Another Terrifier Movie?? …But Why??

 Originally written November 08, 2023 – updated for Inside The Reel Mind

When I heard they were making another Terrifier movie, I had one reaction: Why? Who was out here asking for more Art the Clown? I genuinely had no idea the fanbase was deep enough to justify a third installment.

If you haven’t seen these movies, trust me — you’re not missing anything unless you enjoy senseless gore, plot holes big enough to drive a U-Haul through, and characters with the survival instincts of breadsticks. I’m all for a cheesy horror flick, but the Terrifier series? They don’t scratch the itch. They just irritate the skin.

Before Terrifier: A Quick History of Art the Clown

Art didn’t even start in his own movie. His first appearance was in the short film The 9th Circle, a Dante’s Inferno–inspired story where an innocent woman gets knocked out by Art and wakes up in a hellscape as a sacrifice to Satan.

Five years later came All Hallows’ Eve, where a babysitter finds a blank VHS tape (because of course she does) that contains The 9th Circle short. The kids watch it, get creeped out, she watches more of it alone like a rookie… and eventually Art comes crawling out of the screen like a Dollar Tree Samara.

And honestly? That was the best movie in the entire franchise.
Which should tell you everything.

Terrifier (2016): The Plot That Forgot to Exist

Art officially headlines his own movie in Terrifier, which follows two drunk college girls trying to sober up after a Halloween party. They stop for pizza, and boom — here’s Art, staring at them like he’s trying to absorb their souls through eye contact.

He disappears into the bathroom, smears shit everywhere, gets kicked out, and the girls think they’re safe. Spoiler: they’re absolutely not.

The flat tire. The creepy abandoned building. The upside-down, naked, hacksaw scene that the internet loves to circlejerk over. Yes, it’s graphic as hell. No, it does not make the movie good.

There’s no plot. No buildup. No character development.
It’s basically “Final Destination: Dollar Store Edition,” except without the irony or charm.

The violence exists because the movie needs violence, not because the story earned it.

Compare that to The Devil’s Rejects — one of the best horror movies ever made precisely because the killers are terrifyingly believable. Psychopaths with agency. A purpose. A worldview.

Art the Clown? He’s either supernatural or just a random dude doing random shit. Pick a lane.

Terrifier 2 (2022): More Gore, More Confusion, Same Problems

Terrifier 2 picks up right where the first one left off. Cops “stop” Art — and next thing you know, he’s walking around again like he got patched up at urgent care.

This time the movie focuses on a single mom and her two kids. The dad killed himself, everyone thinks he was crazy, and the daughter starts having creepy dreams. Her dresser catches fire but — magically — the sword her dad gave her survives untouched.

The brother wants to dress up as Art for Halloween (because why not trigger your entire family), and he starts seeing visions of a miniature girl-clown sidekick that somehow looks even creepier than Art himself.

Art stalks, kills, torments, repeats.
The daughter ends up in an abandoned amusement park.
A big final fight happens.
And that’s where I tap out, because I’m not in the business of blowing every detail.

What I will say is this:

Terrifier 2 was an improvement… but only because the bar was buried underground.

More money. More gore. More style. But the same lack of reason or narrative spine.

So Why Don’t These Movies Work?

Because they rely on shock value instead of storytelling.

  • No character progression

  • No worldbuilding

  • No reason for the supernatural elements

  • No emotional buildup

  • No tension beyond “look at this gross thing”

They threw in mystical elements with zero explanation, and the end result is messy. Not “scary messy.” Just “who wrote this?” messy.

Look — I’m not saying horror has to be deep.
But it should at least make sense.

Final Verdict on the Terrifier Franchise

Are the movies the worst I’ve ever seen?
No.

Are they boring, senseless, predictable, and basically torture porn with a clown emoji?
Absolutely.

I won’t rush to watch the third one. I’m not saying I’ll never see it — I probably will, eventually — but I’m not clearing my schedule or buying popcorn for it.

Art the Clown gets an A+ for concept and creep factor, but the execution? That’s a solid C- at best.
If they can finally give the series actual story structure, they might have something worth talking about. Until then, it’s just blood, vibes, and vibes covered in blood.

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