Ranking Every Death in Terrifier 3 by Brutality and Violence Levels

Terrifier 3 showcases a wide range of grotesque and brutal deaths, although not all of the slasher sequel’s killings are equally savage.

Art the Clown’s franchise is certainly not for the squeamish. To paraphrase a famous quote by Christopher Walken’s character in Man On Fire, Art’s version of artistry involves death, revealing several nightmarish creations throughout the Terrifier series.

While the most lethal moment in Art’s sinister repertoire is found in the 2016 film, Terrifier, the escalating body count in Terrifier 3 undeniably elevates the tension. The film concludes on a cliffhanger, leaving viewers uncertain about the fate of two characters, all while delivering some exceptionally savage murders to get there.

The significant death sequences in Terrifier 3 are all distinctive, whether due to their abruptness, their dark humor, shock factor, or sheer brutality. Throughout the course of the film, Art the Clown, along with the villainous original Final Girl Victoria, gruesomely takes the lives of around 22 individuals.

Some characters meet their end almost instantaneously, an aspect which adds to the chilling surprise, while others face a drawn-out demise, leading observers to wish they could escape more quickly. Overall, the fatalities in Terrifier 3 rank among the most ghastly and debatably contentious spectacles presented by the horror genre in 2024.

11. Corey and the Four Mall Victims

A pivotal concern surrounding Terrifier 3 was whether Art the Clown would breach a significant boundary that he hadn’t crossed since the 2013 anthology film All Hallow’s Eve. Despite his popularity as a horror icon from Terrifier and Terrifier 2, Art refrained from harming any children in the two preceding films.

This changes dramatically in Terrifier 3, where Art impersonates a mall Santa and hands a small boy a gift that turns out to be an explosive, resulting in the tragic demise of four other shoppers.

Terrifier 3: Every Death Ranked by Brutality and Violence — David Howard Thornton in Terrifier 3 | Source: IMDb

10. Eddie and Smokey

While the killing of child characters in Terrifier 3 is undeniably unsettling, Corey’s death at the mall carries more of a dark comedic tone than genuine terror, rendering it the least severe fatality in the sequel.

Following this, bartender Eddie and Clint Howard’s character Smokey meet their end as Art swiftly shoots them in the head, granting them a quick exit.

Even though these deaths are not particularly joyous, they offer a modicum of mercy, sparing the characters from enduring a prolonged and torturous demise like many other victims face.

9. The Opening Scene’s Unnamed Father and Son

Speaking of swift yet tragic demises, it’s important to highlight that the remaining killings in Terrifier 3 are extremely violent. Thus, the best measure for assessing the characters’ suffering becomes the duration of their on-screen deaths.

Consequently, the second and third deaths in Terrifier 3 unfold relatively quickly compared to the film’s other killings. Art’s off-screen dismemberment of a nameless son is soundless, suggesting he died peacefully in his slumber.

Sadly, his father isn’t as fortunate, appearing to succumb within mere seconds after being attacked.

8. Unnamed Exterminator

Dennis, the exterminator who tragically encounters Art in an abandoned house’s attic, faces one of the most excruciatingly slow deaths in Terrifier 3.

In contrast, his unnamed coworker catches a break. As he investigates the basement, he stumbles upon Victoria’s lifeless body.

Unaware he’s facing a supernatural force, the exterminator, attempting to examine her, is brutally slashed by a shard of glass. With a massive neck wound, the exterminator’s exit is quick but agonizing, as he bleeds out within seconds.

7. The Opening Scene’s Unnamed Mother

While her husband and son succumbed to their injuries without even getting out of bed, the mother in the first scene of Terrifier 3 suffers a far worse fate.

This unfortunate mother faces the film’s first drawn-out death as Art brutally stabs her multiple times, eventually amputating her arm and then splitting her skull open with an axe.

Featuring a lengthy chase through the house, several vicious blows before the fatal strike, and a shocking limb amputation, this scene may lead some more sensitive viewers to exit the film early.

6. Charles Johnson

Those audience members who left the theater following the nameless mother’s grisly demise were wise to do so, as the horror only escalates from that moment in Terrifier 3.

Although Eddie and Smokey die quickly after Art’s cruel prank at a quiet bar, the mall Santa, responsible for providing Art with his suit and beard, endures a far grimmer fate.

