This week we’re braving the blood-soaked mayhem of Terrifier 3 (2024). We discuss the film’s relentless gore, debate the evolution of Art the Clown’s character, and break down its jaw-dropping kills. In this episode’s b-side, we share our...

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This week we’re braving the blood-soaked mayhem of Terrifier 3 (2024). We discuss the film’s relentless gore, debate the evolution of Art the Clown’s character, and break down its jaw-dropping kills. In this episode’s b-side, we share our Terrifier 3 theater experiences, recap our Halloween Horror Nights adventure, and make a plea for Art the Clown to have his own haunted house. This episode contains spoilers, beginning at 38:33.


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Main Episode

Discussion | Terrifier 3 (2024)

Juggling Fear & Fun: The Paradox of Clowns in Horror

Tales from the Crypt: And All Through the House

Dead Meat Presents: Terrifier 3 Lauren Lavera Interview

Dead Meat Presents: Terrifier 3 Writer/Director Interview

Previous Episodes

248: Terrifier 2 (2023)

Rewind: Terrifier (2016)

B-side

‘Terrifier 3’ Distributor Reveals How ‘David Beat Goliath’ at the Box Office With a $500,000 Marketing Budget


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Music Credits

"Hack or Slash" by Daniel Stapleton

SPEAKER_06

What the fuck did we just watch, Demon Born? Spooky Teasing greetings and salutations, and welcome to Hacker Slash. If you're joining us again, welcome back. You look good, Clowny. If this is your first time listening, welcome to the party. We are a horror movie review podcast dedicated to telling you whether a movie is a hack, a total joke, a waste of time, or a slash. Totally clear, pun intended. We believe horror is for everyone, and as such, we're rating these movies with the perspective we've gained from our bearing walks of life and the flavors of fear we fancy most. My name is Chris, I'm your friendly neighborhood slasher enthusiast. This week I'm joined by the classic horror connoisseur Sean.

SPEAKER_00

Frankenstein. That's a good movie. A classic.

SPEAKER_06

And the paranormal paramour, Vinx. Wipe your ass and get down here pronto. This episode of Hacker Slash is brought to you by Adam and Eve, trusted for over 50 years to bring excitement into your bedroom. Whether you're feeling naughty or looking to feel a little nice, they've got something for everyone. Stay in tune to learn how you can save 50% off one item at adamande.com. And speaking of naughty, this week we're back in the theater to check out the third entry in Art the Clowns franchise. And this time he's taking on Christmas.

SPEAKER_00

He sure is. And if you're a patron or Apple Podcast subscriber, you'll also get to hear our B-side at the end of this episode where we discuss our theater experience and all the fun we got into at Halloween horror nights. And remember, our B-sides are free sides throughout the month of October, so stick around.

SPEAKER_06

Before we get down to business, though, we have some follow-up.

SPEAKER_03

Let's follow up on a movie. And of course, the movie that we're following up on has to be Terrifier 2. This is a special one for me, guys. This is my first public episode, like my first debut on the pod. Hey ooh. So crazy. How time has flown. Well, we got some results in 37% hacked it and 63% slashed it. So it's still loved, but pretty dicey on those ratings there.

SPEAKER_00

It's up there.

SPEAKER_06

I think it was a polarizing movie because of how brutal it was. That's fair.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah. I I without even getting into maybe some of the comments and which we're going to get into in a second, but I feel like partly maybe because of how brutal it is, but also partly because of the narrative and the direction the plot went into that I think threw some people off. But we'll see.

SPEAKER_03

For sure. I mean, even for me, I feel like I loved Terra Fire 2 way more the second time around in terms of the rewatch versus when we initially watched it and reviewed it. So let's see. We have Burnt Cookie says, I love to see the effort with old school effects instead of relying on CGI. Don't we all?

SPEAKER_00

Yeah. I mean it's so good when you can capture that essence and not have to use special effects.

SPEAKER_06

Yeah, that's really where this franchise shines.

SPEAKER_03

Absolutely, absolutely. Well, Page Master Ole says, Not my thing, but tons of gore. And that's okay. We respect that. It's very much not everyone's cup of tea, and that's fair. It's not Max.

SPEAKER_00

It's another level of gore for sure. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03

Perfect example. So Jackson Todd says, Slash, because all of this movies are a fun time, and I love the use of practical effects. There we go. Praises the practical effects, and that's very warranted.

SPEAKER_06

How wild is it to have such a brutal film that's called a fun time.

SPEAKER_03

We do love that.

SPEAKER_00

It's a bloody good time.

SPEAKER_03

We do love that. Now, of course, our lovely Rob, he left a little comment. He says, This movie is a mess. The story makes no sense, and it needs to be half as long as it is. And here's the thing, Rob. Is it a mess? A little bit. It's quite messy. And I do agree that it does not have to be as long as it is. And that's actually a comment that we'll get into a little bit later about this particular film as well. The time is pretty long for a movie like this one.

SPEAKER_06

It is a lot to sit through. I showed Allie Terrifier 1 and 2 before making her watch Terrifier 3. She hadn't seen any of them. And the unanimous response to all of them is it could definitely be shorter.

SPEAKER_00

It is a long movie. But I'm looking at these comments and I'm thinking that maybe this 37% hack is just Rob and all his burner accounts.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah. Could be fair because the next one is from Julie Berninger, and it says the scene of them running through the fun houses went on for 45 minutes, too much. And we know that that's her being dramatic, right? But also, yeah, that could also be Rob.

SPEAKER_06

I mean, maybe it was 45 minutes, though. I think we gotta go back and clock it.

SPEAKER_00

Maybe it was. Who knows? Fair enough. They spent a lot of time in there.

SPEAKER_03

Fair enough. Well, I also want to use this time to welcome our incredible new patrons that are joining us in this Terrifier fun clown cafe. Ricardo, Chris, and Jordan. Welcome to the fam.

SPEAKER_06

Stop on by the clown cafe on your way out. There's a gift shop.

SPEAKER_01

Exactly what I was gonna say. We love it.

SPEAKER_03

We love it.

SPEAKER_01

That's our follow-up.

SPEAKER_06

Well, in 2016, a small independent horror film that preceded Terrifier 2 introduced audiences to a sadistic silent clown, and the world of extreme horror hasn't been the same since. What started as a modestly budgeted, crowdfunded project grew into a franchise known for its shocking brutality, practical effects, and a killer who refuses to stay down. Fast forward to today, and director Damien Leon is back with his latest installment, continuing the saga of the relentless Artha Clown. This time, though, it's set against the backdrop of Christmas in Miles County, where residents are settling in for a peaceful night. But as they sleep, a familiar nightmare is about to return, ready to wreak havoc in a way that only art can. With a bigger budget, more ambitious effects, and a massive opening weekend that pulled in $18 million in the box office, the film managed to dismember its way to sitting as the number one movie in the United States as of our recording. Despite reports of audiences growing ill or walking out of the film mere minutes into its opening scene. What were you both expecting going into this?

SPEAKER_00

Well, let me just tell you, it's terrifier, right? We're three movies into this established franchise, so naturally I am thinking that this movie is gonna be fucking gory. It's gonna be violent, it's gonna be sadistic, it's gonna be a wild time, but I'm also expecting to get some answers because Terrifier 2 went in a direction with some of these characters and gave us some wild shit at the end, and I want an explanation.

