Terrifier 3’s Shocking Ending and Terrifier 4 Setup Explained

Terrifier 3, directed by Damien Leone, is one of the most anticipated horror films 2024. The beginning of the third installment demonstrates that Art the Clown has unresolved business despite appearing to have been defeated at the end of Terrifier 2.

In Terrifier 3, which takes place during the holidays, Art is seen wearing a Santa Claus costume and carrying a large bag of gifts that contain much darker items that will be used to get rid of the supporting cast.

If the images aren’t obvious enough, the film plays choral Christmas carols to remind you that it’s Christmas, which gives the scene a very old-fashioned, classical feel. Terrifier 3 features Art’s typical slasher antics, but how vicious are the kills this time?

In contrast to most previous slasher villains, Art was in some ways both talkative and expressive and utterly silent and emotionless. Art pulled an Indiana Jones and whipped out a pistol, killing one Final Girl with horrifying brevity and ruthlessly disfiguring the character who replaced her.

In most other slashers, there is a silent covenant between the filmmaker and the audience that assumes a “Final Girl” will rise to the challenge of defeating the killer and that the killer will only use sharp and blunt objects to do his business.

As one of the longest slasher films ever produced, “Terrifier 2” from 2022 continued this game of zigging where most would have expected a zag, introducing hints of a deeper, more expansive mythology surrounding Art, his objectives, as well as his beginnings, but without offering many solutions.

This month’s movie “Terrifier 3” offers more answers by switching the setting from Halloween to Christmas and bringing back characters from earlier movies. Leone reframes Art’s persona, maintaining the twisted surprise that captivates viewers. The potential for “Terrifier 4” shows Leone’s consistent vision despite this movie ending on a cliffhanger.

What Happens At The End of Terrifier 3?

Numerous unthinkable things occurred in the franchise’s third chapter. Terrifier 3’s conclusion offers a gory and powerful climax. Sienna is photographed by Art the Clown at her aunt and uncle’s house. Then, strapped to a chair, she awakens.

Aunt Jessica, who is being force-fed live rats, is in a similar state to hers. In the meantime, her Uncle Greg’s head is displayed on the Christmas tree alongside his severed body. However, under the influence of a demon, Victoria is with Art when she displays a rat-infested skull that she claims belongs to Gabbie but later suggests is that of Jonathan, Sienna’s brother.

After that, the demon inside Victoria tries to take control of Sienna, but she resists and survives. Art attempts to murder Gabbie in the interim, but something unexpected happens. Gabbie demands that Sienna open her gift first. A sword appears as Sienna opens the present.

Then, Victoria is stabbed by Sienna with the sword, which breaks her and creates a demonic void. After a dramatic altercation in which Art uses a chainsaw against Sienna, Sienna uses her sword to pin him against a wall.

But when Gabbie is dragged into the demonic hole, things turn sinister. Despite Sienna’s desperate attempts to save her, Gabbie disappears. Sienna promises to return her.

‘Terrifier 3’: How Does It Develop the Backstory of Art the Clown?

One of Thornton’s funniest scenes in the entire series is an early scene in which Art meets Santa with childlike wonder, demonstrating that he is still his exaggerated self. The killings are equally ruthless, with Art using a chainsaw, liquid nitrogen, and an ax to cause pain.

Terrifier 3 does, however, also take the time to develop the lore established in the first film. When Sienna is unpacking at her aunt’s house, she discovers her journal, which contains letters Elliot sent her explaining how to beat Art.

They clarify that for Art to cross over and resurrect himself, he needs a vessel and that the host must have recently passed away.

Jonathan thought the pale girl was that vessel, and they could kill Art if they destroyed her. But in Terrifier 3, Victoria was the one who gave him a new life because Art was now using her as a vessel.

According to the letter, every demon needs a good counterpart, and Art finds that in Sienna. Terrifier 3 expands on this aspect of the franchise, even though the second film began to explore it.