Tied up and pleading for his life, the mall Santa reveals his true name to Art, who channels inspiration from Jason X’s Jason Voorhees by injecting Santa with liquid nitrogen before brutally dismembering him while he is still alive.

5 . My

Despite the positive feedback Terrifier 3 has garnered, this shouldn’t come as a shock to long-time fans of the series. The Terrifier films, with their imperfections, reflect director Damian Leone’s profound love for the horror genre. This is prominently displayed in a homage to Psycho, where Art attacks and kills a young couple in the shower.

The shower scene in Terrifier 3 surpasses Hitchcock’s iconic moment by showcasing Art using a chainsaw to dismember the still-alive couple as they desperately attempt to escape.

4. Burke the Hospital Orderly

In Terrifier 3, Chris Jericho plays Burke, an enormous orderly at the psychiatric facility where Victoria is being treated. His fate is notably grim as he becomes the first victim to be violently assaulted by both Art and Victoria.

As Victoria tears at the orderly’s face, Art the Clown’s headless corpse scalps him.

Although viewers do not witness Burke’s ultimate death on-screen, what they do see is more than sufficient to classify it among the most heinous killings in Terrifier 3. Once reunited, Art’s mind and body partake in even more despicable acts.

3. Dennis

It takes a remarkable feat to surpass Jess’s abhorrent fate, but one of the early killings in Terrifier 3 stands out as the film’s most graphic and detailed.

Dennis, the exterminator, encounters Art in the attic of an abandoned home, and before he can fully recognize the danger, he realizes that what he thought was a clown statue has sprung to life, throwing him across the room.

Impaled through the hand with a nail, Dennis becomes pinned to the floor as Art devours his fingers and then utilizes a box cutter on his scalp. As if this wasn’t enough, Art subsequently peels off Dennis’s scalp while he remains conscious, screaming in agony.

2. Jess

Jess emerges as arguably the most relatable new character in Terrifier 3, which renders her brutal demise all the more distressing. The kind-hearted aunt of Sienna reminisces about her deceased mother and defends her niece when Sienna faces accusations of fabrication regarding Art’s reappearance.

However, Jess makes the grave error of administering a sedative to Sienna just as her husband leaves to pick up Sienna’s little brother, Jonathan.

This lapse leads Sienna into a deep sleep when Victoria and Art invade the home, taking Jess’s daughter Gabbie as a hostage and brutally killing both her husband and Jonathan off-screen.

1. Cole

The most horrendous death in the Terrifier series is undoubtedly here. In the original Terrifier, Art established his horrifying legacy with a bold scene where he violently split a female victim in half.

This shocking moment gets a delightfully exaggerated homage in Terrifier 3 with the gruesome death of Cole. Cole, the male counterpart of the naked couple from the earlier shower scene, experiences a gruesome fate as Art chainsaws his arm off and then attacks his leg.

As Cole crawls desperately for survival, a whimsical novelty song plays in the background of Terrifier 3, while Art begins to saw him in half from the lower half. While it’s unclear how much of this occurs while Cole is still aware or alive, this scene stands out as the most horrifically graphic moment throughout the entirety of Terrifier 3’s bloody narrative.

About Terrifier 3

Terrifier 3 is a 2024 American supernatural horror film that embraces the Christmas season and was both written and directed by Damien Leone.

The film features talents like Lauren Lavera, Elliott Fullam, Margaret Anne Florence, Bryce Johnson, Antonella Rose, Samantha Scaffidi, and David Howard Thornton. The narrative follows Sienna Shaw as she seeks to rebuild her life during the days leading up to Christmas, all while being pursued by Art the Clown and his new ally, the possessed Victoria Heyes. This installment serves as a sequel to Terrifier 2 (2022) and constitutes the third film in the Terrifier franchise.

Following the critical acclaim and commercial success of Terrifier 2, Leone embarked on writing the third film, aiming for a coherent overarching story, while ensuring a stronger spotlight on Victoria, a character he felt was underrepresented in the initial film. Filming began in February 2024 and concluded in April.

Terrifier 3 premiered at Fantastic Fest in Austin, Texas on September 19, 2024, and made its theatrical debut in the United States on October 11, 2024. Critics generally received the film favorably, which saw it gross $18.8 million against a $2 million budget, making it the top-grossing installment of the franchise.

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