Common Sense Media Review
By Jeffrey M. Anderson , based on child development research. How do we rate?
age 18+
Ho-ho-horrifyingly violent, bloody slasher sequel.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 18+?
Any Positive Content?
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Violence & Scariness
a lot
Extremely graphic, disturbing images (and sounds): A living head feeds on a dead body (its face is chewed up and split in half); the "food" oozes through a kind of organic tube, and a mutated character appears to be sucking stuff from the tube. Faces are sliced and peeled off of skulls. A mutated character slashes her wrists with broken glass, blood oozing out into a bathtub. Part of a hand is bitten off and spit out onto the floor. People (and a rat) are frozen with liquid nitrogen and then smashed into bloody chunks. Limbs are severed, and there are multiple slashings—neck, torso, stomach—with an axe, leading to gushing blood. A couple is chainsawed (limbs, heads, torsos) in the shower. Killer shoves a chainsaw in a naked person's bottom, rips their flesh to shreds, flips the body over, and does the same to the corpse's scrotum. A woman is hit with a mallet and a plastic tube rammed down her throat; rats are placed in the tube, and her neck is sliced (bloody rats escape through the slice). Person's hands broken with mallet. Character wears a crown of thorns, her face covered in blood. Strangling. Guns and shooting (including in the head). Blood spurts, puddles, and oozes. A headless creature uses a severed head as a temporary noggin. A corpse is nailed to the wall, entrails spilling out. Killer decorates a Christmas tree with entrails and a severed head. Fighting, some with chainsaw and sword. Face shoved inside mutilated corpse, chewing through intestine. Child in peril. Woman gagged with duct tape and bound to a chair. Woman smacked in head. Person's beard ripped off. A child is slashed (offscreen); his bloody corpse, with spilling entrails and severed limbs, is seen. A child opens a present that explodes and takes out innocent bystanders. Malevolent ghost. Person bashes own head on mirror. Character thrown across room. Killer spits drink in someone's face, urinates on a person's leg. Character lies in large blood puddle and makes "blood angel" with arms and legs. Arguing. Nightmare sequence.
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Sex, Romance & Nudity
a lot
A couple has sex in the shower; there's thrusting and moaning but no graphic nudity. Naked bodies are partly visible through an opaque shower door. Couple kisses passionately in a college dorm room. One character sits on another's lap, kissing and grinding. Two characters flirt with "Santa Claus" in a bar, sitting on his lap and taking selfies. A mutated ghoul appears to masturbate with a chunk of broken glass; she lifts her dress and moves the glass up and down, blood spatters on the floor. (Afterward, her companion makes the "shame, shame" gesture with his fingers.) Sex-related dialogue.
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Language
a lot
Several uses of "f--k," "motherf----r," "s--t," "a--hole," "son of a bitch," "ass," "d--k," "Jesus," "Christ," "piss," "hell," "balls," "eat me," "get laid." Words written in blood on wall: "c--t," "bitch," "whore," "slut." Character spells out the word "c--t."
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Drinking, Drugs & Smoking
very little
Secondary characters drink beer in a bar.
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Positive Role Models
some
Sienna is strong and brave, working to overcome trauma and facing her fears in order to protect her loved ones. She's matured since the last movie and seems more responsible now.
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Diverse Representations
a little
Other than the clown, the story is mostly women-driven, focusing largely on Sienna and her young cousin, Gabbie. Most characters are White, but Black actors appear in small or background roles, including Stephen Cofield Jr. as a police officer and writer/actor Michael Genet as a demolition man. A flashback shows young Sienna chastising her father, a comic book artist, for only drawing boys; he draws her a woman superhero to make up for it.
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Positive Messages
very little
Amid all of the carnage, courage is celebrated.
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Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that Terrifier 3 is an ultra, ultra gory slasher movie that's part of the series featuring "Art the Clown" and is set at Christmastime. It's beyond brutal: Characters are killed in horrifying ways, chopped up and destroyed with axes and chainsaws (at one point, a chainsaw is shoved into a naked person's bottom, absolutely shredding them; the same is then done via the genital area). Faces are ripped off, limbs are chopped off, kids are in peril, an explosion in a mall takes out innocent bystanders, someone slits their own wrists, and characters are frozen with liquid nitrogen and shattered. Expect to see gushing blood, pools of blood, guns and shooting, entrails (some used as Christmas tree decorations), severed heads, and other sequences with extremely graphic, disturbing imagery. There are also gross and spooky sounds. A ghoul woman appears to masturbate with a shard of glass, and a couple kisses and has sex in the shower, with thrusting and moaning (but no graphic nudity). Language includes uses of "f--k," "motherf----r," "s--t," "a--hole," "c--t," "son of a bitch," "ass," "d--k," "Jesus," "Christ," sex-related dialogue, and more. Supporting characters drink beer in a bar. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails.