SPEAKER_03

I desperately need one as well. I agree. I had really high hopes for this one. Like I said, obviously this franchise means a lot to me. I have to thank my brother in a way for me being on this podcast, because if it wasn't for my brother telling me about Terrifier, then I probably wouldn't have had the same bonding that and friendship light bulb moment with Chris, right? And then ended up on this podcast, right? So going into this, I was super stoked. I went with my brother because this is like a weird new tradition that we're gonna start doing as siblings. And we were like, okay, what is he going to do to top his insane imagination and take the gore much further than before? And I did expect a deep dive into the lore because now he's opened that can of worms in the second film and he has to commit to it, right? So I automatically thought this was gonna be more sinister because it involves children and the Santa Claus of it all. But I went into this actually completely blind. I I did not watch the trailers. I tried to stay away as much as I could from any teasers and things just to go in as fresh as possible, already expecting certain things, kills, maybe even homages to terrifier in terms of kills or I don't know, whatever I could think of, he was gonna have to top five by 5,000. And I gotta say, I think he did.

SPEAKER_06

You know, Ming's, I was wondering if you would remember that although we met at Trivia and you're dressed as Lori Strode and I was dressed as a Haddonville Memorial Hospital ambulance person. I was wondering if you'd remember that the first conversation we actually had was about terrifier too. And look at us. You know, terrifier really is the foundation of many great things in the world. Listen, I expected carnage. Absolute carnage, brutality, art the clown to be at his absolute best. And I presumed honestly that we get more backstory or lore on the pale face girl specifically. I do believe that there's a bit more lore about her in the novelization of Terrifier 2 that recently published, and I cannot wait to actually read that and get my hands on it. But I also expected it to pick right back up where we left off with Terrifier 2, since Terrifier 2 did such a great job continuing for the first film. But all those expectations aside, let me tell you this settling in to a packed theater watching this movie, this shit is bananas. E-A-N-A-A-N-A-S. I felt so many fucking things. I felt shock, I felt joy, I felt delight, I felt disgust, but above all else, I felt satisfaction.

SPEAKER_03

And that's essential. I was jaw-dropped multiple times throughout this film. Okay. I cringed, I let out a bit of that shocked gasp. You know, like when you have to hold yourself back, you know, clutch your pearls. That for sure happened.

SPEAKER_06

I need you to wear pearls to Terrifier 4.

SPEAKER_03

It will happen because I know now that he will have me do that again and then actually maybe scream a little bit because I was appalled. I looked at my brother a few times, like, did that actually happen? And I know that we were all there. I know we all did that with the people that we watched Terrifier 3 with. I know other people in the theater probably had that same reaction. You can't help it because this film absolutely goes there. And it goes there faster than its predecessor because the kill count is astronomical. Sean is gonna have an absolute field day, friends. He's gonna have a field day at that gore score. And I think the other part to it too, though, is that once the jaw-dropping kills like settled in, the other feeling that I had throughout this was a little bit of curiosity and whiplash, ever so slightly, because what happens with this film is that it's like two stories that come to a head in the last 20 minutes or so. And so half the time I'm watching Sienna and I feel a little bit sadder. I feel more serious about the whole thing. I'm taking it seriously, is what I mean, right? And you've got more of that world building happening, that story structures developing. But then we have art. And the best way that I can describe it is if you're a gamer and you've ever played Grand Theft Auto. Let's just call it for what it is. You get on, you start playing Grand Theft Auto and you get in a car and all of a sudden you start hitting people. You don't care. It's just carnage right then and there. You just start killing people wherever they just start spawning in the map. That's what it felt like with art, except it's Christmas, okay? Where he's just running into new spots, killing people for funsies. So I'm having a great time on one end where it's silly madness, and then I'm feeling like, damn, this is real deep, and the other. And at the last 20 minutes, it's like an explosion of all of those feelings at once.

SPEAKER_06

I love the idea of a comparison of just the people who go on murder sprees in Grand Theft Auto and people who play the story campaigns.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_06

Two types of people in the world, and those people are Sienna or Art the Clown.

SPEAKER_00

Yes. Or Art the Clown. Ah, what a great comparison.

SPEAKER_06

Thank you.

SPEAKER_00

You know, you both said all the feels, right? And I'm just gonna say it because there is no better way to feel or experience this movie than getting the experience of watching this in the theater with other people. That really makes this movie special. So if you haven't seen this one already, definitely try and catch it in theaters before it leaves because this movie was the most insane mix of dark humor, brutal torture, and downright hard to watch, but also very fun scenes at the same time. There were literally moments where I was cringing. There were moments where I found myself laughing, there were moments where I was downright fucking shocked, and I can't wait to talk about those moments in the spoiler zone.

SPEAKER_06

For sure. And really it's the shock that I want to pick up on here because this movie is full of surprises. And I want to be very clear in what I mean by that. There are moments in this movie that zig when you expect them to zag. And there's one true moment that I don't think anyone could have seen coming. And I think there's only one of those. But as for the others, it's less about not being able to predict that they may happen, but more about the feeling you have of surely they're not gonna do this, all the way up to them actually doing it. And that is the part that's shocking. And when you think about how Damien has approached making this film and being so unwavering and uncompromising in his vision, it shows. You read all these articles, you hear these interviews where he's talking about turning down studio deals to protect the integrity of what this story is, and he fucking puts his money where his mouth is. That's what this movie delivers. It's you know, we talk about shock. This shit is actually shocking. And the entire time I'm sitting back experiencing this movie, and I could not believe I was seeing it trauma bonding in a theater full of people.

SPEAKER_00

Okay. So you you bring up a good point with how they're just taking it to this next level that you're sitting there like watching it unravel, and you're like, I don't know if they're gonna go there, and they fucking go there. But I just want to say the most surprising thing about this movie is how it actually found a way to top the previous two installments with its gore. I didn't think it was actually possible. You can tie it, you could be up there, but it found a way to go above and beyond with its gore, and I'm not exaggerating that. There is a surprising amount of blood and guts that I would say would be surprising even for a terrifier film, right? Like I just think didn't it went past my expectations. The other thing that I think is surprising, without giving anything away, is apparently I found that the shower scene in this movie was leaked on YouTube back in early October, and I was just surprised to not have heard about it, disappointed that it happened, but I'm glad that I didn't watch it until I was able to see the film in theaters. But apparently that scene got leaked, and I'm just so glad and surprised that I didn't see it, but also disappointed that it even had to happen.

SPEAKER_06

Yeah. Wow, fuck that. No need for these things to be leaked. Let the magic of Art the Clown be experienced in all his glory by surprising theaters.

SPEAKER_00

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, and also of all scenes, of course it would be that ugh gross. Well, here's what I'll say. Obviously, the gore and the kills are hella surprising. But the other thing that surprised me are all of the amazing cameos. Okay? We got Chris Jericho again. Thank God, because that's always fun. Tom Savini, the one and the only. Holy shit. Hilarious cameo, also absolutely necessary to be present. We have John Abrams, which I actually just watched scary movies. So when I saw him very briefly, I was like, wait a minute. And I did that like meme where you're just pointing at the screen. That happened. Also, more importantly, happened when Daniel Roebuck and Clinton Howard were on screen because holy shit, that was like me looking at my brother, and I'm like, we know them. What are they doing here? Very confused. Jason Patrick as well from The Lost Boys. I also watched that movie this year, so that's just a coincidence in and of itself. So crazy cameos, very impressive stuff, okay? But I do have a disappointment. I do, and it's a pretty big one.

SPEAKER_00

Let's hear it.

