--- title: "Terrifier 3: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/terrifier-3/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/terrifier-3" critics_score: 67 critics_reviews: 14 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Terrifier 3 (2024): what the critics said Critics' score 67 from 14 reviews: 8 positive, 5 mixed, 1 negative. 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 — Owen Gleiberman Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 10 October 2024. 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. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2024/film/reviews/terrifier-3-review-art-the-clown-damien-leone-lauren-lavera-1236173980/) ## The AV Club — Matthew Jackson Rating B+. 20 September 2024. 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. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/terrifier-3-review) ## Little White Lies — Charles Bramesco Rating 5/4/4. 10 October 2024. 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. [Read the review](https://lwlies.com/reviews/terrifier-3) ## Los Angeles Times — Joshua Rothkopf Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 14 October 2024. 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. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2024-10-14/terrifier-3-damien-leone-art-the-clown-david-howard-thornton) ## Empire — Kim Newman Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). 7 October 2024. 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. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/terrifier-3/) ## Radio Times — Jeremy Aspinall Rating 3/5. 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. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-bm3t2z/terrifier-3/) ## Sight and Sound — Anton Bitel Fi1m's normalised score 60/100 (inferred from the text). 11 October 2024. 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. [Read the review](https://www.bfi.org.uk/terrifier-3-murderous-clown-returns-mean-spirited-santa-slasher) ## The New York Times — Erik Piepenburg Fi1m's normalised score 60/100 (inferred from the text). 10 October 2024. 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. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2024/10/10/movies/terrifier-3-review.html) ## Slant Magazine — Rocco T. Thompson Rating 1/4. 21 September 2024. 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. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/terrifier-3-review-damien-leone/) ## IndieWire — Alison Foreman 26 September 2024. Festival review. 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. [Read the review](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/movies/terrifier-3-review-1235049668/) ## The Guardian — Catherine Bray 10 October 2024. 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. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2024/oct/10/terrifier-3-review-killer-clown-is-tooled-up-for-third-helping-of-gleeful-gorefest) ## Den of Geek — Joe George Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 15 October 2024. 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. [Read the review](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/the-joy-of-terrifier-3-goes-far-beyond-the-gore/) ## Digital Spy — Ian Sandwell Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 11 October 2024. 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. [Read the review](https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a62509714/terrifier-3-review/) ## /Film — Jacob Hall Rating 7/10. 20 September 2024. Festival review. 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. [Read the review](https://www.slashfilm.com/1669528/terrifier-3-art-the-clown-horror-movie-review/) ## The Wrap — Michael Ordoña Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 9 October 2024. 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. [Read the review](https://www.thewrap.com/terrifier-3-review-art-steals-christmas-trilogy/) ## Collider — Ross Bonaime Rating 5/10. 9 October 2024. 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. [Read the review](https://collider.com/terrifier-3-review/) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/terrifier-3.md