Terrifier 3

Director: Damien Leone
Starring: David Howard Thornton, Lauren LaVera, Elliott Fullam, Samantha Scaffidi, Margaret Anne Florence, Bryce Johnson, Antonella Rose, Chris Jericho, Daniel Roebuck, Tom Savini, Jason Patric, Krsy Fox, Alexa Blair Robertson, Mason Mecartea, Clint Howard
Running Time: 125 min.
Rating: Unrated

★★★ (out of ★★★★) 

For many, the biggest surprise about the Terrifier series is its overnight rise from the humblest of beginnings into this widely popular franchise that has fans eagerly anticipating each new installment. The extremely low budgeted first film came and went but writer/director Damien Leone knew he had a potentially iconic villain in Art the Clown. Then came the 2022 sequel, which featured a more cohesive story, better acting and a noticeable production upgrade. But what really captured everyone's attention was graphic gore on a level rarely seen in mainstream horror.

With reports of moviegoers passing out and vomiting in theaters, being able to make it through one of these from start to finish sort of became a badge of honor. Now we've passed that point, as every entry comes with an advertised promise to go further than the last. And Leone holds up his end of the deal with Terrifier 3, continuing what's proven to be a very effective formula.

It's been five years since Sienna Shaw (Lauren LaVera) decapitated and presumably killed sadistic serial killer Art the Clown (David Howard Thornton), but as Christmas arrives, she's released from a mental health facility to stay with her aunt Jess (Margaret Anne Florence), Jess's husband Greg (Bryce Johnson) and their young daughter Gabbie (Antonella Rose). But as Sienna struggles with PTSD while experiencing nightmares and hallucinations of Art, her younger brother Jonathan (Elliott Fullam) is now in college, attempting to move on in his own way.

It turns out Sienna's visions are frighteningly real, as Art isn't only alive, but has recruited previous survivor Victoria Heyes (Samantha Scaffidi) to join him in his latest killing spree. Possessed by the spirit of the "Little Pale Girl" after giving birth to Art's new head, they set their sights on an emotionally fragile Sienna, who must prepare for another traumatic encounter with the demonic clown. Only this time, the lives of her remaining family members also hang in the balance.

Revealing a five-year time jump right out of the gate, one of the big differences here is that action revolves around a holiday other than Halloween, with Leone really leaning into the yuletide theme. As a result, we get an abundance of Christmas related sequences that take full advantage of Thornton's physical and comedic timing. Or more accurately, it's just a great excuse to get Art in a Santa costume, creating a disturbingly stark contrast between his jovial demeanor and gruesome brutality.

While nothing here tops the incredible "Clown Cafe" musical sequence from the last film, there are some nods to that as a scarred Sienna attempts to control the justifiable anxiety plaguing her. Aunt Jess is patient, Greg is skeptical and young Gabbie idolizes her older cousin, but realizes something's very wrong. We also get a deeper dive into Sienna's past with flashbacks involving her late father (Jason Patric) and the origin of the infamous sword. 

Jonathan fares only slightly better than his sister by burying his pain and trauma at school, until roommate Cole's (Mason Mecartea) Miles County Massacre obsessed girlfriend Mia (Alexa Blair Robertson) starts badgering him about appearing on her true crime podcast. All this buildup is more than sufficient, but as always, the spotlight's on Art, with the multi-year break doing little to suppress his bloodthirsty urges and sadistic sense of humor. 

Even by Terrifier standards, the opening home invasion is disturbingly over-the-top as Art masquerades as jolly St. Nick to slaughter an unsuspecting family. We also get this hilarious bar encounter with a Santa impersonator (Daniel Roebuck) and a particularly gory shower scene that ups the ante, highlighting Thornton's mime work and facial mugging from beneath the makeup. And despite Art seemingly getting annoyed by new accomplice Victoria early on, Samantha Scaffidi skillfully fills the "Little Pale Girl" void, delivering on the prior sequel's closing tease.

LaVera again proves to be the not so secret weapon of the series, portraying a Sienna who now fights to convince her family of Art's reemergence. Instead, her legitimate fears are chalked up to mental issues by everyone except Gabbie. Well played by Antonella Rose, the bond her character shares with Sienna adds a surprising amount of tension to an admittedly gross but thrilling final act that easily competes with the previous entry. And this time there's no attempt to even hide the fact we're getting a follow-up, as Leone leaves a dangling thread just begging to be tied up.

We fear not just for Sienna, but Gabbie, since the threat of Art is made more palpable by the film controversially establishing he won't hesitate in targeting children. And if anything seems destined to leave audiences with a bad taste in their mouths, it's that. Assuming there's still such a thing as going "too far," this definitely pushes the envelope, breaking one of the last unwritten rules in the genre. But by now viewers know exactly what they're getting into.    