SPEAKER_03

My thing about this movie is again, I love that Art the Clown has become so popular. But the beauty of Art the Clown is the shift between him being a comedic force of nature and being extremely frightening when he is very serious. Because the shift between those two things, those two sides of art, happens so fast, it cuts like a sharp ass knife. Okay, especially in Terrifier. That's what I love about him. And here's my thing is that I think that with Terrifier 2, he became extremely popular, which we love, obviously, but he became popular because of particular scenes in Terrifier 2 where he's being very funny. And what this movie felt like to me, again, going back to these two stories, right? It felt like art was 95% fucking around and laughing the whole time. I wasn't getting enough him being very serious immediately after. Not to say that that doesn't happen. But my brother and I were had this conversation. It felt like he was laughing all the time. It was a little bit of overkill almost. And we kind of missed him being very serious. And you do get it in brief moments, but it wasn't happening as much. I wasn't getting sinister, like serious art from one second to the next. I was just getting art being silly and campy all the time. Everyone has a preference of art, and that's fine. I just thought that it was a little bit of fan service almost. Is that the right word? Or like a little bit of a cash grab of like, oh, you guys liked him being silly, then we're just gonna drive that shit up to 9,000.

SPEAKER_06

Interesting. Yeah, I'm gonna have to sit with that thought for a moment and like really reflect on it because I found that this felt like a great evolution of art. And when you think about the lore of art and going from what happens to him in Terrifier One and then two, and then three, this movie is pure camp. And I don't know that I need the serious art that we got in Terrifier One. I felt like the level of absurdity we get from art in this film is exactly where I need him to be in a third movie for it to be as entertaining as a third movie could be.

SPEAKER_00

With the progression of the films, you just can't be the same art from the first one, which won't make sense until we get into the film a little bit more. But I will say that wasn't my biggest disappointment. I think my biggest disappointment with this film is still probably aspects of the story because it's not the characters that I have beef with. It's just that all of the shit they give us in this movie and all the shit they did try to explain in this movie, and the questions they tried to answer in this movie, we're still left with questions that were unanswered. And to me, those things are too wild and too absurd, even to not give some sort of explanation. And maybe more is coming in a future Terrifier 4. But it's a continuous story, so maybe there's an evolution, maybe Damien has some kind of master plan for how this story is gonna unfold, and maybe he's got it all thought out. But as it stands right now, biggest disappointment in the movie is still how the story kind of unfolds and what I'm still left with, even from the second movie.

SPEAKER_06

Yeah, I know that there's a lot that was filmed for this movie that was cut for runtime. I know that the studios really wanted it to be around or under two hours given the longer runtime of Terrifier 2, which I think is a smart move. Terrifier 2 was a long movie. We can all agree on that.

SPEAKER_07

Yeah.

SPEAKER_06

But there is something still about this movie, and you know, when we talk about imperfections that a movie can have, this movie is not perfect. There is something a little off about the pacing for me. By the time we get to the third act, by the time we get to the end, I am ready for the ride to be over. Not from a place of resentment or just exhaustion, but purely like, okay, this feels like a good place to end it. Let's just do this. Let's land the plane, let's make the point, and let's keep it moving. But I think it's really difficult for me to be wildly disappointed because of how stellar the rest of the movie is. This movie was just so much fun. And it was really great to see how they were able to maximize a larger budget with again not compromising on the quality of the movie. They didn't sell out and go full CGI on anything, but you still have incredible practical effects. And where Damien is no longer having to pause, spend months building these animatronics or building these prosthetics for these effects, he now has a team to supervise and oversee. He's still getting hands-on, he's still spraying the blood wherever he can and making his mark known. So this feels like a great way for this franchise to grow up. But let me tell you, this movie is gruesome. Not a single moment scared me. And I don't know that there really is much in here that could scare really anybody with jump scares, but there's certainly suspense and there's enough violence in here to really stand out. I think if maybe if you have a clown phobia, you might not want to fuck around with this.

SPEAKER_00

Oh, for sure.

SPEAKER_06

But this is not insidious scary, this isn't conjuring scary, this isn't long legs tense, this isn't any insert other mainstream box office horror movie here. This is a fun, campy romp in the hay slasher. And there's just not a lot to be frightened of there.

SPEAKER_03

I agree. I think that if you're someone who is very squeamish, this is not for the faint of heart at all, and I would know, I just feel like it's very gross, gory. Is at an all-time high. I'm surprised that I'm as big of a fan of this franchise as I am because that stuff does kind of like give me the ick every now and then if it's a little too much, and this fucking takes it there and then some. But as far as scares, not a one. That's not this kind of film.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, I will say I think the name of this franchise being Terrifier is probably the most fitting for a number of reasons, but especially because this movie is terrifying to watch for most people, I'm sure, just because of the level of gore and violence that you're gonna witness. There are some horrifyingly gruesome scenes to behold. So if you're looking for something extremely gory and gruesome, this will be your kind of frightful flick for sure. But if you're looking for something that is a little more spooky and jumpy, this is not that.

SPEAKER_06

Let me tell you though, it does pull from movies that are spooky and jumpy. Because this movie is coded with so many nods to other iconic Christmas or winter slashers and really just slashers as a whole, right? We had Psycho, we had Silent Night, Deadly Night, we had Black Christmas, we had the Shining. There's even a touch Binks prepare to have a flashback here. There's even a touch of the mean one in here because this was a David Howard Thornton redemption for a winter villain. That's what felt great about it. But what's really cool is it manages to be all of that while still leaving a lasting impression and carving definitively its own identity.

SPEAKER_03

Absolutely. I think the obvious Black Christmas of it all and the countless horror film nods that are in this film, you know, some that you had referenced, of course, you're starting to see this world that Leone has built and how it ties all the way back to the Ninth Circle. It's a short film that is considered art's first appearance. And I think that that's beautiful to see. This guy has been added small projects, passion project, of course, at that. And to see this world that he's building film by film, growing and growing and growing. And although, yes, we're not really getting a lot of the answers that we probably need at this rate, I'm okay with that because I just have such an appreciation for the fact that we're starting such a small budget, and look at what can come of that. I think it's incredible. This small idea he had and how it just continues to flourish and flourish is, I don't know, it's beautiful to see and an inspiration for a lot of filmmakers that are out there, I'm sure, that have small budgets and they want to be able to make their own thing. This is a story and a franchise to tell you and to encourage you that you should consider going for it because look at what this has become.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, for sure. The evolution of it is great. It's riddled with the nods and the Easter eggs, it's paying respects to a lot of films. But I will give this movie some originality points for the story. It's trying to weave through the blood, despite how I feel about the story itself. It is something a little bit different. I think it separates itself from others in the genre, but then it also takes everything you have seen in a horror slasher and combines that with everything you've ever wanted to see or didn't think you would ever see. It takes all of that shit to another level. And that also adds to the originality of this film, I think.

SPEAKER_06

It really does, and I think that originality really comes ahead in the ending of this movie. And I've got mixed feelings about it because again, there is a lot of complexity here that I think is so difficult to even executed perfectly, it would be very, very difficult to nail and have it really palatable for everybody. But this ending is fucked up, it's dark, yeah. And honestly, I think it's a really I hate to say it, a better example of what I think the last Jedi was trying to set up emotionally. And this is great, right? It raises a lot of questions for a fourth entry, but I think it's something that you have to really look at differently in comparison to the ending that we get in Terrifier 2. It's not gonna give you the same feeling.

SPEAKER_00

Interesting.

SPEAKER_03

God, it's so interesting that you brought up The Last Jedi because I actually watched an interview where he did compare this as God, was it he said that this is their I'm terrible with Star Wars names, Empire Strikes Back? Yeah. Is that okay? He says that this is that movie in his franchise.

SPEAKER_00

I could see it.

SPEAKER_06

I mean, The Last Jedi is like the Empire Strikes Back, so there you go.

