Art the Clown is back! The sadistic slasher returns for more blood and guts with “Terrifier 3,” the latest in Damien Leone’s gruesome horror franchise. Over the years, Art has become a pop culture icon, seeping into the mainstream thanks to memes, merchandise, and other methods (he even has his own animatronic Halloween decoration now). Even if you’ve never seen a single “Terrifier” movie, you probably know who Art the Clown is, or at least can recognize him by sight. In “Terrifier 3,” Art is once again killing lots and lots of people, all against a Christmas season backdrop. As we draw closer to the October 11, 2024 theatrical release of “Terrifier 3,” you might be wondering how all the Art the Clown movies stack up as a whole. At least I hope you are, because that’s the entire point of this post. In the spirit of the season, I’ve gone ahead and ranked every Art the Clown movie from worst to best, including “Terrifier 3.”
4. All Hallows’ Eve
Art the Clown made his feature debut in Damien Leone’s anthology film “All Hallows’ Eve,” released in 2013 — but that wasn’t quite his first appearance. Art’s debut came in the form of two short films Leone directed, 2008’s “The 9th Circle” and 2011’s “Terrifier” (not to be confused with the feature-length “Terrifier”). Producer Jesse Baget saw the shorts on YouTube and asked Leone if he wanted to contribute them to an anthology film featuring multiple directors. Leone said no — he’d rather direct the entire thing himself. And that’s what happened. With “All Hallows’ Eve,” Leone included the two Art the Clown short films as well as a new story about aliens invading a house. The writer-director then added a wraparound story about a babysitter watching a VHS tape containing all the segments on Halloween. The end result is a mixed bag — a very cheap looking horror pic that has its charms but doesn’t amount to much. It’s also worth noting that Art is played by Mike Giannelli here, and while he’s fine in the part, he’s not as memorable as current Art the Clown actor David Howard Thornton.
3. Terrifier
While “All Hallows’ Eve” was Art the Clown’s feature debut, the first “Terrifier” movie is what truly signaled his arrival and caught people’s attention. This low-budget gorefest finds Art stalking two young women on Halloween, with gruesome results. This first “Terrifier” film was criticized as being little more than a special make-up FX reel strung together by the loosest of narratives, and you know what? That’s not incorrect! There’s very little here, story-wise. That said, Leone does a pretty good job creating a “Halloween night in the city” atmosphere, and even if you’re not a gorehound, you have to admit the practical effects are pretty damn impressive, especially on such a low budget. But the best element of the first film is, of course, David Howard Thornton’s debut as Art the Clown. Thornton was faced with the tough task of making Art memorable without having any dialogue, and he did a magnificent job. A new horror star was born.
2. Terrifier 3
The newest “Terrifier” film might be the bloodiest entry yet, but it’s not quite the best (you can read our review here). A movie made by sickos for sickos (complimentary), “Terrifier 3” drops Art the Clown into a Christmas setting, and has him once again go up against “Terrifier 2” final girl Sienna Shaw (Lauren LaVera). With “Terrifier 2,” writer-director Damien Leone strove to put some meat on these bloody bones and start crafting an actual story (more on that in a moment). For “Terrifier 3,” Leone continues his attempts to expand the lore of the franchise, but in all honesty, it’s a bit underwhelming. While I appreciate the effort, “Terrifier 3” feels directionless, and is even a slight step back after the highs of “Terrifier 2.” Like the first “Terrifier” film, “Terrifier 3” meanders, clumsily moving from scene to scene before unleashing torrents of gore. Speaking of gore, if all you want out of these movies is the red stuff, then “Terrifier 3” delivers — it has the most gruesome kills in the series (a nasty scene involving a shower and a chainsaw has to be seen to be believed). Once again, David Howard Thornton is the true highlight, as this film features his most amusing Art the Clown performance to date. It’s clear that in the end, Art is just a guy who really loves his job (killing people). On top of all that, Leone has also greatly improved as a filmmaker — this is the best looking film in the franchise.
1. Terrifier 2
You have to hand it to Damien Leone: he took the criticisms thrown at the first “Terrifier” to heart and worked to make “Terrifier 2” better. If the first “Terrifier” is a film with very little story, “Terrifier 2” is the complete opposite — it might have too much story. Leone goes kind of bonkers with this sequel, and the results are a vast improvement — and the best entry in the franchise to date. Taking a maximalist approach, Leone crafted a mega-slasher that runs over 2 hours, increases the gore, builds the lore, and introduces a great new final girl, Lauren LaVera as Sienna Shaw. Art the Clown was a seemingly human killer dressed as a clown in the first “Terrifier” film, but in “Terrifier 2,” he rises from the dead with supernatural powers, adding a fun new dimension to the series. Unapologetically gnarly and kind of epic, “Terrifier 2” is proof that for all its flaws, this series can go to some interesting places.
