Art the Clown (David Thornton), the twisted villain of the Terrifier series, has pushed the limits of what would traditionally be considered acceptable levels of gore, even for a horror film. In fact, Terrifier 3 has become the highest-grossing non-rated film of all time. As more fans flock to the cinemas to witness Art’s reign of horror, director Damien Leone’s comments have revealed why no Hollywood Studio would fund the hit film.
Terrifier 3 is the latest film in the franchise which has become a cult classic among horror fans. The franchise started with the serial killer targeting a group of partygoers on Halloween night. Terrifier 2, released in 2022, sees Art resurrected by a mystical force and is even bloodthirsty-er than ever. Both films performed well in theatres despite having a combined budget of less than $1 million.
Terrifier was shot on a budget of $35,000 and went on to net over $400,000 in box office sales after being picked up by Dread Central and Epic Pictures. However, it was Terrifier 2 that put the franchise on the big stage, netting a whopping $15 million worldwide.
With his microbudget project gaining global fame for its stomach-churning capabilities, Damien Leone had the attention he needed from Hollywood to fund the second sequel. However, while speaking to Joblo, Leone said that he was sure none of the studios he visited would fund the project based on their impression of Terrifier 2. As expected, most big-money studios were uncomfortable with the level of violence and gore in his films.
“Ï remember having meetings with people. I got to meet with studios. Like legit Hollywood studios, who wanted to make Terrifier 3 before I even had a script, just based on the success of part two. And, just having meetings, getting the feel that I was gonna have eyes over my shoulders, and they were concerned about the levels of gore and this and that. I knew, and not having seen my script, or have any idea what I have in my mind, I knew they weren’t gonna let me make this movie based on the first five pages. Like that’s how insane Terrifier 3 is. The first five minutes of this movie, a studio would never let me film what I planned on filming,” Leone related.
Leone’s projects have been widely criticized for depicting extreme violence, but the writer insists on his style. He told Joblo that he wouldn’t stray from the first Terrifier film, which led to the popularity of the franchise. The now-obscure first film featured an iconic scary scene showing a woman’s head getting sawed off. Terrifier 2 had an even more harrowing scene of mutilation that caused viewers to vomit and faint in the theatres.
Watch the interview:
Leone had no plans of slowing down as he insisted on making Terrifier 3 the scariest film in the franchise. In his interview, he also confirmed that Art would meet his match in the second sequel. His strong-woman protagonist Siena Shaw (Lauren LaVera), who gains her own powers after surviving Art’s massacre in Terrifer 2, has proved popular with viewers, too.
The Christmas-themed threequel had a budget $2 million, more than double that of the first two films, but still worth it considering its huge Box Office returns. Leone secured the support of independent companies, including Dark Age Cinema and Cineverse, to bring his dark tale to life. In his interview, Leone promised a film that would scare viewers to their limits. “Mark my words, the five minutes of this movie are gonna be controversial, and that is not even the big kill scene… I was like, I need to make this movie on my own because it is just too much,” he added.
True to his word, he delivered one of the scariest slasher films ever seen. Terrifier 3 has taken shock horror to a whole new level with rapid gruesome murders with uncensored gory details. There were eleven reported walkouts and incidents of vomiting when the film was first released in the UK. Bloody Disgusting later reported that nine theatergoers walked out within the first 10 minutes. The Film Classification Committee ended up setting a rating that banned anyone under 18 from watching the film.
With such gory scenes, securing a rating would have limited the audience allowed to watch the film in the USA. Leone and Cineverse decided to release Terrifier 3 as an unrated film. As an unrated film, the producers wouldn’t have to cut the controversial scenes. Being unrated has actually played in the film’s favor, especially with thrill-seeking theatergoers.
Despite the vast criticism, the film has proved successful, earning over $18 million on its opening weekend. It was released on October 11, 2024, knocking The Joker and other big-money films off the charts. According to Boxoffice Mojo, Terrifier 3 has earned $63, 487, 464 as of November 3, 2024. The amount is set to increase throughout the holiday as the film continues to draw viewers to the theatres.