What started off as a little-known sadistichorrormovie back in 2016 withTerrifierhas grown into a full-blown horror franchise with appearances in other films, three standalone movies, and even comic books now. The latest installment from that franchise,Terrifier 3,has catapulted the now infamous but highly popular villain Art the Clown to further superstardom as he continues to firmly embed himself as a new icon of the horror world.
The third film has made it clear that Art is here to stay as a villain. Part of that success comes from the fact thatTerrifierfilms deliver as expected and care little about whether broader audiences like it or not, since it focuses on pleasing its base — hardcore gore horror fans who love sickeningly creative kills and a ruthless villain you can’t help but love because of his hilarious antics.
Terrifier 3
Terrifier 3 follows Sienna and her brother as they attempt to move past the traumatic events of Art the Clown’s Halloween massacre. As they embrace the Christmas season, Art reemerges, intent on turning their holiday into a nightmare, continuing his reign of terror.
This is why the film has been doing great with most audiences (minus those who walk out early) and has surprisingly also been doing fairly decently with critics too. Part of the charm of the third film for horror fans has been the way it chose to pay homage to the genre as a whole. For anyone who may have missed them, here are 8 Easter eggs, cameos, and references fromTerrifier 3.
Warning: Spoilers forTerrifier 3up ahead!
8His Choice of Weapon Calls Back to Silent Night, Deadly Night
The opening scene of the film kicked off the Christmas theme as it sees Art entering a family’s home on Christmas Eve. As he begins his reign of madness by basically slaughtering everyone there, there’s a familiarity about the scene. For one, it’s the first time we saw him in a Santa suit.However, it’s not what he’s wearing buthis choice of weaponthat provides the added sense of déjà vu.
Audiences From Older Generations Can Immediately Recognize the Similarity
This was likely because Art’s choice of weapon for his first round of kills in the film was an ax.Add in the Santa suit and all the Christmas surroundings, and it becomes reminiscent of the killing sprees perpetrated bythe sometimes very underrated slasher Billy ChapmanfromSilent Night, Deadly Night.Like Art, he also went on a rampage with an ax while wearing a Santa suit. It’s hard to see this kind of imagery and not think of Billy.
However, for anyone who thinks the film is just an excuse to copy other films or the franchise itself is just an excuse for gore and extreme kill scenes, this one makes it obvious that there’s a larger story afoot — Damien Leon’s recent Tweet on X proves this.
7Chris Jericho Cameo
The newTerrifierfilm is packed full of cameos that may not have been as apparent to non-horror fans. However, there was also one prominent cameo that pretty much appealed to everyone.It was provided by thefamous WWE wrestler Chris Jerico. Known for his long hair, rock-star persona, and famous submission move “The Walls of Jericho,” it actually wasn’t his first Rodeo in theTerrifierfranchise.
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You Could Hardly Miss His Memorable Scene
Jericho’s scene, came fairly early on in the film whenfans get to see what happened to Vicky from the first film, as she now joins forces with Art to become one of horror’s mostformidable killer couples. While we know from the second film that she’s been possessed by the character known as The Little Pale Girl and later gives birth to Art’s head, in this installment we see the pair reunited and on a rampage together.
That rampage sees Chris Jericho return. Playing an orderly named Burke inTerrifier 2,he continued the role in the third film, but this time gets savaged by Vicky’s possessed body and Art’s dismembered one in one ofthe film’s most memorable kill scenes.
6Tom Savini Cameo
In a scene following Art the Clown causing mayhem and devastation at a mall, local news stations interview eyewitnesses. Many viewers might feel as though one of them seemed very familiar even if they weren’t quite able to place him.That person was none other thanhorror icon Tom Savini, someone who is very well known to horror fans around the world.
That’s becauseSavini is a highly talented and respected prosthetic makeup and special effects artist, stuntman, director, and actor who’s well-known for his many cameos. While he’s best known for his terrific special effects artistry in classic horror films likeDawn of the DeadandFriday the 13th,he’s also known for showing up in horror films too. One of his most memorable appearances came in the 1996 cult horror filmFrom Dusk till Dawnwhere he playeda character known as “Sex Machine,” who was famous for his very special gun.
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5Shower Scene Psycho Reference
As far as classic horror film scenes, they don’t come much more iconic than Alfred Hitchcock’s shower scene inPsycho.A film and a scene that redefined horrorin its day, it wasPsychothat first planted the seed that would one day grow to become modern slasher movies. Among the scenes that gave it all its shock value wasan unforgettable scenewhere the killer stalks and carves up a victim while she’s in a shower.
