terrifier 3. Check out his post below:
The image shows a monitor on set bearing the image of Thornton in costume as Art the Clown, with a caption that reads “Are you ready for more??” and the hashtag “#hesback.” Art presents a clean, unbloodied face in the image, which likely means he has not yet resumed his reign of terror during the scene that they are filming.
How Art the Clown Became an Overnight Horror Icon
Although the killer Art the Clown has only become an iconic horror villain recently, he has already appeared in a wide variety of projects. Before Thornton took over the role in the Terrifier trilogy, the character was played by Mike Giannelli, who has since retired from acting. Giannelli’s Art appeared in the short films The 9th Circle and Terrifier, which were released in 2008 and 2011 respectively and were later folded into the feature-length anthology All Hallows’ Eve, alongside a third Halloween horror story featuring an Art the Clown reference, in 2013.
The First Movie Featuring Art The Clown Explained (It Wasn’t Terrifier)
Art the Clown has become a horror icon and has his own horror series with Terrifier, but The 9th Circle short from 2008 was his first appearance.
Despite his wide body of work, Art the Clown didn’t become a proper horror icon until the 2022 release of Terrifier 2. In spite of the fact that it was a sequel to a movie that didn’t have the same pop culture impact, it became a surprise smash theatrical hit. The movie gained notoriety due to stories of people falling ill in the theater as a reaction to its intense gore and violence and its box office ballooned, eventually earning back more than 60 times its budget.
After the explosion of Terrifier 2, Art the Clown joined the pantheon of horror killers and has appeared on a wide variety of merchandise. He has even been included in a cameo appearance in the legacy sequel The Mutilator 2, which features a sequence set at a Halloween party where someone is dressed as Art. It remains to be seen if Terrifier 3 will bolster that legacy by becoming a hit, but for the time being, the future of the bloodthirsty villain seems very bright.
Terrifier 3
Terrifier 3 is the third film in Damien Leone’s ultra-violent horror series starring David Howard Thornton as Art the Clown. The third film is set during Christmas time, with Art unleashing his reign of terror on Miles County citizens on Christmas Eve. Lauren LaVera returns as Sienna, along with Damien Leone as director and writer.
- Director
- Damien Leone
- Studio(s)
- Dark Age Cinema , Fuzz on the Lens Productions
- Distributor(s)
- Cineverse
- Writers
- Damien Leone
- Cast
- David Howard Thornton , Lauren LaVera
- Franchise(s)
- Terrifier
- prequel(s)
- Terrifier , Terrifier 2
