Terrifier (film series)

Terrifier is an American horror media franchise consisting of slasher-splatter films,  comic books, and various other media. The franchise mainly focuses on Sienna Shaw, a young woman destined to defeat the enigmatic Art the Clown, a demonic serial killer that inhabits the fictitious Miles County, New York. Additionally, the series follows Victoria Heyes, a disfigured survivor struggling with her mental health, and the Little Pale Girl, a sinister entity accompanying Art.

The franchise began in 2016—with a standalone feature-length film showcasing Art, who had previously appeared in unrelated short films and an anthology film incorporating the shorts. This film has a mixed critical reception, with criticism directed at the underdevelopment of the lead characters and the perceived lack of plot. However, Terrifier 2 (2022) was a box office success and received positive reviews, with critics and audiences regarding it as a noticeable improvement upon the original. This film marks Leone's attempt to create an overarching narrative that will continue in future films.

Terrifier (2016)
On Halloween night, partygoer Tara Heyes (Jenna Kanell) and her sister Victoria (Samantha Scaffidi) become the targets of an enigmatic serial killer known only as Art the Clown (David Howard Thornton).

In April 2023, it was announced that Terrifier would be re-released theatrically in 700 theaters on July 19, 2023.

Terrifier 2 (2022)
Following the events of Terrifier, Art is resurrected by a mysterious entity to continue his killing spree across Miles County and the pursuit of the teenage Sienna Shaw (Lauren LaVera) and her younger brother Jonathan (Elliott Fullnam).

Terrifier 3 (2024)
In October 2022 after the financial and critical success of Terrifier 2, writer/director Damien Leone confirmed that work on a sequel had started while they were in production on the second movie, with Thornton, LaVera, Scaffaldi, and Fullnam reprising their roles from previous installments. The filmmaker stated that the script was nearly finished, while also announcing that the project may develop into two separate movies with potential for a back-to-back production. In May 2023, it was announced that Terrifier 3 was expected to begin filming in November or December 2023 for a late 2024 release.

Principal photography commenced by July 2023. In October of the same year, it was announced that the first trailer for the sequel would debut on November 1, 2023; exclusively during a theatrical re-release of Terrifier 2. Terrifier 3 is set to be released on October 11, 2024.

Future
After previously expressing interest in 2022 to develop Terrifier 3 and Terrifier 4 back-to-back, Leone confirmed in February 2023 that he plans to make at least one more installment after the third film. The filmmaker explained that by the end of the franchise, the stories of Art the Clown, The Little Pale Girl, Victoria Heyes, and Sienna Shaw would be resolved. By November of 2023 however, Leone stated that there may be additional installments after production on Terrifier 4 is completed, with the filmmaker stating that his goal is to create "... a satisfying franchise, [with] a satisfying conclusion where you could just watch it from start to finish and understand the journey and the arcs of your characters... but you never know what's going to happen down the line, but that is the goal is I don't want to make too many of these, and I want it to have a satisfying conclusion." The writer/director later confirmed that the franchise intentionally draws from Biblical imagery, with the story of Sienna's confrontations with Art, being that of an angel versus a demon.

Related films
Credited as the 2013 movie that launched the spin-off Terrifier franchise, All Hallows' Eve was followed by an anthology-standalone sequel All Hallows' Eve 2 (2015). A third movie titled All Hallows' Eve: Trickster was released in 2023. At the movie's launch, producer Steve Barton stated that in collaboration with Horrible Imaginings Film Festival, future All Hallows' Eve installments would include combined independent horror short films, following their respective runs at film festivals; saying: "...the All Hallows’ Eve franchise will be a place for these movies to thrive and for these filmmakers to get the notice that they have so richly earned.” CEO of Ruthless Pictures, Jesse Baget further explained that though the franchise was anthological in nature, each of the shorts takes place in the same shared continuity where the horrific characters "coexist".

In other media

 * Literature

An official three-volume graphic novel series adaptation of Terrifier (2016), was released by Damien Leone with illustrations by Steve McGinnis to commemorate the release of Terrifier 2.

David Howard Thornton reprised his role as Art the Clown in the Peacock series Bupkis. Starring Pete Davidson as a fictionalized version of himself, the segment featured the character in a comedic scenario. Leone was involved with filming the segment for the series.
 * Bupkis