Critics’ reviews

Terrifier 3 (2024)

16 reviews from 16 publications. Critics’ score 67: 8 positive, 5 mixed, 1 negative.

Back to our review of Terrifier 3

67
Positive
8
Mixed
5
Negative
1

Most critics agree on what Terrifier 3 is and roughly agree that it does it well. The praise clusters around David Howard Thornton’s performance as Art the Clown, which several reviews describe as silent-comedy clowning turned to sadism, and around the practical gore effects, which are singled out again and again as the film’s real craft. A good number of the reviews call it the strongest entry in the series, crediting Damien Leone with a tighter plot and more attention to Sienna’s story than before. The reservations are consistent: uneven pacing, thin characters, a Sienna thread that drags, and a nagging question from some of whether the extremity has a point beyond itself. Nearly every review warns it is not for the squeamish. The spread is wide, from warm approval down to one outright rejection, with Slant Magazine alone against it and Collider finding the kills impressive but the story dull.

Variety
10 October 2024 · Owen Gleiberman
85*

The critic calls it the sickest entry yet, praising Art the Clown’s joyful, mime-like performance of sadism and the film’s complete immersion in inventive, extreme depravity as its main strength. It notes the Christmas Santa gimmick and practical gore effects as standout elements.

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The AV Club
20 September 2024 · B+ · Matthew Jackson
83

The critic calls it the best Terrifier yet, crediting strong performances and harrowing moments for elevating the gore-drenched slasher. Leone balances indulgent ultraviolence with character drama more effectively than before.

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Little White Lies
10 October 2024 · 5/4/4 · Charles Bramesco
80

The film is praised as a grotesque counteroffensive against elevated horror through Art's meaningless violence and a practical-effects extravaganza of carnage. It notes the third entry has more conventional structure and continuity issues than its predecessors, with the core appeal being the simple lust for carnage.

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Los Angeles Times
14 October 2024 · Joshua Rothkopf
75*

The piece highlights how the film’s unapologetic, artless gore and endurance-test violence have made it a mainstream phenomenon that resonates with fans seeking a break from restraint. It singles out the practical effects work and audience energy as key to its appeal.

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Empire
7 October 2024 · Kim Newman
65*

The film pushes extreme practical gore and offence further than its predecessors, making it suitable only for viewers with strong stomachs. It singles out David Howard Thornton’s committed performance as Art the Clown for praise as a standout hateful franchise villain.

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Radio Times
★★★ · Jeremy Aspinall
60

The ferociously grisly threequel spreads festive fear with Art the Clown in Santa attire, featuring eye-watering gore via top practical effects that will not suit all tastes. LaVera is praised as a spirited scream-queen adversary, with hints of supernatural origins and notable cameos.

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Sight and Sound
11 October 2024 · Anton Bitel
60*

The review describes Terrifier 3's shift to a Christmas setting with Art the Clown as a Santa slasher, noting its extreme gory killings and performance-art style murders while questioning the appeal of such extremity. It highlights continuity with previous films and a cliffhanger ending suggesting more to come.

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The New York Times
10 October 2024 · Erik Piepenburg
60*

The critic finds the deaths remain grisly but notes the pacing is uneven in this new installment of Damien Leone’s horror franchise. It praises the extreme and gruesome elements delivered when the focus is on Art the Clown.

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Slant Magazine
21 September 2024 · ★/4 · Rocco T. Thompson
25

The critic describes a gut-churning Christmas massacre packed with inventive practical ultraviolence and mini-masterpieces of gore, while noting surprising heart and emotional intensity from the lead's trauma arc. It expands the mythology and asserts a twisted morality play amid the carnage.

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IndieWire
26 September 2024 · festival review · Alison Foreman

The critic hails it as Damien Leone’s franchise-justifying best movie, with a holly-jolly David Howard Thornton delivering killer clowning in the Christmas sequel. It stands out for its bold, naughty escalation of the series' signature style.

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The Guardian
10 October 2024 · Catherine Bray

The film is genuinely gruesome and delivers for gorehounds with its graphic, inventive killings, though it is not sophisticated cinema and will not suit everyone.

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Den of Geek
15 October 2024 · Joe George
80*

The critic finds Terrifier 3 joyful despite its extreme gore, singling out David Howard Thornton's performance as Art the Clown for its classical silent-comedy stylings that make the violence funny and cartoony. They note the film balances intentional offensiveness with fun and silliness.

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Digital Spy
11 October 2024 · Ian Sandwell
75*

The review deems it the strongest and most offensive Terrifier yet, praising Thornton's expressive performance, the mix of gore and laughs, and a tighter plot, while noting the audacity of certain sequences and some drag in the Sienna storyline.

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/Film
20 September 2024 · 7/10 · Jacob Hall
70

The critic finds it impossible to recommend the film due to its extreme nastiness and nightmarish quality but admires what writer/director Damien Leone has accomplished with the franchise. Sienna's psychological journey and Art the Clown's performance are highlighted as compelling elements amid the gore.

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The Wrap
9 October 2024 · Michael Ordoña
70*

The critic finds that Terrifier 3 improves on its predecessors with higher production values, a continuing story and heroine, and more elaborate gore that will please fans, while noting some pacing issues and lack of real scares. It singles out the elevated cinematic craft and Art the Clown's gleeful, inventive mayhem for praise.

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Collider
9 October 2024 · 5/10 · Ross Bonaime
50

The critic finds Terrifier 3 impressive as a display of gruesome kills but criticizes its uneven story and dull characters, noting it struggles to balance reveling in violence with exploring its implications.

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Ordered by the weight we give each publication, then by score. Scores are normalised to 100; * means inferred from an unrated review. Summaries are ours, not quotations; follow the links for the reviews themselves. How we rate