An Ode That Even the Master of Horror Would Have Found Extreme
Fast-forward toTerrifier 3and the shower scene angle is alive, well, and still paying homage toPsycho.These days, films do such scenes a little differently andTerrifier 3takes this to extremes.While it’s normal for shower scenes in slasher films to feature everything from nudity to a lot more gore thanPsychocould have ever imagined, Art’s re-imagined version levels things up considerably.He uses a chainsaw instead of a knifeand, let’s just say the kind of killing he does and the level of violence and gore metered out would have even sent Hitchcock himself rushing out of the theater in shock.
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4Cameo by Jason Patric
Another cameo in the film that caught the eye of many slightly older viewers was Jason Patric. While audiences of today’s generation may not be that familiar with the now 58-year-old actor,Patric is well known among those who grew up in the ’80s and early ’90s. Known for his roles in films likeThe Lost BoysandSpeed 2: Cruise Control,Patric was another notable name that showed up inTerrifier 3.
He Wasn’t the Only One
While it was great seeing Jason Patric in the film, for truly keen-eyed audiences, he was far from the only one. In fact, there were quite a few others, ranging from other well-known actors to stars from Damien Leone’s earlier and lesser-known films, to producers of the film and family members.
3The Attic Scene with Vicky References The Exorcist
One of the most horrifying sequences of the entire film comes as Art and Vicky hold up together in a vacant house and end up taking out two exterminators that come by to do some work there. After Vicky initially brutalizes her victim with a piece of glass in another room, she enters the attic where Art is busy being his sadistic self with the other guy. As Vicky watches him do his thing, we see that she still has the sharp, pointed piece of glass on her as she begins to ominously lift her skirt.
As Vicky watches Art torture his victim, she uses the glass to pleasure herself in her own grotesque way in what makes for possibly themost disturbing sceneof the entire film. With blood spraying all over the floor as she does this, Art uses a Stanley blade to peel the face of his victim, the final act that gets Vicky to her destination.
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For anyone who watches this scene and is appalled by it, that reaction is completely natural.However, for audiences of younger generations, it may surprise some to know that this scene was actually a morbid throwback to an even more shocking scene.That one came courtesy ofan all-time classic horror —The Exorcist.If you think this scene was shocking, that one happened way back in 1973 and instead of a piece of glass, the demon used a crucifix.
2Art in a Rocking Chair in a Nod to Black Christmas
Damien Leone has often made it clear that he’s a fan of classic horror. He’s become known for incorporating imagery from such films into his projects.Terrifier 3was no different. One of the most prominent throwbacks to aclassic horror filmseemed to come from a scene where Art and Vicky end up in an abandoned house. In one very eerie shot from it, we see Art sitting in a rocking chair in an attic facing a prominent window while he’s covered in cobwebs.
This Points to a Possible Double Callback
For anyone familiar withthe 1974 horror filmBlack Christmas, it’s hard not to conjure images of a female victim in that film (who is never found) in a rocking chair with a plastic bag over her face. While there are differences in the scene, its very striking imagery is seemingly a callback to this film. However, before we even see Art’s face up-close, the shot of him from behind as he sits in the rocking chair displays a semicircular attic window in front of him.Many horror enthusiasts have also been pointing out that the window looks awfully similar to the ones from a scene inthe 1979 version ofThe Amityville Horror.
1Staring Through the Broken Door Like in The Shining
Early on in the film, it became clear thatTerrifier 3was going to be a treat for lovers of classic horror as it paid homage to another famous horror film in a very striking way. During the opening sequence when Art terrorizes the family on Christmas Eve, as he chases the mum with his ax, she hides in a room and locks the door. It isn’t long before Art tries to break that door down, but it isn’t this part that provided the Easter Egg.
After cracking open a section of the door, Art sticks his face in the opening in what was clearly a throwback to Jack Nicholson asJack Torrance inThe Shining.The iconic scene from that film where Jack Torrance does the same thing and yells “Here’s Johnny!” has become one of the most famous horror scenes of all time.Seeing Art the Clown do it was just another reminder that we have a new horror icon in town.
While Art the Clown may still be somewhat on the peripheries of horror superstardom, his growing popularity with everyTerrifierfilm and the success of the franchise despite its humble beginning all look set to make Art one of the most significant horror villains of this era. With a fourthTerrifierfilm already confirmed, there’s no telling how biga horror empireDamien Leone and Art the Clown could end up growing eventually.
