Summary

• Terrifier 3, the highly anticipated supernatural slasher-horror, will tie together Damien Leone's breakout horror trilogy, with David Howard Thornton reprising the role of Art The Clown.
• Terrifier 3 is set to release on October 25, 2024, just over 2 years after Terrifier 2.
• With the success of the previous film, Terrifier 3 has the potential to become a box office phenomenon.

Terrifier 3 is one of the most anticipated upcoming supernatural slasher-horrors, thanks in no small part to the breakout success of 2022's Terrifier 2, and there have already been plenty of terrifying updates. The Terrifier franchise has gradually gained a loyal following, with the bloodthirsty Art the Clown first appearing in the 2008 short film The 9th Circle. Art the Clown returned in the 2013 anthology All Hallow's Eve before finally getting his own movie in 2016's Terrifier. However, it was 2022's Terrifier 2 that introduced many to Art the Clown and Leone's twisted genius.

The upcoming Terrifier 3 will tie together Damien Leone's breakout horror trilogy, with David Howard Thornton reprising the role of Art The Clown. Terrifier 2 has not only become a surprise horror hit but also one of 2022's most relentlessly scary and violent horror movies, with many reports of Terrifier 2 causing moviegoers to faint. With that kind of impact and even horror movie infamy associated with Terrifier 2, the world has not seen the last of Art the Clown's sinister grin. Here is everything currently known about Art's return in Terrifier 3 and what it could entail.

Terrifier 3 Latest News

The Horror Sequel Casts Its Santa Claus

With the newest horror sensation lurking toward its release date, the latest news reveals that Terrifier 3 has cast its Santa Claus. Though promotion from the film has featured the ghoulish Art the Clown dressed as Old Saint Nick, it has now been confirmed that character actor Daniel Roebuck will play the ripe jolly old elf in the upcoming horror threequel. No stranger to scary movies, Roebuck was recently seen as Grandpa Munster in Rob Zombie's The Munsters, and the announcement of his casting was accompanied by the first image of his character. It was also revealed that Terrifier 3 has wrapped.

See Roebuck's Santa Claus below:

Terrifier 3 Release Date

The Next Terrifier Movie Arrives In October 2024

Terrifier 3 could become a true box office phenomenon when the October 2024 theatrical release date arrives.

The Terrifier 3 release date is October 25, 2024. Leone started shooting Terrifier 3 at the end of 2023 and has shared some behind-the-scenes looks at Art the Clown before his return. This means the gap between Terrifier 2 and Terrifier 3 will be just over 2 years, which is a much shorter gap than the six years between 2016's Terrifier and 2022's Terrifier 2.

Terrifier 2 was a huge 2022 horror success, as it was initially released in just 886 theaters across North America, pulling in $805,000 in its opening weekend, already making it a box office success against the film's tiny $250,000 budget. Terrifier 2 then climbed to $1 million in its second weekend as word of mouth spread about the film, which continued throughout October 2022.

Having earned more than $15 million, Terrifier 2 has become a true hit, massively overperforming helping the franchise earn its reputation of frightening audiences. As a result, Terrifier 3 could become a true box office phenomenon when the October 2024 theatrical release date arrives.

Terrifier 3 Cast

Sienna & Art The Clown Return

TheTerrifier 3 cast will contain a few returning faces, although the full cast list hasn't been revealed by Damien Leone yet. Art the Clown will return in Terrifier 3, played once again by David Howard Thornton (The Mean One, Gotham). Lauren LaVera (The Well, Not For Nothing) is confirmed to return as Sienna (via Bloody Disgusting), and Elliot Fullam will also return as Jonathan.

Samantha Scaffidi (Sarah Q, American Fango) will be back in the Terrifier 3 cast as Victoria Heyes, joining Thornton as the only returning cast member present in the entire trilogy. One major newcomer to the franchise is character actor Daniel Roebuck (The Munsters) who has been cast as Santa Claus.

Terrifier 3 Story Details

Art The Clown Ruins Christmas

In Terrifier 2, the horror movie's ending sees Art the Clown brutally beheaded by Sienna, with his killing associate, credited as "The Little Pale Girl" (Amelie McLain) picking up Art's head and leaving. Later, Terrifier 2's end-credits scene shows the first Terrifier's surviving victim Victoria Heyes (Samantha Scaffidi) literally giving birth to Art's head in a mental institution. With Art's still living head grinning at the horrified nurse, even decapitation clearly is not enough to stop Art the Clown, and the supernatural return of the new horror movie icon is already set in motion for Terrifier 3.

Outside the sequel hints in Terrifier 2's ending, there have been very few details shared around the story beyond that it will take place during the Holiday period. Leone promised that Terrifier 3 will be the scariest movie yet, and that the franchise will turn to its roots, being more like the original short film. The director explained, "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."

Terrifier 3 Trailer

The First Teaser Trailer Was Released In November 2023

Though the movie is still a ways away, Damien Leone and the rest of the Terrifier 3 crew released a creepy teaser trailer in November 2023. The snippet shows a happy-go-lucky child wandering downstairs on Christmas Eve in hopes of catching a glimpse of Santa Claus. Instead, the jolly old elf is Art the Clown and his blood-splattered visage clearly isn't Saint Nick. The trailer indicates that Terrifier 3 will go to any length to shock, and even young children aren't safe from Art's spree. The teaser also showed off the film's sense of humor, as Santa Art was shown snacking on milk and cookies.