‘Terrifier 3’ Opening Sequence Repulses Premiere Attendees

With spooky season right around the corner, horror fans got treated to a special premiere screening of the latest film in the Terrifier franchise. But, the screenings did not go as expected for the excited fans. 

Director Damien Leone’s Terrifier 3, a Christmas slasher film, had such a gory opening scene that various movie outlets reported fans walked out on the film. The director had previously hinted at a “shower massacre” scene and that the first five minutes of the scene could be called “controversial.”

He said, “Although I was in and out of the screening, I did manage to witness some crazy stuff. One woman got up and left in the middle of the shower massacre. Another woman left the screening and said she started having a panic attack during a scene involving kids where Art [the Clown] impersonates a mall Santa.”

Apparently, the film is so gory and gruesome that 11 people walked out of various special screenings, never to return again. After the news of premiere attendees leaving the screening broke out, France has banned the film for audiences below 18 years of age.

The director adds, “If you thought Art the Clown’s reign of terror in part 2 was extreme, you haven’t seen anything yet. But before I even had a script, just having meetings and getting the feel that I was going to have eyes over my shoulders, and [studios] were concerned about the levels of gore and this and that. I knew they weren’t going to let me make this movie based on the first five pages. Like, that’s how insane Terrifier 3 is.”

But this extreme reaction from the audience is nothing new for the director. Even his last film, Terrifier 2, got embroiled in controversies. That said, the film still went on to become a huge commercial and critical success. 

In fact, all the Terrfier films have been a huge commercial success so far. Made on a cumulative budget of USD$250,000 — the films went on to gross USD$15.7 million worldwide. 

Terrifier 3 is admittedly an ‘“insane” film, according to its director. Made on a higher budget with a special makeup effects team, it promises to push the boundaries of gore and violence while delivering a critical social commentary, much like its predecessors. 

The Cineverse production will get its theatrical release on October 11.