Horror fans, brace yourselves for more blood-soaked mayhem, as Art the Clown is returning in Terrifier 3. The third installment of the slasher franchise featuring the silent killer clown has been confirmed to be in pre-production, with a release window of late 2024.
Cineverse Corp. announced that it has secured the North American rights to Terrifier 3, from series writer and director Damien Leone and producer Phil Falcone. The film is expected to have a wide theatrical release in 2024, followed by its exclusive debut on Screambox, Cineverse’s streaming service.
“We are thrilled that Damien and Phil have chosen to stay true to the franchise and keep the film uncut and independent vs. going the studio route. We aim to make this film the centerpiece of our releasing strategy which is focused on creator-friendly collaboration to generate fan-favorite franchises and remakes that work theatrically and drive streaming subscription revenues,” Cineverse chairman and CEO Chris McGurk said in a statement.
Terrifier 3 will have a low-mid seven-figure budget, which is much higher than the previous films in the franchise. The original Terrifier, released in 2018, had a budget of only $35,000, but became an immediate cult classic among indie horror fans because of the extreme violence and usage of practical special effects. The second installment, Terrifier 2, was funded in large by crowdsourcing investors through an IndieGogo campaign asking for $50,000 to film a gruesome scene requiring massive practical effects. Thanks to donations to the campaign, Leone was able to accrue over $250,000 from private investors.
Leone reveals his plans to make Terrifier 3 the scariest and darkest one of the trilogy, with more gore and evil than ever. “I want this one to go back in that direction, and I want this to be the scariest one of the trilogy. This one will actually have a little bit more of an evil overtone to it, so this is going to be hopefully the scariest and the darkest. I want it to feel as if the audience coming into this one isn’t as comfortable with Art the Clown as they feel they are now,” he said.
Leone also expressed his gratitude to the fans and his commitment to keep the film independent and uncut. “I had a Part 3 in mind when writing Part 2. There are so many questions brought up in Part 2 that are not answered, and that was part of the design because I know I’m going into a Part 3. I pretty much have the entire treatment ready for Part 3, but it’s getting so big that it could potentially split into a Part 4 because I wouldn’t want to make another 2 hour 20 minute movie,” he said.
He also admitted his fear of running out of ideas for the character. “My fear is that eventually the well is gonna run dry, we’re gonna wind up jumping the shark, there will be nothing left to say with this character. It happens with a lot of franchises that I’m still a huge fan of. I’ve watched all these Part 10s and Part 13s, but sometimes that could really ruin the entire franchise,” he said.
David Howard Thornton will reprise his role as Art the Clown, and Lauren LaVera will return as Sienna Shaw, the sole survivor of Terrifier 2. Details about the exact plot have been kept under tight wraps for the time being.
Relevant articles:
– ‘Terrifier 3’: Cineverse Acquires North American Rights; Director Reveals How He’s Planning to Top Gory Sequel: ‘I Can’t Let the Fans Down’ (EXCLUSIVE), Variety, Jun 12, 2023
– ‘Terrifier 3’: Everything We Know About Art the Clown’s Return, Collider, Jun 11, 2023
– Terrifier 3: Release date window, cast, plot & more, Dexerto, Jun 1, 2023
– Terrifier 3 – Everything You Need To Know, Looper, Jun 1, 2023