You'll Be Able To See Terrifier 3 Sooner Than Expected

After delivering two of the most gleefully violent slasher films of the modern age, Damein Leone is in an intense competition with himself. The writer/director's "Terrifier" debuted in 2016, introducing David Howard Thornton as Art the Clown, a murderous, seemingly invincible psychopath who went on a blood-soaked Halloween rampage so brutal that it put some of the greatest slasher killers in cinema history to shame. Leone then somehow managed to top that with 2022's bigger, weirder, and bloodier, "Terrifier 2." The sequel was so savage that it prompted horror specialist Mike Flannagan to come up with a whole new genre to describe it: the "MegaSlasher."

But "Terrifier 2" did more than celebrate unabashed ultra-violence. It made a decent amount of money, raking in $15.7 million, in fact, which isn't bad for a film that was made on a budget of $250,000. Naturally, a sequel was quickly greenlit, which presented a tantalizing prospect for fans of Leone's brand of wall-to-wall gore and a challenge for the director himself. How on earth was he going to top the abject depravity of the "Terrifier 2" mega slasher? Well, it seems we'll find out much sooner than we thought, as the release date for "Terrifier 3" has been moved up.

We've already been told that "Terrifier 3" contains a scene so brutal it even made David Howard Thornton sick. Meanwhile, the teaser trailer showed Art the Clown getting into the festive spirit by decimating a helpless child on Christmas eve. Wonderful stuff. After the trailer dropped, anticipation for the film was higher than ever, with some even suggesting the movie was going too far by including kids in the mayhem.

Now it seems everyone will get the chance to get upset all over again, when the movie debuts earlier than expected. Cineverse and Bloody Disgusting have announced the release date for "Terrifier 3" has been moved up by two weeks. Instead of the threequel dropping on the originally announced date of October 25, it will now arrive in theaters on October 11. That means fans of Art and his bloody escapades will have even more time to get into the Halloween spirit by watching some unsuspecting victims being disemboweled much earlier in the month.

What's more, according to producer Phil Falcone, Damien Leone has delivered when it comes to outdoing the savagery of "Terrifier 2." The producer said:

"'Terrifier 3′ will deliver everything the fans expect and more with Art the Clown taking things to the next level. We can't thank our fans enough for their support and for making us believe we've made something truly special."

Special or nauseating, what's the difference?

The announcement from Cineverse and Bloody Disgusting doesn't reveal too much else about "Terrifier 3" beyond what we already know. According to the press release, Art the Clown is "set to unleash another round of chaos on the unsuspecting residents of Miles County as they peacefully drift off to sleep on Christmas Eve," and the film recently wrapped production in New York. We've also recently seen some "Terrifier 3" set images that tease a subtle new look for Art, with David Howard Thornton showing off some contact lenses that give the unhinged harlequin an even more disturbing visage.

Beyond that, fans are really waiting to see whether Damien Leone can continue his record of outdoing the brutality of his previous efforts. "Terrifier 2" featured a scene which became somewhat infamous online for the sheer level of savagery involved, and it will indeed be hard to top in "Terrifier 3." Leone has spoken about the pressures of building on a fan-favorite film, and with "Terrifier 2" really pushing the franchise further into the mainstream, the threequel will be the big test of Art and Leone's staying power.

Still, when you've got a murderous clown running amok on Christmas, and this time the kids are getting it, I'm sure Leone won't struggle to outdo the barbarity of his last effort. Now, we won't have to wait as long to see for sure.

"Terrifier 3" arrives on October 11, 2024.