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Terrifier 3
Parent and Kid Reviews
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- Parents say (4)
- Kids say (5)
age 16+
Based on 4 parent reviews
7a9825f3-14f4-45e7-bfbe-f633d12e6d9b Adult
October 11, 2024
age 18+
Goriest movie ever
Seriously, who the hell in their right minds rates this anything lower than 18+?
Clorox bleach Adult
October 10, 2024
age 11+
Terrifier 3
This is a very gory, but great installment to the Terrifier franchise. If you enjoyed part 1 and part 2, then you will most likely enjoy this one. My rating: 4.5/5
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See all 4 parent reviews
What's the Story?
In TERRIFIER 3, it's five years after the Halloween massacre of Miles County. Main character Sienna Shaw (Lauren LaVera) has been in and out of psychiatric treatment, attempting to deal with her trauma, while her brother, Jonathan (Elliott Fullam), is off at college and barely communicates with her. Their Aunt Jess (Margaret Anne Florence) and Uncle Greg (Bryce Johnson) invite the siblings to stay for Christmas. Sienna arrives, greeted by young, gushing Gabbie (Antonella Rose), who worships her older cousin. Meanwhile, Art the Clown (David Howard Thornton) and his zombie sidekick, Vicky (Samantha Scaffidi), have been resurrected, and they start their unholy murderous rampage once again, this time with Art dressed as Santa Claus.
Is It Any Good?
Our review:
Parents say (4):
Kids say (5):
Part of the ultra-gory killer-clown horror series, the folks behind this Christmastime-set tale clearly put some thought and care into its characters, situations, and especially its bloody effects. Terrifier 3 leaves the starting gate with a bang, and right away horror hounds will realize that it's better than average. The opening sequence involves a family of four slumbering in their beautifully decorated holiday house...at least until Art shows up. Believe it or not, the movie has a softness to it, almost fine grained like an older film. (Writer/director Damien Leone used special anamorphic Panavision lenses to achieve the look.) Leone is also known for creating his own practical gore effects, and his imagination knows no bounds. Even slasher aficionados will be shocked by the graphic carnage this movie comes up with.
But the real secret here is the characters, especially Sienna. Leone gives himself extra time to shape them, building the emotional impact of the eventual killings. This threequel runs 125 minutes—a little shorter than the 138 minutes of Terrifier 2—but all of those minutes are used wisely, never as padding. The time that Sienna and the hero-worshipping Gabbie spend together helps shape them both and establishes Sienna as more than just a "final girl." And it's admirable how Leone has shown commitment to learning from his mistakes, especially the ones he made in the series' dismal first entry, Terrifier. He's even earned the approval of genre legends like Clint Howard and Tom Savini, who appear here in small roles. On the other hand, there's no denying that, while it's a good one, Terrifier 3 is very much a brutal slasher movie, and it's unlikely to convert any new fans. Beware. And happy holidays!
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about Terrifier 3's violence. How did it make you feel? Was it compelling? Shocking? What did the movie show or not show to achieve this effect? Why is that important?
Did you find the movie scary? What's the appeal of horror movies? Why do people sometimes enjoy being scared?
Why do you think many horror movies are set during Christmastime? Why makes this combination interesting?
How do characters demonstrate courage? Why is that an important character strength?
Do you consider Sienna a role model? Why, or why not?
Movie Details
- In theaters: October 11, 2024
- Cast: Lauren LaVera, David Howard Thornton, Antonella Rose
- Director: Damien Leone
- Inclusion Information: Female actors
- Studio: Cineverse Entertainment
- Genre: Horror
- Topics: Holidays, Monsters, Ghosts, and Vampires
- Run time: 125 minutes
- MPAA rating: NR
- Last updated: October 9, 2024
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Terrifier 3
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