The world's most charming killer clown might be graced with a fifth film, despite director Damien Leone previously stating that the fourth instalment would be the last. But as we all know, true evil (and really good villains) can never be fully vanquished—they always find a way back.
Speaking to Coming Soon Leone said:
"So when I wrote part 2, I knew what the end of this franchise was. So, then it just became a matter of, 'Well, how many puzzle pieces do I need to get from here to there?' So it should just be one more movie unless it turns into something too big again. Because nobody could deal with, like, a two-and-a-half-hour slasher film. It's just too much to ask of people.
*So, I mean, if it gets out of control, who knows where it's gonna go? It wasn't even my intention to really announce that there was gonna be a part 4. The way that happened was we were at the Fantastic Fest screening. It was like 2:30 in the morning. We did a Q&A afterward, and now I'm in a room with people who have eyes in their head. They've just seen the end of Terrifier 3.
So the person asked me, is there gonna be more? I'm like, 'Well, of course, there's gonna be more.' I would never do that to the audience. Like, how can you leave the audience there? Then the next day it's like, 'Damien Leone Announces Terrifier 4,' 'Terrifier 4 Greenlit.' This, that. I'm like, 'Oh my God. Let's just get through Terrifier 3.' So, yeah, I mean, there is. You will know the end of this franchise.
You'll know when this thing is put to bed for a while, at least. I mean, we've opened up the door to the supernatural, so I could always figure out a way to bring Art the Clown back if I wanted to. But I want to have a solid franchise, a saga that I could tell with a beginning, middle, and an end. You know what it is.
You could walk away feeling satisfied. I don't want to just kind of get lost in the woods and you just meandering and kind of fall into like the category of just diminishing returns, and you're just tarnishing everything that's come before it, or characters who you thought should have played a major part, really had nothing to do in the grand scheme of things."
So, even though he makes it sound like Terrifier 4 will be the end, there's always a way back for Art—especially now that he's introduced clear supernatural elements into the killer clown's story. Something that has horror fans like us salivating.
The possibility of more than four films is something he also hinted at during an interview with Variety, where he mentioned there might be one or two more films, but absolutely no more than that.
"There is no definitive answer at this time regarding how many more films I will make before concluding the Terrifier saga. Personally, I can't see it going further than one or two more films, but only time will tell. For now, all I can say with certainty is that I know how it ends, and it will be epic. It will certainly be an epic showdown, an epic closure to this Art the Clown saga. The idea I'm toying with in my head would probably be in some regards the most experimental, so I can't dive into it too much. Some really, really crazy things will happen in the next one."
The third film, which recently premiered, is the wildest, most brutal, and most entertaining instalment in the franchise so far, and thinking about what awaits in the fourth or even fifth film—well, it's enough to make any horror fan giddy with excitement.
Have you seen Terrifier 3? Are you excited for even more films with Art?