SPEAKER_03

In in that one, right? Okay.

SPEAKER_06

Yeah, but I think the Last Jedi tried really fucking hard to do something really great that the Em the Empire Strikes Back did, and I think that's a really recent example of doing this wrong. And like this really does it right.

SPEAKER_03

That's fair.

SPEAKER_00

Gotcha.

SPEAKER_03

And I think when it comes to this ending, I mentioned it earlier where it's two stories converging. It's a great showdown. I think that there's certainly some moments here that are a lot of fun, but there are certainly some that don't quite add up. And there are a lot of answers to things that you've been curious about happening all at once when you're just trying to catch your breath from the action that has happened at the same time. So I feel a little bit overwhelmed at this point, right when we get to this ending and conclusion. It's a great time and a lot of things unfold, I'll tell you that. But I would argue that a little bit of suspension of disbelief is required. Granted, that's already probably required as you're watching the film, regardless, right? But in particular, the this ending seems a little it seems a little sus.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, well, I think when you watch the film, you definitely understand that there's that level of suspended disbelief or suspended belief, whatever you want to say, is something that you need. But there's just a lot to unpack with this ending, and it just won't do it justice to try and summarize it up without giving anything away. I think it leaves some questions for sure. I think it also leaves some pre-existing questions unanswered, and it opens it up for a fourth installment. I think there is also some debate about a specific character's fate that I'm sure we will talk about in the spoiler zone, so stick around to hear all about that shit. But either way, I had a lot of fun with the entire third act of the film, including its ending, despite some of the questions being left unanswered, the story getting a little wild and all that.

SPEAKER_06

Yeah, there's a level of acceptance that I think you just have to have with the direction that things go. When I think back to Terrifier 2, there's an element of that story of that ending that I didn't like because I could have just completely done away without that kind of component to Art the Clown and to Sienna and to this whole story. But I think I have to really just put my hat on, tuck it underneath there, keep it moving, just say, Alright, well, here we are. This is what it is. Let's fucking see how far it goes. And I'm excited to see how all of our feelings shake out on this film. But before we actually score this movie, Sean, you're in for quite the task. How would you describe the gore score?

SPEAKER_00

I don't even think words can do this gore score justice. This is the first film in the series where Damien Leon did not own his own special effects and makeup. We we mentioned that, right? And that was one of my favorite things about these films and Damien Leon himself. And with a new team, with an even bigger budget, through the vision of Damien himself, the gore did not disappoint. If you're a gore lover, this is gonna be your ultimate fix. It's one of the goriest movies that I think I have ever seen. Ari said it was the goriest movie she's ever seen. No one is safe. Men, women, children alike. It is a wild, gory, bloody time, and I wanna be clear that this movie is not for the squeamish or the faint of heart because this movie has cemented itself in the severe gore score territory.

SPEAKER_06

And what about the animal report?

SPEAKER_03

I also want to add an asterisk to his gore score. It's not just the women, the men, the children, it's also the animals, in particular rats, which I understand that maybe they're not the most loved animals, okay? But they're animals and they need to be protected and respected. But unfortunately, they are not in this film.

SPEAKER_06

Yeah, honestly, what was shocking to me was going to this movie with Allie, and obviously she works in vetmed, and she didn't bat an eye at anything that happened on screen. But the way her mouth was fully covered and she was gasping at some of the things that were happening to some of these rats. And I believe Ari had the same experience, right, Sean?

SPEAKER_00

The same exact reaction. She's the worst part of the movie for her was the rats.

SPEAKER_06

Hide your kids, hide your wives, folks. Well, let's go ahead and get into our ratings. Terrifier 3, 2024, the third entry for Art the Clown. Was it a hack or a slash? I think I want to just kick us off real quick because I am absolutely blown away by this franchise's ability to just keep getting better and better. In a time where sequels really feel like cash grabs, Damien Leon has protected his IP, he's protected the integrity of Art the Clown, Sienna, and what their arc together means for horror. We've mentioned it already. He turned down studio deals so the vision and integrity of his story wouldn't be compromised. And that is such a great precursor to going into this and thinking about what the final product is. Because the end result is a movie that's unapologetically brutal. There's complex lore in here, and it's really difficult to pin down with what we've been given, but it still manages to be wildly fun. This movie is riddled with big silly goose energy. And David Howard Thornton is here to spread the fucking holiday cheer. He is to Arthur Clown what Robert England is to Freddie Krueger, and I can think of no better way to describe him. He is matched pound for pound with Lauren LeVera's brilliant performance at Sienna. I'm down to clown folks. Let's be real. Art continues to be worthy of being permanently and prominently tattooed on my arm. It's a holly jolly slash and the only way that is acceptable to bring up Christmas in October.

SPEAKER_03

I'll agree. I'll agree with that. It is quite the way to bring Christmas into October. And here's the thing about Terrifier films. People always love to say that you come to see these films to see how the kills will be topped and not for the plot. But I feel like at some point you need to have a narrative or it all becomes a little redundant. And I know that I'm starting to cook with a hot pan, and I'm not trying to provide a hot take, but I'm just being real. I think with Terrifier 3, we're starting to get an origin story with a bit more meat to the world that is Art the Clown, but there is still plenty left unanswered with quite the cliffhanger, once again. And that's not a problem. I'm okay with that. It leaves me wanting more. And I think that for sure, obviously, if you haven't gotten this already, you will be satiated if you are a gore lover. And it does feed those that are looking for more than just the gore. But I can't say that I loved it more than Terrifier Two on a rewatch, I'll be honest. I think that it doesn't quite beat it because Terrifier Two has a really perfect blend. And I think Terrifier 3 isn't exactly balanced on the scales entirely just yet. But that's okay. Because I think what's to come is going to knock it out of the park. So I'm saying all this to say that obviously this is a slash, guys, of course, but it's not really the slash I had expected. But I am excited to see what's to come with the next couple films because I am on board for whatever this man, the one and only Damon Leone, has invented for us.

SPEAKER_00

Look, I went into this movie looking for answers. I went in looking for answers, answers to questions that Terrifier 2 left me with. And I was distracted by a really disturbingly fun slasher that paid homage to some great horror movies that only a true fan of horror would be inspired by. The thing I love about Damien Leon and his Terrifier franchise is the fact that Damien, to your point, Chris, turned down multiple big studios that were interested in financing and producing the film because he knew that they would never let him film even just the opening of this film alone, let alone the rest of the movie. So he finances his movies independently. He creates or used to create all the special effects himself to keep the cost down and without the hassle of a big studio getting in the way. Even though I'm sure Damien still owns a huge piece of the direction of the special effects in this movie, I feel like this is something that you only really get in horror. You know what I mean? Like when you think about the stuff that Damien's doing with this franchise, I feel like this is something that you only really get in horror. Maybe other movies do things like this, but you see it in horror more often. And it's such a unique thing. And maybe the reason we all love horror so much. It's this underground feel. The same that you get like this feeling of an underground band, right? And seeing it rise from the underground into stardom. It's like getting the purest form of art from the artist. Their vision, nothing getting in the way of that vision. They make the necessary sacrifices to make sure you get the intended version of the film. And despite not getting all the answers I went in with answered, and actually leaving with maybe more, I think Damien Leon delivers a solid entry with so many great kills and more horrifyingly shocking moments than you can even count. And I think this is cementing itself into a slasher franchise that will stand the test of time alongside some of the greats. This has definitely cemented itself as a terrifyingly brutal slash for me.

