Terrifier franchise creator Damien Leone is determined to find the sweet spot in the balance between gore and plot in Terrifier 4
At the world premiere of the recently released Terrifier 3, franchise writer/director Damien Leone said there will be a Terrifier 4 – and he later said he thinks that will be the last entry in the franchise, because he doesn’t want it to wear out his welcome. (Although he has gone on to admit that Terrifier 5 might be required to properly wrap up the story.) Now, he has taken to social media to declare that he’s determined to find “the sweet spot” in the balance between gore and plot.
In response to an X user writer, “The Terrifier franchise would have been better if it was less plot-based and more kill-based,” Leone wrote, “Man, these guys aren’t making it easy for me are they? It’s either ‘Terrifier has absolutely no plot and is just mindless gore’ or ‘Terrifier has too much plot and not enough gore”…..Gosh darn it people I’ll find that sweet spot in T4 if it kills me!“
Leone had a budget of around $55,000 to work with on his breakout horror film Terrifier, and a budget of “a little over” $250,000 for Terrifier 2, which was a massive hit when it was released in 2022, earning $15.1 million at the box office. Terrifier 3 has a substantially higher budget; a “couple million” went into that one – and it paid off, as the film raked in over $76 million at the box office. So, no, Art the Clown isn’t going to be disappearing any time soon.
Terrifier 3 has the following synopsis: Art the Clown is set to unleash chaos on the unsuspecting residents of Miles County as they peacefully drift off to sleep on Christmas Eve. Here’s some more information: After surviving Art the Clown’s Halloween massacre, Sienna and her brother are struggling to rebuild their shattered lives. As the holiday season approaches, they try to embrace the Christmas spirit and leave the horrors of the past behind. But just when they think they’re safe, Art the Clown returns, determined to turn their holiday cheer into a new nightmare. The festive season quickly unravels as Art unleashes his twisted brand of terror, proving that no holiday is safe.
David Howard Thornton reprised the role of Art the Clown, a character who was first introduced in Leone’s 2013 anthology All Hallows’ Eve (although Thornton didn’t start playing him until Terrifier). Also in the cast are Lauren LaVera, back as Terrifier 2 heroine Sienna; Elliot Fullam as Sienna’s brother Jonathan, Samantha Scaffidi as Terrifier and Terrifier 2 character Victoria Heyes, and Daniel Roebuck, who was cast in the role of Santa Claus. FX legend Tom Savini also shows up, as do Jon Abrahams, Antonella Rose, Krsy Fox, and legendary character actor Clint Howard. Chris Jericho, who had a cameo in Terrifier 2, is back in Terrifier 3 – but he made sure to let everyone know that his appearance in the film doesn’t last very long.
Do you think Terrifier 4 will find the sweet spot in the balance between plot and gore, or do you feel that the Terrifier movies have already found that sweet spot? Let us know by leaving a comment below.
