Summary
AlthoughTerrifier 3is one of 2024’s most highly anticipated horror movies, I can see only one fitting way for Art the Clown’s story to end. I could never have predicted theTerrifierfranchise’s rise to infamy. While 2016’sTerrifiercertainly unsettled me the first time I saw the viral indie horror, I didn’t think that it would spawn a sequel that earned $11 million. AlthoughTerrifier 2was a little more accessible despite its extremely violent content, the fact that2024’s upcomingTerrifier 3will receive a mainstream wide release globally still blows my mind.
TheTerrifiermovies pride themselves on their grungy, gross aesthetic, and evenTerrifier 2’s budget increase didn’t make the sequel’s nastiness any less abrasive.Terrifier 2’s endingdid leave the door open for a sequel, but the movie’s unheralded success means that 2024’sTerrifier 3will now be an unlikely event movie among horror fans. Despite the franchise’s popularity, however, I still struggle to see how the series will wrap up the story of Art the Clown without betraying the spirit of the franchise. TheTerrifiermovies are inherently edgy and dark, unlike most slasher endings.
Art The Clown’s Origins & 7 Other Questions Terrifier 3 Must Answer
Terrifier 3 must explain what Art the Clown is, how to defeat him, the Little Pale Girl’s origins, and so many more lingering franchise mysteries.
Terrifier 3’s Art The Clown Can’t Kill Sienna
Terrifier 2’s Heroine Is The Franchise’s Main Character
Although the slasher has a ferocious reputation, it is worth noting that the subgenre has almost always allowed its Final Girls to emerge triumphant in the end. For every villain likeScream’s Ghostface orHalloween’s Michael Myers, there is a heroine like Sydney Prescott or Laurie Strode who can defeat them.Terrifiercomplicated this with a nihilistic ending where Art unceremoniously killed one apparent Final Girl without much fanfare and horrifically disfigured another. This proved thatArt the Clownis no ordinary slasher villain and the series is no normal franchise, butTerrifier 2walked this back.
If Sienna beats Art, this will be predictable and surprisingly conventional.
Lauren LaVera’sTerrifier 2heroine Sienna defeated Art, albeit temporarily, in the sequel’s ending. In the process,Sienna arguably overtook Art the Clown as theTerrifierfranchise’s protagonist, even though the creepy killer remains the mascot of the series. Sienna is the only one who has defeated Art and successfully stopped him from killing someone, so it would now be a letdown if he beat her inTerrifier 3. That said, if Sienna beats Art, this will be predictable and surprisingly conventional for such a boundary-pushing series. I can’t see how the franchise’s creators will work around this.
Terrifier 3 Can’t Let Sienna Defeat Art The Clown For Good
Art The Clown’s Unstoppable Nature Is Part Of His Appeal
Art the Clown is explicitly supernatural and even more indestructible than Freddy, Jason, or Michael Myers, with each movie making him more unstoppable. As such, Sienna can’t have a clean win against him.I’d be disappointed if Sienna simply killed Arteven if he did return from the dead, since this would prove that his power level wasn’t as impressive as it seemed in the earlier movies. However, I’d also be disheartened if Sienna was killed off afterTerrifier2’s story focused on her. Sienna’s late father seemed to be connected to the franchise villain, as implied by her dreams.
I can’t imagine a version of Sienna’s death that doesn’t feel like a cop-out.
WhileTerrifier 3doesn’t need Art’s origins explained, I’d still like the sequel to at least justify the link between Art and Sienna. WhereTerrifier’s final girls were both simply in the wrong place at the wrong time, Sienna clearly has some psychic link to Art, much like the Pale Little Girl. This means that she is pivotal to the trilogy’s overarching story, so Art simply shooting her in the head would be less subversive and more annoying. I can’t imagine a version of Sienna’s death that doesn’t feel like a cop-out, but there is another option.
Terrifier 3 Must End With Art The Clown Enlisting Sienna
The Mean-Spirited Horror Franchise Hinted At This Downbeat Ending
The originalTerrifier’s surviving Final Girl, Victoria, lost her mind after the events of the first film and was eventually possessed by Art. If the same fate befell Sienna, this would explain her connection to Art and allow both her and the villain to survive the sequel simultaneously. This would also be the cruelest ending possible, which is always what theTerrifierseries aims for.Terrifier 3’s bigger budgetmay lead its creators to make a more palatable sequel that plays to a large audience, but this would betray the spirit of the series.
At their core, theTerrifiermovies are aggressive, almost comically nasty, and brutal. I’m not sure ifTerrifier 3can keep the edginess of the franchise alive or if the sequel will struggle to outdo its gore-soaked predecessors. However, I am certain that Sienna’s relationship with Art the Clown will be central toTerrifier 3’s success or failure. IfTerrifier 3can keep Sienna alive without settling for a happy ending that betrays the tone of the franchise, the series can end its trilogy perfectly.