SPEAKER_06

Well, with that, Terrifier 3 has earned a universal slash. But there is so much more to discuss when we return from our break. Now, if you've already seen this one before, what would you rate it? Please let us know by joining the conversation for free in our Discord server. You can find the link to do so in our show notes. And when we return from our break, we'll dive deep into the spoiler zone territory and break down this movie's outrageous kills, body count, and the absolute wild plot. See you in a day.

SPEAKER_00

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SPEAKER_06

Welcome back, folks. You are now entering the spoiler zone for Terra Fire 3, which is under Universal Slash. Now we have a lot to unpack here, but before we get into the specifics of our ratings and how insane this plot is, let's go through those kills.

SPEAKER_00

Okay, I want to start off by saying that there are some questionable kills as well as some honorable mentions in this one, which I'm sure we will dive into in just a second. But without getting into all that, this film still had 23 graphic, brutal, and gory kills. Some kills evoked some fantastic reactions out of the audience. Some were hard to watch, they were so cringy, and some might even top some of the memorable kills from the first two terrifier films. And I gotta know which of these kills made you cringe the most.

SPEAKER_03

I don't know about cringe, but I'll tell you one that had me cheering, and it was that stupid little bitch with the podcast.

SPEAKER_00

Mia Carpenter, yeah.

SPEAKER_03

Bruh. I just wanted to smack that girl so bad. Oh, I hate it. Because she's like the embodiment of the worst kind of true crime fangirls, because I love true crime, but we're talking like the worst, the deplorable of that fangirl group, because she was talking about Art the Clown in a way that, ma'am, something's not right in your head. And granted, I did love the scene in which Art the Clown was like feeling himself and his ego about it, but she was so bizarre with the way that she was acting, and it was very upsetting. So the way that she got got was just iconic and the putting of the little glasses on her, too. Cute touch.

SPEAKER_00

Yes, the way she got got was intense. I mean, literally, she got her breasts, hip, arms sliced open, scalp partially sliced off, face cut open, partially in half at the cheek and sawed in half through the waist with a chainsaw. I mean, when you say she got got, she fucking got got.

SPEAKER_06

She is this movie's Don. And while Cole got Don's fate with the hot dog slice, it was the petty art for me. Because if you recall, art took a selfie with Don's corpse in that movie because she had taken a selfie with him.

SPEAKER_07

Right.

SPEAKER_06

And in here, he takes off his glasses and gives her a look at what that evil is. He gave her the opportunity to see what being in the presence of such evil feels like. To smell him fantastic moment. It was so, so good. That entire shower scene, reminiscent of Psycho, reminiscent of Scarface with the chainsaws in the bathtub. And can we talk about the fact that Artha Clown did more damage with a chainsaw than Leatherface did in his entire first movie?

SPEAKER_00

Seriously. This is the real Texas chainsaw right here, only not in Texas, but you know.

SPEAKER_03

Not not quite, not entirely. But while we are talking about the shower scene, I mean, yeah, the hot dog cut, but on a man is fantastic.

SPEAKER_06

The hot dog hot dog cut.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, the real hot dog cut. I mean, just getting chainsawed up the ass is intense. Like that just whew, that's wild.

SPEAKER_03

I whispered to my brother he got fucked in the ass with the chainsaw. I had to, I had to say it because that's exactly what was happening. He had a colonoscopy. He sure did. Watch on Adam and Eve.

SPEAKER_01

He had his his final colonoscopy.

SPEAKER_03

And a and a vasectomy as well, some would say because castration, maybe. Yeah. Oh, that's the word. Yep. Neutered like the doggy is.

SPEAKER_00

But I will say the blood angel of it all.

SPEAKER_03

Oh, yes.

SPEAKER_00

That was what I feel like made that whole sequence. It like tied everything together and put like a nice bow on it. You know what I mean? Like you've got these two really intense, really brutal, really crazy kills, and then you have art making a fucking blood angel out of all the blood on the fucking tile.

SPEAKER_06

Again. Holiday cheer.

SPEAKER_03

That's what I was hoping for because again, the holidays, snow, winter. I needed to see a snow angel or whatever you want to call it at some point. And I wasn't sure how we were gonna get it, but in that scene with all that blood, I'm here for it. It was good. It was very good.

SPEAKER_06

Yeah, there are so many great kills, and honestly, we could sit here and talk about our favorites. I'm gonna name one of my top ones here, but I think there are so many that are worth just going through because holy shit, what an experience. My personal favorite, and again, this is going to be, I would say maybe not the best kill in the film, but best for me for sentimental reasons, and that was Dennis, our dude in the addict. Can you take a guess why?

SPEAKER_03

Is it because it was the guy from Scary Movie? Because it was for me.

SPEAKER_06

No, I fucking recently only watched Scary Movie for the first time. I have no emotional attachment to that. It's because this was the first of two, at least, Black Christmas references. Artha Clown sits in that rocking chair in the attic, just like Claire being suffocated. Well, she was already her body was. There having already been suffocated, but that visual was just so fucking incredible. So when we get Dennis walking into the attic and we have a cobwebbed up, art the clown recharging, and then he just comes back to life. He's already gritting, he's frozen in place. But then to see what he does with him with a blade peeling the skin off of his face. Woo, top notch.

SPEAKER_00

Head split open like that, skinned. The whole head was skinned. It was frickin' gnarly. I wasn't sure if you were gonna go with that homage or if you were gonna go with the other thing that was happening in that attic. What the whole Victoria Hayes. Holy shit. I mean, there you've got all this happening in the attic, and you got Victoria Hayes over here pleasuring herself with a piece of glass.

SPEAKER_06

Listen, this was the shocking moment, right? This is there's surely they're not gonna do that. They're not gonna do that. Nobody had demon fucking herself with a broken mirror on their fucking 2024 bingo cars. Nobody.

SPEAKER_00

Nobody.

SPEAKER_06

It was a blood dripping.

SPEAKER_00

That came out of left field.

SPEAKER_03

Okay, so right. This is the scene where my friend was like, wouldn't it be absolutely nuts if someone is like stabbing themselves in the vagina, like, you know, in that kind of way? Granted, I think like what's so uncomfortable is that she's doing it to herself, and we haven't had that really since Exorcist. So it's like, I never thought we would ever get that again, and here we are. So when he was asking me about some of the kills, he kind of hinted at it, and I was like, I don't know what to say without revealing or giving you an answer. So I'm going to just say it goes there repeatedly.

SPEAKER_00

It goes there.

SPEAKER_03

As as often as I can, I'm just gonna keep saying it goes there and let you be shocked. But when I saw that happen, my jaw fell to the ground. I couldn't believe it. And you know, it's not that she just does it a few times, though, she commits until she comes, and that's crazy.

SPEAKER_06

Mm-hmm. Yeah, that was a lot. You know what? Good for you, girl. Do your thing, whatever you're into, and don't don't let me king shame you. But what was hilarious was art doing the little naughty girl, little finger tiss, tiss, tisk right after.

SPEAKER_00

Tiss, tiss, tisk.

SPEAKER_06

Mm-hmm. And you know, I think the closest thing we've gotten, so we've had Reagan and the Exorcist. The closest thing that I've seen, and I'm fairly certain I've spoken negatively about this kind of thing in other horror movies. I'll have to search my catalog in my mind of what moments these may be.

SPEAKER_00

Oh, Evil Dead.

SPEAKER_06

Yes, but I was thinking about the curling iron from Sleepaway Camp.

SPEAKER_00

Ah, okay. Okay.

SPEAKER_06

But you know, it's all fucked up.