In flashbacks from her dream, Sienna is shown talking to her father as a young girl and receiving the drawing of his first female heroine, which would later become Sienna’s famous Halloween costume. Something seems to hold her father back when he gives her the painting because it seems like a spiritual bond is being transferred to Sienna.

In the context of his illustration of an angel warrior, her father also elaborates on the legend surrounding Sienna’s sword, stating that it possesses unique abilities and is impervious to harm. At the end of the second film, Sienna realizes she has to return to the Terrifier where the sword was left and finally use it to defeat Art.

Is Art the Clown defeated by Sienna in Terrifier 3?

At her aunt and uncle’s house, Sienna is attacked and knocked unconscious by Art the Clown and Victoria following a haphazard killing spree that includes Jonathan’s roommate. She wakes up with her mouth taped shut and tied to a chair while her aunt Jessica is in the same position across from her.

Art has wrapped Greg’s intestines around the Christmas tree like tinsel, and Greg’s headless body is nailed to a wall in a crucifixion position. Greg has already been killed. A severed skull covered in rats is visible when Victoria lifts a cloth from a table in the center of the room.

After putting his glasses on the skull, Victoria reveals to Sienna and Jessica that this is Jonathan’s head, even though she initially claimed it was Gabbie’s. Since Jonathan’s alleged death occurs off-screen, there is still a chance that he will be revived. After that, Jessica is force-fed live rats, which results in one of the most horrific deaths in the series.

Victoria’s inner demon tries to take control of Sienna, but she is too strong to give in because she still has something to live for and feels protective of Gabbie, who is still alive. Gabbie is grabbed by Art, who then tries to kill her, but she demands that Sienna open her gift first.

It was evident that Gabbie knew what was in the enigmatic gift box—a sword—because she had previously been chastised for opening presents and re-wrapping them herself. Sienna stabs Victoria with the sword as soon as she opens it, causing her to collapse on the ground and create a massive demonic hole.

In the meantime, Art and Sienna get into a heated argument, with Art using a chainsaw to cut Sienna’s sword. Following an unrelenting struggle, Sienna stabs Art against the wall after his chainsaw becomes lodged in the table.

Sienna attempts to rescue Gabbie after she is dragged into the hole in the ground. She cuts her hands on the blades as she tries to lift Gabbie with the sword. Because she lacks strength, Gabbie and the sword fall into the emptiness. Her hand wounds heal almost immediately after Sienna swears to get her back.

She notices that the only remnants of Art the Clown’s presence are a broken window and a bloody patch on the wall.

With “Silent Night” playing in the background, Terrifier 3 then pans to an untidy-looking Art waiting at the bus stop. In a subtle reference to the first film in which Art starred, a woman reads The 9th Circle when he boards the bus.

As the bus leaves, everything is in position for another battle in the newly revealed Terrifier 4. Terrifier 3 adds more lore to the narrative and deepens Art and Sienna’s bond, even though some questions remain unanswered. Its ending is less ambiguous than the previous one but still leaves Gabbie and Sienna’s fates open.

About Terrifier 3

Terrifier 3 is a 2024 American Christmas supernatural slasher film written and directed by Damien Leone.

It stars Lauren Lavera, Elliott Fullam, Margaret Anne Florence, Bryce Johnson, Antonella Rose, Samantha Scaffidi and David Howard Thornton. On the days leading up to Christmas, the story follows Sienna Shaw as she attempts to rebuild her life. At the same time, Art the Clown is pursuing her alongside his new accomplice, a possessed Victoria Heyes. It is the sequel to Terrifier 2 (2022) and is the third installment in the Terrifier franchise.

Following the critical and commercial success of Terrifier 2, Leone began writing for the third film with plans for an overarching narrative. Leone wanted to feature Victoria more prominently, as he regretted leaving the character underdeveloped in the first film. Principal photography began in February 2024 and wrapped that April.

Terrifier 3 premiered at Fantastic Fest in Austin, Texas on September 19, 2024, and was theatrically released in the United States on October 11, 2024. The film received generally positive reviews from critics. The film has grossed $18.8 million on a $2 million budget, making it the highest-grossing film from the franchise.