Terrifier 3 will be set during an entirely new time of year. So far, all the canonical feature appearances by the murderous slasher Art the Clown (David Howard Thornton) have taken place on or around Halloween night. After Art’s appearances in All Hallows’ Eve and Terrifier, writer-director Damien Leone resurrected the character for another bloody rampage in 2022’s Terrifier 2, which became a surprise theatrical hit off the back of buzzy reports of audience members falling ill while watching its intense gore scenes. Shortly after, Terrifier 3 was confirmed, with an eye on a 2024 release.
Bloody Disgusting, who are behind distribution on Terrifier 2, have made a huge reveal about the sequel Terrifier 3 after a poster leaked online. The Terrifier 3 poster, which will be given out at upcoming November 1 re-release screenings of Terrifier 2 that also feature a two to three-minute sneak peek of the next movie, features an axe-wielding Art the Clown in front of a Christmas tree that uses intestines for garlands, wearing a sweater depicting Santa with his eyes gouged out. In response to the leak, Bloody Disgusting officially confirmed that Terrifier 3 will indeed be set around Christmas.
Terrifier 3 Joins a Long Christmas Horror Tradition
While this will be the first Art the Clown movie featuring the killer crashing Christmas festivities, the horror genre has long been interested in subverting the holiday. As early as 1944’s The Curse of the Cat People, horror filmmakers have been using the cheerful trappings of the holiday to provide a startling juxtaposition for stories with more intense themes. Some use this juxtaposition for intense psychological exercises, while others use the subversion for pure shock value.
Christmas horror movies can take place in all kinds of subgenres, but they are perhaps most frequently slashers. Movies that have set a series of brutal slayings against the backdrop of the holiday include Black Christmas, The Dorm That Dripped Blood, and Jack Frost. Plenty of these movies have taken things one step further and either featured Santa or somebody dressed as Santa as the killer, including Silent Night, Deadly Night, Christmas Evil, Santa’s Slay, and Sint.
Because of his playfully macabre nature, the killer Art the Clown will likely be a perfect fit for this type of tone. An idyllic white Christmas setting could also potentially provide him with a blanket of white snow on which he can splash bright red blood. The new setting for Terrifier 3 indicates that Damien Leone isn’t afraid to explore new territory, meaning he will likely continue to push the envelope of Art the Clown’s violence as well.