SPEAKER_00

It's the way that you kind of execute it, right? Because this one is so over the top, but so crazy, that it almost gets by as like a wild shocking moment that I think actually really evoked an insane reaction out of everyone in the theater if you were there watching it in theaters, right? Whereas in I don't know, I never saw Evil Dead in theaters, but watching that moment, I think the way that it was executed was I maybe supposed to be campy, but not delivered the way it was intended to be delivered, you know, to the general audience. So I think there's a way to do it without making it feel so heavy, if that makes sense.

SPEAKER_06

Yes, and they certainly took a lot of levity in this moment, especially with cutting it with arts comedy right after that.

SPEAKER_07

Right, right.

SPEAKER_06

Listen, I also want to give a shout out to Nathan, who messaged me after he saw this movie, and he said when we talk about the rat that got Jason X'd because we had some liquid nitrogen being in and people and animals that were being frozen and destroyed.

SPEAKER_00

It is true.

SPEAKER_03

The fact that Damien said, you know what would be crazier though? It's not just obviously the animal cruelty of it all, but like let's take it a step further, even with the animal cruelty, and give the rat that has been frozen to death to the other rats to eat, sir. What did the rats ever do to eat? Because that is what sent my brother and I everything else was absolutely batshit crazy, and we uh we know that, but the feeding of the rat to the other rats was like It's fucked up. That hit the heart. It's like feeding chickens, chicken.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, it's just fucked up. It's fucked up, and and it was probably one of the worst parts of the film, you know.

SPEAKER_03

I will say that the other animal cruelty of it all, when they put the rat through the tube into Aunt Jessica, I was like, if that rat stays in that throat, I'm gonna get really fucking upset because that ending altogether was a lot, but that was gonna be the final straw. Yeah. That was going to be the final straw for sure.

SPEAKER_06

But then Art just starts curb stomping these, like he's Michael Myers to Dr. Sartain.

SPEAKER_00

I know.

SPEAKER_03

So I gotta admit that that part didn't hit me until my brother mentioned it when we were in the car. Because I think I was just so relieved that they left the throat that I didn't even realize that no, he then curb stomped them. So fuck me, I guess. That sucks. Yeah, those those rats expired.

SPEAKER_00

It was all the rats of it all, but it was just the it's one of those kills that you can resonate with in a way, because I just just the feeling of a tube like that getting not just shoved in your throat, but like hammered into your throat is so fucked up. And I feel like as soon as you try to even imagine what she must have been going through in those moments, it's so crazy. Like that just feels so brutal for some reason. I don't know why, it just feels super brutal.

SPEAKER_06

Yeah, it's super brutal, it's super personal, vulgar, really. It's awful. And oh man, I'm just I'm I keep thinking about a movie, and I can't recall which movie it is, but it's like they put a bucket onto a man's stomach, and there's a rat inside the bucket, and he's making a lot of noise, and the guy whose you know, whose stomach it is, uh he's panicking, and they're like, No, no, no, no, no, you're fine. It's when the rat gets quiet that you have to be concerned. Because when the rat gets quiet, he's eating his way out into the stomach, which is disgusting. Rats are a very particular brand of awful in horror movies. Most of the time, completely innocent. They're just set dressing. They got personal here. They also got personal on that skull. So I want to hear your thoughts. Was it or was it not Jonathan?

SPEAKER_03

It's not Jonathan. It better not be. It can't be.

SPEAKER_00

I don't want it to be Jonathan. It feels like it can't be just because it's just not enough to end a character that way. It would feel almost like a disservice to that character for it to end in that way. You know what I mean?

SPEAKER_03

I completely agree. It would almost be borderline disrespectful to the actor as well, because that boy, teenager now, because he's grown and I like have such a soft spot in my heart for him because he's just so adorable. He champions this franchise like none other. He is out there on his TikTok. He's so cute. He shares like his vinyls and he talks about horror all the time and how much he loves Terrifier. So I will not allow this character to go down that way. I will freaking lose it. I will lose my mind. And for several reasons, right? Like leading up to the scene, we obviously know that, okay, that was Victoria that was playing with them on the phone, or at least playing with Uncle Greg, saying that, you know, hey, you told me to pick you up here or whatever. So that already kind of sets you up for something a sus and a rye. And although I would have liked to have seen Uncle Greg's kill as well, like actually fleshed out, my thought is that they're saving that for terrifier four to explain where Jonathan is and whoever that skull is. It could probably be, my thought is maybe it's the skull of his roommate, right? It could be the skull of maybe someone else at this point, because again, it the GTA of it is like terrifier terrifier. Art is probably just running into somebody in the hallway and killing them, and that's it.

SPEAKER_06

But he has a collection, really. He has a collection.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, I got a whole trash bag.

SPEAKER_06

Incredibly disappointed if it was Jonathan. The only thing I could think of is like, okay, if it was Jonathan for some fucking reason, maybe there was like a scheduling conflict, or for some reason he couldn't film this scene. I highly doubt that's the case. This is going to maybe age poorly when Terrifier 4 comes around, but I'm gonna go ahead and say I'm very confident that it's not Jonathan. And there's a lot of folks who have pointed out a few different things here. One, the eyes in the skull appear to be blue, where Jonathan has brown eyes, and then the hair on the back of the skull that you can see very quickly when the camera's moving around the cage, does it match Jonathan's hair?

SPEAKER_00

Yeah. Yeah, it really could be anybody. I think I'm with you. I don't think it's Jonathan. We're gonna find out one way or another where this story leads us. But I will say, aside from the debate on that kill, I think Uncle Greg's kill was kind of funny. It was a good campy moment. You know, he's decapitated, that's severe, right? But when you're nailed to the wall and you're disemboweled by art, but then you got the graffiti on the wall, the ho ho ho around you, the happy face with the halo written on the walls in this dude's own blood, that was a great moment.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah. Insult to insult. It's also so fitting and incredible because the way that his mind works, man, Damien's on one because he thinks of these kills, but then also thinks about how the kills will impact his other characters. Because when Art grabs Sienna and stuffs her face into that hole that is her uncle's body, that's fucking crazy.

SPEAKER_00

That was gnarly.

SPEAKER_06

Yeah. It was fucking crazy, and it was crazy for a couple different reasons. One, what the fuck was up with the Thinly Vale tension between the two of them earlier in the film? Again, I don't think that was intentional. I don't think Lauren Livera was giving that. I don't think Sienna was giving that, but I felt as though something was fucking off with that uncle. And quite frankly, I could not stand him. I was so glad to see him expire. Even if it was off screen, at least he was desecrated. But then to take that like little bit of attention and then get her face stuffed into his midsection, like his abdomen, disgusting. What was really interesting, I was listening to an interview, and I believe it was from the Dead Meat Presents podcast, where James A. Janice is interviewing Lauren Lavera. She's talking about her stunt work. Although she had a stunt double, like about 97% of what we see in the final film is her. And that, like her face being put in to his midsection, is one of the only moments that it's not actually her, and it's her stunt double because they were so concerned about her head hitting the pole that was in there holding up the body.

SPEAKER_00

Ah, okay.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, I had seen an interview, maybe it was the same one, maybe as a different one, where she was talking about how much she loves martial arts and that having experience of being in martial arts and whatnot being an inspiration as to how she maneuvers being Sienna and having to do a lot of that stunt work that's required in that ending. So interesting. But yeah, that kill being stuffed into your uncle is quite something, I'll tell you that much. Um I cannot let us not talk about this one particular thing, though, because when this scene happened or these bunch of kills happened, I thought, oh, so this is how he tops clown cafe. And it was blowing up them kids. He blew them up. He fucking blew them up. That was crazy.

