Terrifier 3 (2024)

Terrifier 3 is the horror version of a ghost pepper challenge: most people should skip it, and the ones who don’t will brag about finishing. It went out unrated, for good reason, and it is strictly for grown-ups. Damien Leone sets this one days before Christmas. Sienna Shaw is fresh out of psychiatric care, living with her aunt, uncle and little cousin Gabbie, weighed down by guilt and visions she keeps to herself. Then Art the Clown comes back for the holidays. Lauren LaVera gives Sienna real intensity, and Samantha Scaffidi’s Victoria, now Art’s partner, is so menacing that Art sometimes plays second fiddle. David Howard Thornton is still unsettling as Art. For horror fans, the practical effects work is a craft showcase. The story feels half-formed, though, and leans on lore it barely explains. It made $90.3 million worldwide on a reported $2M. A 5.6 because the craft is real and the story is thin. $742 says you spot a clown at a holiday party and quietly drift toward the nearest exit.

What works: Lauren LaVera and Samantha Scaffidi give committed, intense performances, and the practical effects work is a real showcase of low-budget craft.

What doesn’t: The story feels half-formed, and it leans on supernatural lore that the movie barely bothers to explain.

Who it’s for: Grown-up horror fans with strong stomachs who already know Art the Clown. Strictly not for kids.