Terrifier 3-Film Review

Review by Rob Hinkal

This is a weird one.

On one hand, this has a lot of things I like: suspenseful scenes, chuckle-inducing comedic moments from Art the Clown, nearly vomit-inducingly realistic visual effects, and sub plots which do make this third installment in the horror franchise feel like an actual story. 

On the other hand, the amount of excessive gore contained in the film makes it almost impossible to truly enjoy. I wouldn’t say that I have a weak stomach and I certainly would not count myself as someone who is opposed to gore in my movies. Being a fan of Sam Raimi’s Evil Dead films, I feel I can handle and find the humor in gore when used well and with a purpose, but this film just pushed it too far for me. I felt physically unwell by the end of it, and sadly, This movie works best in the scenes where there is no blood and guts. When it is just establishing tension, especially in a bar scene earlier in the film, it works wonderfully. 

The main selling point for me was to see the first ten minutes of the film so that I could form my own opinion on whether or not it was really as brutal as it has been made out to be. Having seen it, I can understand why others walked out. It’s not so brutally gory as it is hard to think about. Without spoiling it, it goes to the extreme right out of the gate, and whether or not you will find any enjoyment in it is totally up to your own sensibilities. Personally, I thought it was rough and rather-heartless. But so is the rest of the movie to a degree.

There is clearly a lot of talent and passion that went into this. The effects and cinematography are both stellar, as is the set design, but for me, it was just way too bloody. I can’t say I will be looking forward to the next installment. Based on the production value of the film and the glimmers of promise it shows in its director, I can’t help but give this one 3 out of 5 stars. Like I said, this one is weird. For as much as I didn’t enjoy watching it, the redeeming qualities were impossible to miss. Somewhere within the bloodbath of Terrifier 3, there is a compelling film.