SPEAKER_00

That's not only a fuck them kids moment, it's just a very intense moment, a very, I would say, personal moment for probably a good number of the audience, just because of shit that we have going on in the world where this kind of shit is actually way too frequent. And so that one kind of hits home in a way that a chainsaw does not.

SPEAKER_03

Correct. God, sorry that I'm laughing, but no, for real. Like it's it's that kind of reaction because I thought to myself, well, no, I mean, he didn't really, he wouldn't really. And then the next thing you know, no, it all of them are gone. Because the thing about the first kill with the kid, right, is that obviously there are plenty of laws in place where you can't actually show these kids being killed and all that, right? So I understand that our expectations need to be realistic and grounded in law, but it's still pretty shocking that they would dare go there. And we've talked about that already. To see the dismemberment of the kid was already shocking. And it's like, okay, so we've got that kid kill check, we're done. No, no, no, no. There's gonna be more. There's gonna be way more. And we're gonna do it in a way that is very real and grounded in things that happen in real life, not in some insane way. Granted, like the dismembering and all that, we could argue that's a slasher, right? The serial killer vibes and such, but to pose as a Santa Claus and then to provide kids gifts, and then you see him opening the gift, at that point you already know, oh, it's fucked.

SPEAKER_06

Yeah. A couple thoughts here. One, it hits differently than the brutality against children we got in When Evil Lurks. That was horrific. That was terrible. This feels worse.

SPEAKER_00

It does.

SPEAKER_06

And then Binks, you just mentioned posing as Santa, giving kids gifts. Is it not reminiscent of Hunger Games? With the attack on the Capitol.

SPEAKER_07

Okay.

SPEAKER_06

And all these kids are about to receive these packages, and you know, you think it's about to be aid and first aid supplies, wipes them all out. This is a franchise that does not shy away from using the real life horrors. And I don't like guns and horror movies. I I really don't. Art the Clown is the only one who's been able to get away with that for me.

SPEAKER_00

Multiple times.

SPEAKER_06

Multiple times. But also using a bomb. It was one of those moments where this kid opens up the lid and you think, surely they're not gonna. Maybe it'll just be the dead possum. Maybe it'll be more dead rats, maybe it'll be someone else's fucked up severed head, and it's gonna cause chaos. But for an explosion to almost wipe everybody out, and then for them to reveal in the news broadcast that not everybody died, yeah. It was insane.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, because it's the fact that you're now imagining that sure some of them died, but others are severely injured, traumatized, etc., now in the hospital.

SPEAKER_07

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03

But while we're at that, actually, because I want to talk about Tom Savini, because that's when his cameo is introduced, and we can kind of unpack it a little bit later. But sir, you saw everything and you don't recognize Art the Clown, though, because my small tidbit of come on was that I wish that Art had kept the Santa Claus mask on, maybe, so that he wasn't so obviously Art the Clown, right? And or at least people would think, like, oh, this is someone posing as him. Maybe they wouldn't buy the fact that it's actually him, but they would think that it's someone that's a lookalike. It's not Halloween, it's December. Why would you be dressing up as Art the Clown in December in a Santa gear? Is that not sus? Would you not have identified that if you were seeing everything and you saw everything? Ugh, that part annoyed me just a little bit when I should have been focusing on the fact that a ton of kids just died.

SPEAKER_06

Yeah. Get your priority straight Binks. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00

That's amazing.

SPEAKER_06

Let Tom Savini be a wily old coot.

SPEAKER_00

I think even before getting to this, I think the kill with the bar Santa was wild. I think liquid nitrogen on the arms and legs, then hammering those limbs into pieces, and then getting your head frozen with the liquid nitrogen and hammered into pieces again. And then to top it off, we're gonna literally rip the flesh off of your face to get that nice Santa beard. You know what I mean? Like, whoo.

SPEAKER_06

Okay, can I be honest here? My biggest shock was that we didn't get a dick shop.

SPEAKER_00

If that's what this movie missed, I'm okay with that, but it would have been crazy to see that for sure.

SPEAKER_06

It really would have been. But man, I'm just thinking back right now to how fucking insane that opening kill was and slaughtering that whole damn family.

SPEAKER_00

The whole damn shebang.

SPEAKER_03

But I love how right off the bat we also get our stereotypical father in horror. That's a piece of shit.

SPEAKER_00

Oh yeah, of course.

SPEAKER_03

And I'm glad that he was not the first, but the second to go. So that was nice.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_06

Shocking that we got little Timmy just starting a sentence and then getting fucking torn apart. The sound design in that scene was immaculate, disgusting, terrible. It had to be. For that mom and dad to go out the way they did, for her to wake up and then just see his dismembered body right next to her.

SPEAKER_00

Absolutely wild. And then it leads to little Juliet, which is I think the most debatable kill in this whole movie because you really don't get any confirmation. You have Art finding her in the cupboard under the sink and she's there. You see Art, you it flashes to the axe that he's been using to mutilate her family, but that's all you get. You don't get any sounds of any more children getting hacked up. You don't get to see anything on screen, so we really don't know. Although, given Art's track record, it's not like he really tries to leave anyone behind.

SPEAKER_06

Yeah, Juliet Thomas, famed Cindy Lou Who of Terrifier 3.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, absolutely. That's the main one of it all. That's it.

SPEAKER_06

Listen, I I think we can talk all day about these kills and how wild the gore is. I think we can also all appreciate the practical effects because there's so much in here that stands out. I think what's really cool is that obviously Damien Leon has a bigger budget, but he's able to deliver better quality with feeling still consistent with his brand of horror. But I really want to hone in on a couple of moments that pay homage to other films with incredible composition in this movie. Because let's not let the cinematography be lost in all the carnage. One, I mentioned it earlier, Black Christmas in the Attic. Art the Clown sitting in a rocking chair outside of that window. It's dusty, it's closed, it's cold, it's wintry, even though it's in the fall. That moment was such a great shot for me to see. And then we have another reference to Art the Clown because there's a moment where, and we you know, you actually see it in the trailer, I believe, Sienna gets thrown over a couch. There's a moment with Art in his Santa hat just pulls something over his head that is pulled straight from Black Christmas 1974, where Billy, the killer in that film, is about to kill Barb with a glass unicorn that is also on the cover of the vinyl that I have for Black Christmas soundtrack. It is just such a great shot. This movie is really dense with that. But then also we have a classic, irresistible shining moment with Art sticking his head into the opening, he acts into the door.

SPEAKER_00

It's so good. It's absolutely a fantastic nod to the shining. It was a great moment. I'm like so with it to see Art's face come through that opening with his horrific little smile that he has. Absolutely fantastic. I'm with you on that.

SPEAKER_03

And I think speaking of all these homages, what I have always appreciated about this entire franchise is the grain, the color grading. I just love that it feels like we're watching a film in the 80s, even though it's not set in that time. And I know that that's not everyone's cup of tea, that it might actually be someone's gripe with the film and the franchise as a whole, but I actually really love it. There's a film that Ty West has done, and I kind of got the same vibe where it felt like it was in the 80s or in the 70s, but wasn't quite, or obviously is a more well is, but rather it was filmed more recently. And Ty West does that with his films. And I feel like that's the same case for Damien Lonely with this franchise, and I really love it. It's different, it's unique, it's another element to how it feels original, and of course, that's just another layer to the practical effects and the shots as well. It just feels so homegrown, and I love that.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, the visuals of this movie as a whole is fantastic. That gritty graininess feel that gives you that kind of cult classic B-movie vibe is fantastic. That old school, maybe 80s vibe, it's fantastic. The cinematography and some of the shots are fantastic, and I know we're trying to beat around the bush with the practical effects because it is like the obvious pick, but I'm sorry, the practical effects and the special effects makeup in this movie is by far probably the most insane part of this movie. I I think with as many kills as we get, most of them being full frontal shots, or at least bodies and body parts seen in the aftermath. It's hard not to give all the credit to the makeup and effects because it all looks so great. You know, there are like some little pieces that were just a tad campy. The blood sometimes maybe looks like thick red paint. And I don't know if that's the point, if that's trying to add to the campiness because of how severe the gore is in this movie, but it still felt good. It was just enough to take me out and alleviate some of the severity of what was happening. And I think that was intentional. At least I want to know in my mind that that was intentional, but I mean I just love much like all the other films that we get in the Terrifier franchise, is that the gore and the practical effects are top-notch. And I know Damien really owned a lot of that in the early films. And I bless his little heart for getting this insane budget to be able to have people help him with that. You gotta go into this one maybe feeling a little bit suspicious. Like, are we gonna lose some of that? No, you're not losing any of that, you're getting even more of it.