Thanks to Thornton's continued brilliance as Art and some jaw dropping practical effect sequences, the series still manages to enthrall in its third outing. Moving forward, the real challenge will be in finding creative ways to keep it going once the shock value wears off. While hardly an improvement over the last, there's still a feeling Leone has places left to go with this concept. And considering how the Saw franchise recently produced its best sequel twenty years in, anything's possible.

Strange Darling

Director: JT Mollner
Starring: Willa Fitzgerald, Kyle Gallner, Barbara Hershey, Ed Begley Jr., Madisen Beaty, Bianca Santos, Eugenia Kuzmina, Steven Michael Quezada, Denise Grayson, Sheri Foster, Jason Patric, Giovanni Ribisi
Running Time:  96 min.
Rating: R

★★★ ½ (out of ★★★★)

While there's a jarring reversal that occurs midway through writer/director JT Mollner's excitingly original horror thriller Strange Darling, it's almost unfair to categorize it as a "twist." Just the very word falsely implies a gotcha gimmick intended to sacrifice story for shock when the truth's hiding in plain sight the entire time. It's the story's structure that throws us, but what's most surprising is how a concept this clever hasn't yet been explored to the extent Mollner does here.

Those looking for profoundly complex theories about consent, misogyny or gender issues would be barking up the wrong tree since this isn't trying to tell us anything we don't already know. Instead, Mollner implies we often choose to look the other way, falling into some of the same traps his characters do. The impact comes not from what the film says or even how, but that it even bothers to ask. Structurally, there's a lot to take in, but the pieces fit together, eventually reaching a crucial juncture where it grabs hold and doesn't let go.

Introduced as a dramatization of an infamous serial killer's murder spree that climaxes in rural Oregon, we see a bloody and injured woman called the "Lady" (Willa Fitzgerald) running out of the woods in  red hospital scrubs. It turns out she's being chased by a mustachioed, shotgun wielding man credited as the "Demon" (Kyle Gallner) who follows her to the farmhouse of aging hippie wilderness couple Frederik (Ed Begley Jr.) and Genevieve (Barbara Hershey). 

When the Lady seeks refuge at their residence, the Demon closes in, with the film flashing back to the pair's one-night stand at a local hotel that led to this. But the shocks are provided by what happens in between, their feud now culminating in a volatile encounter that will transform this cat-and-mouse game into a grueling, high stakes battle for their lives.

Kicking off with a barrage of title cards that would make Tarantino proud and a Texas Chainsaw-inspired voice over provided by Jason Patric, Mollner has us questioning early whether what we're seeing is based on real life events. In this era of true crime obsession it's easy to believe certain details could have been, as his six nonlinear chapters lay the groundwork for surprising developments that will have many clamoring for a rewatch in its chronologically accurate order. 

The picture was shot on 35 mm film and you can tell, with first time cinematographer Giovanni Ribisi (yes, him) giving this a beautifully washed-out look that perfectly aligns with Mollner's retro aesthetic. Though events take place in 2022, the year could just as easily be 1972, save for the presence of iPhones and few other contemporary details. And a haunting soundtrack from Z Berg prominently features an iconic Keith Carradine assisted cover of "Love Hurts," along with a variety of other acoustic AM radio ballads that further convey its throwback sensibility. 

As a chilling 24-hour account of a serial killer's rampage, it's fascinating and darkly humorous, with many narrative detours evoking a more heightened response than if the timeline was traditionally presented. Subverting expectations to this level just wouldn't work without Mollner's jumbled storytelling device, which the studio inexplicably wanted to scrap before cameras rolled.  

Reacher actress Willa Fitzgerald's breakthrough performance as the Lady constantly challenges viewer's notions of how other characters read her, as an already toxic sexual encounter spirals dangerously out of control. The Demon isn't exactly all he appears to be either, with Gallner playing on certain assumptions of male loners before twisting and turning them beyond recognition with his best big screen outing yet. Hershey and Begley Jr. are a welcome presence, bringing some much needed levity to their smaller roles while also partaking in one of more impressive breakfasts you'll ever see.  

The film's hypnotizing opening and closing shots can't be viewed in a vacuum since their full context will eventually reveal more than our perceptions trick us into believing. What unfolds between the two characters only scratches the surface of this oddly compelling disasterpiece told from a different, unexplored perspective. Violent, unsettling and emotionally charged, you'd be hard pressed to find another recent thriller that takes the daring risks this does, with most of them paying off in disturbingly brilliant ways.