Damien Leone's fan-favorite horror franchise is coming back to theaters with the upcoming release of Terrifier 3.
The critically acclaimed series of films follows the horrifying Art the Clown who - on numerous occasions - has tormented a colorful cast of characters inhabiting the fictitious Miles County, New York.
While starting as a series of short films, the Terrifier franchise has blossomed into a bloodcurdling success with the last film (2016's Terrifier 2) earning more than $17 million at the worldwide box office on a budget of $250,000.
Following the success of the second mainline film, Terrifier 3 was an inevitability, so here is everything we know about the upcoming threequel.
When Will Terrifier 3 Release?
There has been no official release date for Terrifier 3 announced as of yet; however, director Damien Leone has revealed at least a release window for fans to bet on.
Leone confirmed to Bloody Disgusting he hopes to release the threequel by the end of "next year" (aka 2024):
"This year has been unlike anything we could have imagined. To see all the love 'Terrifier 2' has received and the excitement this release has inspired from fans new and old, is truly beyond words. As a thank you to them and the many people who worked tirelessly on this release, we want to bring it back to the big screen where it belongs. And more than that, while fans eagerly await the release of 'Terrifier 3' next year, we will be including some special surprises because a year is just too long to wait."
Filming for the horror sequel officially got underway in July 2023; however given the ongoing actors' strike in Hollywood, production cannot be completed until the job action is resolved.
Fans will get a first hint at what to expect though in the not-too-distant future.
After the viral success of Terrifier 2 in 2022, it was confirmed the cult-hit horror film would return to theaters in 2023, with a trailer for Terrifier 3 attached to it.
On X (formerly Twitter), Leone revealed "a legit teaser/trailer" is coming attached to the rerelease, not some short "20 second gimmick:"
"For those of you speculating that the Terrifier 3 teaser is just gonna be some 20 second gimmick, I assure you it’s a legit teaser/trailer, it’s over 2 minutes long, and you’re gonna f****** love it. Exclusively in theaters Nov 1st! Get tickets here."
The upcoming third film will undoubtedly be the biggest in franchise history, sporting a $5 million budget (via Deadline), a figure that is 20 times more than the production budget of the last film.
Priscilla Smith of Terrifier distributed The Coven noted that this elevated production spend means "the filmmakers [has] more creative freedom, and [will] let them be as wild as they can be:"
“There will be a much bigger budget this time around, which is intended to give the filmmakers more creative freedom, and let them be as wild as they can be. And, all jokes aside, we are going for that Oscar this year.”
Who Will Appear in Terrifier 3?
Casting information remains murky for Terrifier 3, but given the ending of the last film, fans can expect a few familiar faces to return from past iterations of the viral horror franchise.
Of course, one of the mainstays of the Terrifier movies has been Art the Clown. The murderous clown is brought to life by David Howard Thornton, and fans can be assured that Art will be back bringing with him some new scares.
Also on the antagonist side of things it has been confirmed, Art will not be alone in the upcoming threequel. Director Damien Leone teased Samantha Scaffidi's Victoria Heyes will be a big part of Terrifier 3. He said to Insider in February 2023, "There's a lot more to explore" with "the pale girl, Victoria," basically confirming dueling big bads in the third film:
"Because there's a lot more to explore with Art the Clown, the pale girl, Victoria, and certainly Sienna as our final girl. We will be following her journey to the end of this franchise."
The only other name assumed to be returning is Lauren LaVera as Sienna Shaw. Sienna has been described as Terrifier's "final girl" by Leone, meaning the character will be around until the very end of the horror series.
What Will Happen in Terrfier 3?
Official plot specifics for Terrifier 3 have yet to be revealed.
Franchise director Damien Leone teased (via X) that the movie will "recapture the creep factor present in the original Terrifier" and will be the scariest film the franchise has seen yet:
"One of my main goals for 'Terrifier 3' is to recapture the creep factor present in the original 'Terrifier' short film. That had a genuinely spooky atmosphere that I’m still proud of. If all goes as planned, part 3 will be the scariest 'Terrifier' thus far."
The last film ended with Lauren LaVera's Sienna Shaw seemingly ending Art the Clown's reign of terror, as she beheaded the killer clown.
However, getting rid of Art will not be that easy, as a post-credits sequence from Terrifier 2 saw the institutionalized Victoria Heyes give birth to Art's separated head with him seemingly being alive and well.
Surely, Terrifier 3 will address the return of Art, and maybe finally see the end to his bloodthirsty murder spree.
Terrifier 3 is expected to be released by the end of 2024.
