The first reactions to the newest installment in director Damien Leone's blood-soaked, low-budget slasher-comedy franchise are in, but is Terrifier 3 good enough to get fans into the gory Christmas spirit in October? If you're already into the Terrifier franchise, the answer based on early reviews is almost certainly "yes."
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00:00The first reactions to the newest installment in director Damian Leone's blood-soaked, low-budget-slash-a-comedy
00:06franchise are in, but is Terrifier 3 good enough to get fans into the gory Christmas
00:12spirit in October?
00:14If you're already into the Terrifier franchise, the answer based on early reviews is almost
00:19certainly yes.
00:20Who is this Santa?
00:23He's scaring my kid."
00:25The film made its Fantastic Fest debut on Thursday, and audiences are already describing
00:30it as the most sickening, creatively evil installment in the franchise so far.
00:35There's no word on whether anyone passed out or threw up at the screening the way plenty
00:39of people reportedly did while seeing Terrifier 2, but then again, fans of the famed genre
00:45festival tend to have strong stomachs.
00:47SlashFilm's own Jacob Hall calls the sequel, quote, "...one of the nastiest horror movies
00:52ever made," in his positive review.
00:54With the caveat that,
00:56"...it's literally impossible to recommend a horror movie so nasty and nightmarish that
01:00it's bound to be an endurance test for even genre buffs with the most hardened nerves
01:05and strong stomachs."
01:07Terrifier 3 looks like it could shape up to be a hit of hyperbolic proportions, just like
01:20its predecessors.
01:21Critic James Preston Poole posted to X,
01:24"...Terrifier 3 is truly evil, and I mean that in the best possible way."
01:28Filmmaker and columnist Ryan Rank opined on X that we might not be off the hook, vomit-wise,
01:33writing,
01:34"...the gore tops the previous entries and art is more malicious than ever.
01:39Some gag-worthy kills."
01:41Unsurprisingly for a splatter-film franchise, plenty of the reactions focus on the movie's
01:45gore and more transgressive aspects.
01:48Journalist and Lionsgate digital coordinator Noah Levine wrote on X,
01:53"...Terrifier 3 goes there, and then goes 54 steps further.
01:56An absolute splatterfest of unseen proportions."
02:00Meanwhile, Jermaine Lercier perfectly summed up the feelings some fans have watching the
02:04movies, posting,
02:05"...Terrifier 3 was, without question, the most disgusting, gory, vile thing I've ever
02:11seen.
02:12I kind of enjoyed it."
02:14While the Terrifier movies are more often measured by the quantity of their on-screen
02:17entrails than their filmmaking, it sounds like the runaway success of the second film
02:22has led to a style upgrade for the latest, comparatively higher-budget installment.
02:27Paul goes on to praise the film's truly sickening practical effects, and on his X account, critic
02:32Chris Parker singles out both the effects and the moody, dark aesthetic.
02:37The film's cast also got some love, with particular focus on the return of Terrifier 2 final girl
02:42Lauren Levera.
02:43Over on X, writer Alex Papagno-Arnau noted that,
02:47"...Levera has an all-timer final girl sequence, and David Howard Thornton absolutely rocks
02:52as Art the Clown once again."
02:54Paul actually declares that Levera is
02:56"...the final girl."
02:59The franchise's weak points remain the same as ever.
03:01A few critics note that its mythology and narrative elements aren't as strong as the
03:05rest of the movie, with critic Matt Donato posting to Blue Sky that,
03:10"...as with Terrifier 2, the film is dragged out, and scattershot storytelling is an issue.
03:16As a Christmas horror expert, Donato notes that,
03:19"...Art makes a mess of biblical imagery and holiday cheer, in both good and meh ways."
03:24Others were more impressed with the lore.
03:26YouTuber Cody Leach wrote on X,
03:28"...Terrifier 3 nicely blends the tone of the previous two while pushing the lore and
03:33characters forward in interesting ways."
03:35And Paul noted that the franchise's mythology is becoming more intricate.
03:39Looper critic Matthew Jackson was especially effusive about the film, posting,
03:43"...Terrifier 3 is my favorite of the series so far.
03:46A showcase of gore and a maturation of Leone's ability to shift from impish to emotional
03:51in an instant, harrowing and hilarious at the same time."
03:55"...Looking forward to the best Christmas ever, filled with fun, smiles, and laughter."
04:02Most of the Terrifier 3 reactions to date include the disclaimer that existing fans
04:06of the franchise will enjoy the movie.
04:09So it seems likely that, if you were lukewarm on Terrifiers 1 and 2, you might feel the
04:13same about this film.
04:15If you do like the previous movies, though, brace yourself for a singularly disgusting
04:19and entertaining moviegoing experience.
04:22Terrifier 3 premieres in theaters October 11, 2024.