Understanding Terrifier 3: The Chilling Addition of Freezing in Art the Clown’s Arsenal

With all their slicing, dicing, stabbing, slashing, gutting, and goring, the Terrifier films aren’t for the faint of heart. But for David Howard Thornton, who plays the films’ big bad, Art the Clown, the release of Terrifier 3 marks a happy occasion to add a chilling new method of mutilation to the list — freezing.

The Freeze Gun: A New Tool of Terror

When asked in a recent interview which kill from the new film is his favorite, Thornton replied, “Mine is easily the bar scene with Santa Claus.” Mid-way through the Christmas-set Terrifier 3, Thornton’s jubilant psychopath creates a new torture instrument, a tank of liquid nitrogen rigged with a projectile funnel. He successfully tests it on a rat, then heads to a bar to wreak frosty havoc.

“I felt like a Batman villain in that one,” Thornton continued. “I love that idea of a freeze gun, especially with him just chipping away at someone’s body parts and dismembering them that way. I thought that was really cool.”

A Frosty Encounter in the Bar

The full kill scene begins with Art hanging at a local bar with some regulars, including a man dressed up in a Santa Claus costume. When Art puts the man’s Santa hat on his head, a patron exclaims, “Hey Santa, it looks like you have some competition. It’s Clowney Claus!” Art then sits on the man’s lap like a little boy and bears his admonishment to “not get it dirty and remember to give it back,” lest he “end up on Santa’s naughty list.”

Art quickly kills the festive mood by spraying a shot of alcohol in Santa’s face and urinating on his lap. The patrons’ disgust is enough reason for Art to rain destruction down upon them. He shoots the bartender and a patron, then binds Santa to a chair. It’s time for the freeze gun.

Unleashing Cold Horror

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With excruciating slowness and glee, Art freezes parts of the man’s body so that he can shatter them with the blunt end of a pick axe. He finally removes half his face and places a snowman carrot where the man’s nose used to be. “Really cool,” indeed.

The Legacy of Terrifier Continues

Terrifier 3 picks up after the surreal finale of the fabulist Terrifier 2. The film mainly alternates between Art’s brutal slashings and final girl, Sienna (Lauren LaVera), processing her trauma from the previous film’s events. The Christmas-time setting allows Art to experiment with all manner of holiday-themed horror toys, including the freeze gun.

When asked about her favorite kill, LaVera picked the one that opens the film, an unusually respectful slaying of a little boy that occurs off camera. “It’s all sound design, and it’s silent. It disturbed me more than anything I could see, and it was definitely a beautiful example of less is more, and you get more of everything in this film, but it was different from the rest,” she said.

Success and Impact of Terrifier Series

Terrifier 2 became something of a box office miracle in 2022, grossing $1 million in its opening weekend on a meager $250,000 budget. Writer-director Damian Leone described the film’s success to Entertainment Weekly as “overwhelming,” saying, “Every morning I wake up, it’s like Christmas morning. Since it hit theaters, the hype’s been building, so it’s really exciting.”

Terrifier 3 opened in theaters nationwide today. From a Christmas morning feeling to a Christmas morning killing, if the third film succeeds, maybe Leone and company will wake up each morning feeling like it’s Halloween.

FAQs

Q: What is the new method of mutilation introduced in Terrifier 3?

A: The chilling new method added to Art the Clown’s arsenal in Terrifier 3 is freezing, with the introduction of a deadly freeze gun.

Q: What makes Terrifier 3 stand out in the series?

A: Terrifier 3 introduces a new level of terror with the use of freezing as a method of mutilation, adding a chilling twist to Art the Clown’s gruesome killings.

Credit: ew.com