The opening scene of Terrifier 3 features Art the Clown visiting a family for Christmas—but his gifts are worse than a bag of coal.
Terrifier 2 ended with the beheading of Art the Clown, a killer who will do almost anything. Though, like most great horror icons, not even that can keep him down.
As suggested by the reappearance of his head with a now possessed and crazy Victoria (it's a whole thing), Art's story is far from over. However, the third film's opening moments turn back the clock.
What Happens in Terrifier 3's Opening Scene
Terrifier 3 starts with little context about what is happening.
Audiences are introduced to a new family. Given the decorations of the home's interior, it's Christmas time. A little girl wakes her parents up, claiming she heard someone on the rooftop. She thinks it might be Santa Claus himself.
The mom isn't buying it, so she gets out of bed to put her daughter back to sleep (because the husband is intent on being as prick-ish as possible). The daughter sneaks out of her room and sees a strange man in a Santa outfit. She doesn't know it yet, but this is Art the Clown, and it's good for her that he doesn't see her.
He makes his way upstairs, where he kills her little brother—yes, a child—brutally while he sleeps in his bed. As seen in the aftermath, literal limbs are torn off.
From there, Art makes his way to the parents. With his axe, he gruesomely murders the father first. The mother doesn't realize what's happening initially, but she gets there. In a panic, she quickly discovers what is left of her son and then tries to leave the house, only to be met with an axe in the back.
Art thinks everyone is dead, so he celebrates by eating the cookies and milk originally meant for Santa Claus. But he hears something move in a cabinet.
He crouches down and opens it, seeing the little girl from earlier. Instead of murdering her as well, he just smiles and waves at her.
Who Was That Little Girl in Terrifier 3?
Sadly, Terrifier 3 offers no more information about what viewers witnessed in the opening sequence.
According to the text on screen, audiences are led to believe that the sequence happened five years before the events of Terrifier 2's ending.
Who the little girl is remains a mystery as well. There's no telling if she died off-screen to Art's sadistic antics or if she goes on to be something important to either Art or the show's general mythology.
One potential theory is that she becomes the Little Pale Girl, but that isn't confirmed in Terrifier 3. At the very least, that sequence serves as a gruesome reminder of how evil Art the Clown is.
Fans of the movie should read this breakdown of Terrifier 3 and its many events.
Terrifer 3 is now playing in theaters worldwide, and fans can even get a themed Terrifier 3 popcorn bucket.
