Terrifier 3: synopsis, age rating, cast list and early reviews for the throwback to the video nasty age

• The ultraviolence sleeper hit of 2022 returns to UK cinemas for the Halloween season.
• Terrifier 3, featuring Art the Clown, is set to thrill, or sicken, audiences from October 11 2024.
• So what have early reviews been for the blood soaked third entry into the newest entry into horror movie folklore?

It’s become one of horror's most endearing franchises in recent years, if the content in the film sometimes veers into the extreme - we talk of course about Terrifier 3, out this week.

Featuring one of the newest horror movie characters to enter the same echelon as Freddy, Jason, Michael, Leatherfaceand for newer horror movie fans Victor Crowley, Art the Clown returns for the third instalment of Damien Leone’s sleeper hit series of films.

While the first film of the series became a cult classic for horror movie fans (with a certain disposition/stomach for extreme violence),the follow upbecame a surprise hit at the cinema in 2022, despite once again earning controversy forits now-infamous “bedroom” scene.

The moral panic is already taking hold too, with news that despite the tongue-in-cheek promotional marketing of early screenings involving paramedics on hand and barf bags in the audience, the film still managed to elicit several walk outs.

Art The Clown returns to UK cinemas this week, with the release of Terrifier 3 on October 11 2024. | Jesse Korman

For one poor person, their night out at the cinema allegedly saw them taken away for medical treatment after having a panic attack during the advance screening - while media outlets are now showing clips from the film asking if mild mannered members of the public think it’s too much.

It’s starting to echo that moral panic in the ‘80s regarding video nasties, which still to this day seems to still have a resounding effect on those who grew up extol the virtues of “banning the filth.”

We’ll see when the film finally gets released on October 11 2024 if such a panic will become widespread…

What is Terrifier 3 all about?

“After surviving Art the Clown's Halloween massacre, Sienna and her brother struggle to rebuild their shattered lives. As the holiday season approaches, they try to embrace the Christmas spirit and leave the horrors of the past behind. However, just when they think they're safe, Art returns, determined to turn their holiday cheer into a new nightmare.”

Who stars in Terrifier 3?

It’s a welcome return for both David Howard Thornton and Lauren LaVera, who portray Art The Clown and Sienna Shaw respectively after their success in Terrifier 3. There is also some fan service for horror movie fans with the inclusion ofTom Savini, Daniel Roebuck and Clint Howard, while Jason Patric is also listed in the cast.

IMDB lists the following performers in large on-screen roles throughout the film.

• David Howard Thornton as Art the Clown
• Lauren LaVera as Sienna Shaw
• Elliot Fullam as Jonathan Shaw
• Samantha Scaffidi as Victoria "Vicky" Heyes
• Chris Jericho as Burke
• Daniel Roebuck as Santa Claus
• Tom Savini
• Jason Patric
• Antonella Rose
• Margaret Anne Florence
• Bryce Johnson
• Krsy Fox
• Alexa Blair Robertson
• Mason Mecartea
• Stephen Cofield Jr.
• Clint Howard
• Annie Lederman
• Jon Abrahams

What is the run time for Terrifier 3?

Terrifier 3 has a runtime of 125 minutes, or in layman's terms 2 hours and five minutes. Owing to trailers being screened ahead of time, we’d expect you to be spending 2 hours 30 minutes in the cinema - barf bag on hand.

Is Terrifier 3 suitable for young adults?

No chance, owing to the fact that the first two films of the series were known for their levels of gratuitous violence - which is part of its “charm.” As expected, the British Board of Film Classification have rated Terrifier 3 as an 18, due to “strong gory violence [and] injury detail,” with the board explaining their reasons for the rating.

“A murderous clown wreaks havoc in a town at Christmas time in this gory US slasher horror film. Fans of the franchise can expect more darkly comic yet sadistic and bloody kills.”

What have earlier reviews been so far for Terrifier 3?

So far, reviews for Terrifier 3 have once again been positive; as of writing, the film sits with a “Fresh” rating on Rotten Tomatoes with a score of 88% based on 16 reviews.

Rocco T. Thompson of Slant Magazine stated the film “continues the series’s trend of dotting a sparse and sinuous thread of plot with mini-masterpieces of cinematic ultraviolence,” while Alison Foreman of indieWire called the film “a triumphant celebration that’s horrifying for all the right reasons and snaps into focus what it is that Leone does singularly well.

“That may or may not win people over, but it shouldn’t lose any repeat customers.”

Terrifier 3 opens in UK cinemas on October 11 2024, including Vue and Odeon. The film is also included as part of Odeon’s MyLIMITLESS subscription allowing unlimited access to new releases for a monthly fee - visit the myLIMITLESS page on the Odeon’s website for more information.