Terrifier 3 Teaser Reveals Art's New Partner In Crime

If there's one thing Art the Clown doesn't need, it's a partner in crime. The maniacal, seemingly indestructible harlequin has now slashed and hacked his way across two short films and three features, delighting in the complete and utter decimation of his victims. The only trouble Art has yet encountered came in the form of Lauren LaVera's Sienna Shaw, the final girl from 2022's "Terrifier 2," who managed to decapitate Art during the film's finale.

But while Sienna was the only victim from the "Terrifier" series who's yet managed to overpower Art, she wasn't the first final girl in Damien Leone's brutal slasher saga. 2016's "Terrifier" saw Art wipe out a whole group of friends, leaving only Victoria Heyes (Samantha Scaffidi) alive at the end of his horrific rampage. After being attacked with a cat o' nine tails then hit with a truck, the poor girl somehow survives, even after Art begins devouring her face (there's a reason the "Terrifier" series is too brutal for even some seasoned horror fans).

Victoria re-appeared briefly in "Terrifier 2" in a mid-credit scene that saw her giving birth to Art's decapitated head, suggesting the killer clown was set to continue his murderous exploits even after being killed by Sienna. Now, The "Terrifier 3" teaser trailer, in which Art the Clown delights in making a bloody snow angel, reveals that Victoria will return once again for Leone's threequel, and this time she looks set to play a much bigger role.

Set five years after "Terrifier 2," "Terrifier 3" will see Art the Clown (David Howard Thornton) running amok on Christmas Eve. Typically, the homicidal clown emerges on Halloween night, but with the sequel and its unadulterated gore proving so popular, Damien Leone was clearly eager to up the ante. What better way to do so than by having Art ruin everybody's festive season? In another atypical move for Art, it seems this time he'll also be helped in his pursuit of Sienna and her brother, Jonathan (Elliott Fullam).

As the teaser trailer for "Terrifier 3" reveals, Victoria looks to be playing a much bigger part this time around. Samantha Scaffidi's horrifically disfigured character can be seen in a couple of scenes looking generally menacing, as if she's being animated by the same evil force propelling Art. Indeed, Leone spoke to USA Today about how the upcoming threequel will expand on the "Terrifier" mythology, revealing that Victoria would play a significant role, and will be possessed by the same entity that possess Art.

Though she was last seen in a mental health institute, the trailer seemingly reveals that Victoria will be unleashed upon Sienna and co., assisting Art in his bloody crusade. The brief shots showing Scaffidi's character appear to show her in a much more zombified state than before, too, suggesting Victoria may have perished after birthing Art's head in "Terrifer 2," only to be resurrected by the entity.

How exactly Victoria figures into the story for "Terrifier 3" remains unclear, but Damien Leone has made a lot of the fact his next film will expand the mythology of the series. The director has confirmed "Terrifier 3" will more clearly connect Sienna and Art the Clown (David Howard Thornton), who based on the events of the prior film clearly have some sort of grim bond, the nature of which has never fully been explored. Leone also confirmed that since the events of "Terrifier 2," Sienna has been "in and out of a mental health facility." Perhaps, then, Sienna encounters the zombified Victoria during a visit to said facility.

Whatever the case, it seems Art and Victoria have formed quite the bond, judging by the new poster for "Terrifier 3." Bloody Disgusting tweeted out some fresh artwork for the movie which depicts Art in full Santa getup alongside Victoria, who sits on the deranged killer's knee. Oh, and old Saint Nick is shown in the foreground having been freshly dismembered, which may or may not allude to the "Terrifier 3" scene that even managed to make the typically stoical David Howard Thornton sick.

The fact that Victoria is now seemingly zombified and on Art's side doesn't make a whole lot of sense. But that doesn't mean Leone hasn't prepared a suitable explanation. For now, we'll have to wait until "Terrifier 3" slashes its way into theaters on October 11, 2024 to find out how it all plays out.