Terrifier 3

The most dreadful season of the year has arrived, so what better way to drown your sorrows than in a cavalcade of extreme violence and blood? Art the Clown is back, crueller and more grotesquely, unashamedly entertaining than ever before. If psychotic carnage and dismemberment is your cup of tea, because let's not beat around the bush here, if you didn't find entertainment in Damien Leone's previous films in the Terrifier series that are more than a direct declaration of love for the long-lost grindhouse era, then Terrifier 3 will in no way make you see the light. Art is more disgusting than ever before and the grisliness is cranked up to eleven on the creepiness scale.

But in all honesty, who sits down in front of Terrifier 3 with a bucket of popcorn expecting Shakespearian intrigue or intricate character development? Art is the attraction, the film's very own Mona Lisa and everything around him is just an object for the psychotic demon-clown to apply his patented violence to. That said, Terrifier 3 does offer marginally more substance than the previous two features and Leone tries to weave in some world-building and backstory, particularly regarding Art himself, his past and his connection to the supernatural. However, let me be clear here, it is not in any way reinventing the character.

The icing on the cake is still the spectacular violence and the film picks up roughly where the events of Terrifier 2 left off. Because as we all know, true evil cannot be fully defeated. This is also the case with Art who, despite having no head at the start of the film, finds a way back and, like a nightmarish phoenix, rises from the ashes - or in this case, old bloody remains. With his sights set on new victims as well as a handful of the poor survivors from the previous film, the world's most disgusting clown goes on a killing spree. In short, the plot is non-existent and the human characters are about as exciting as last week's news. But that's okay, we're here to see bizarre violence and not much else, and on that front Terrifier 3 doesn't disappoint.

For Art is almost magnetic, and as much as you might want to shift your gaze away from the film at times, you simply can't. David Howard Thornton, the man behind the mask, is brilliant in his facial expressions and body movements. He breathes life into the degenerate clown in a way that should not be possible and it is clear that Thornton was born for this role. Art is by far one of the most twisted villains in years and even the most jaded of horror fans will find it difficult at times to endure the sadistic violence. Terrifier 3 takes the cruelty to a whole new level and Art plays with his victims to a much greater extent, prolonging their suffering and torturing them in a way that really makes your stomach churn.

Yet, contrary to all rhyme and reason, there is one aspect of it all that is so strangely fascinating, which is also the hook that so effectively keeps you interested in the film. For there are constant little hints that there is a method behind the madness, a sinister calculation behind the eerie façade of clown make-up. It must be said, however, that this film clearly pushes the boundaries of what is acceptable, because while the extreme violence is both creative, carefully crafted and clearly designed to shock - as much as it can - there were definitely moments when I questioned whether or not I could handle it.

Despite this, the violence never feels unnecessary or forced. It serves its purpose and it will definitely test your limits, but there is a level of artistry to it all. The practical effects are impressive, with good old-fashioned fountains of red goo and entrails flying in all sorts of directions. There is not a hint of the now common CGI blood we often see, and it is incredibly refreshing.

Credit must also be given to the film's ability to balance the violence and dark humour. Yes, Art is a ruthless, sadistic madman but there is an artistry to the way he taunts his victims. The exaggerated facial expressions, the dark humour in his antics, yes it's downright playful in all its absurdity. Leone knows exactly what he's got in Art, and Terrifier 3 never shies away or is ashamed of what the film is. It's an extreme form of entertainment dedicated to a niche but devoted group of morally depraved fans, yours truly included, and this is the most natural evolution of the franchise. It's bigger, bloodier, more extreme and completely uninhibited. So for those of you who can stomach the intensity and unforgiving, visceral violence, Terrifier 3 will bring joy. It cements Art the Clown as one of the most iconic modern horror villains in the genre and offers a blood-soaked ride like no other.