SPEAKER_06

You really are getting more of it, and you know, really more of that comes in one of my favorite scenes. And I have so many scenes to talk about. I cannot wait for us to all run through them. But we have to take a moment to appreciate the entirety of Art meeting his hero Santa Claus. Because holy shit, the way that David Howard Thornton, as Artha Clown, uses his entire body to express such glee from passing by the window, seeing that he's in there, and then getting in there, being so delighted. It was the sheer childlike wonder. And it really makes you wonder, had things continued to go in a positive direction and they not get a little pissy, literally and figuratively, would art have really killed Santa?

SPEAKER_03

Might have gone unscathed. I want to say that there was no way we were gonna have the same favorite kill with 23 options, but the fact that we have the same favorite scene is just quite incredible to compensate. So here's what I'll say about that. I love this scene for a few reasons. One, it was actually mostly improvised from an interview that I had watched with David Howard Thornton. So this is actually his favorite scene from the film. So I think that's kind of cool because looking back now from what I can remember, it just felt so real. This is probably the most real and relatable, unfortunately, aside from the kill that we were talking about with the bombing. But this is like, of course, there would be some weird ass guy walking into a bar, getting super excited over Santa Claus. He gets fucked up, everyone's fucked up, they're having a few drinks and shots. Next thing you know, he's peeing on you. The guy gets upset. Like, dude, we've seen this at a dive bar. Just me. We've all been there, right? Like, I don't know. I felt like it was super relatable. Aside from the fact that, of course, the cameos threw me and my brother off guard. We're like, wait a minute, what are they doing here? It just felt really fun. I think it was a really, really good time. And also is a good example of what I was talking about way earlier in the pod, which is that art goes from being silly and quote unquote drunk, I guess, right? Or being, you know, excited to whipping out a pistol from his garbage bag. Is that not Grand Theft Auto? Guys, I keep going back to this because it's the game that kept thinking I kept thinking of because it was like, what the fu he whips out a Glock and is like, it's game over, bitches. Just love it. I love it. It's a great scene to encapsulate what is art.

SPEAKER_06

I really hope that there already exists a mod to have Art the Clown in Grand Theft's Auto.

SPEAKER_03

This is my pitch.

SPEAKER_00

GTA 6? It'll be a secret unlock somehow.

SPEAKER_03

Because again, you also would see that happen at a dive bar in Florida, pro slikely. Okay. Things go south real fucking fast. I'm just saying.

SPEAKER_00

That's wild.

SPEAKER_03

The other scene that I want to highlight is a testament to how Laura Livera has improved. She's literally knocking it out of the park in this performance and in this movie, in particular when she is meeting up with Jonathan. I just really appreciate that we get a moment where we are seeing two siblings come back together. And it's something that we're waiting for for a while. If anything, when the movie started, I was surprised that it began with them apart and that it takes us a while until they meet again. But when we get there, you just see how they have completely shifted. The tables have turned. Jonathan, a diehard Miles County killer fan and wanting to investigate and get answers. Sienna, the opposite, right? But then they switch. And Jonathan's trying to move on and live his life in college, and Sienna's still stuck here, crippled with PTSD. And then we get this little bitch with her little fucking podcast trying to ask some really insensitive questions and prying. Like she has no boundaries. I just loved the whole conversation because it felt so real. Again, real, grounded in reality, reminds you that they went through some tough ass shit. And if you removed the supernatural and the camp and all of it from that storyline, you would get this dynamic between siblings and a lot of other horror movies that we've seen. But we have enjoyed and talked about.

SPEAKER_06

Yeah, this was truly my favorite scene. And I wanted to hold off on it because I wanted to spend some time talking about Lauren's performance later on. But holy shit, the way that she through her performance addresses how tone-deaf and predatory people can be. People who just want to exploit the misfortune and tragedy of others. Ah, it was so good. It was also very reminiscent of Lori Strode checking those podcasters in the 2018 Halloween. Podcasters are getting real bad rep and horror.

SPEAKER_00

They sure are. Wonder what we did, you know? That was so bad. I will say though, I have two scenes I want to highlight from this movie for sure. One was the moment that Victoria Hayes kills herself in the bathtub because I feel like such a beautifully grotesque moment where she curls up into the bathtub and slits both of her wrists and dies in that bathtub because it also immediately brought me right back to a Cradle of Filth album. And I'm wearing the shirt for that album, so you can actually see exactly why. I'm gonna show it to you because and you can look this up, but just just you could just Google Cradle of Filth, Cruelty, and the Beast. But the album cover is literally a girl in a bathtub, full of blood, holy shit, almost in the same position. So I'm like, oh my god, that's such like a crazy. I don't think that was intentional. You never know, but I think it just immediately brought me there, so it stuck out to me as like a really cool moment.

SPEAKER_06

Sean, you and your band shirts are just as timely as being some hair Seinfeld Funkos.

SPEAKER_00

Oh my gosh.

SPEAKER_02

Damn it, I I've actually put it away this one time that we bring it up on the pod, and I actually put it away.

SPEAKER_00

Oh no.

SPEAKER_02

Seinfeld, where are you?

SPEAKER_00

Man, but there is that. The other moment, and we've already been touching on this scene in kills and whatnot. One of the best scenes in the entire movie is the opening scene or scenes. It's the cold open, if you will, because it's just so wild. And I absolutely love that it's during Christmas. You know, we touched on the shining reference, the here's Johnny moment of that whole thing, I think was fantastic, but it's not even just the kills either, because obviously, as we just discussed, there was a lot of great work here, just hearing the sounds of people getting beaten to death, the bedroom scene with the husband getting beaten to death as the wife slowly wakes up. And it's not just that, but it's like when you're seeing Tim or Timmy, right? The the first kill in the movie, obviously you're not going to see it. The sounds of Timmy getting hacked up. It was just as intense as probably maybe watching it. Maybe watching it obviously would have carried it to another level, but just hearing it and having Juliet actually listening to it from downstairs, I think was super, super impactful. But, you know, we're talking about the call back to the mean one here. We're talking about the call back to the shining. There's another big one that you may not have thought of, and it's a beautiful homage to Tales from the Crypt 1972, where they have a story called All Through the House that was also redone in the 1989 series, but it's ultimately about a mental patient dressed as Santa that goes on a killing spree. And I think I read that Damien said in multiple interviews that this was his favorite version of a killer Santa and wanted to pay homage to it in his opening scene. So I thought that was fucking amazing.

SPEAKER_06

Yeah, I haven't seen that at all. I never saw the 1989 one where it was redone, but I did hear that was his greatest inspiration, and that is honestly why I'm so excited to be able to check out this winter. I also want to give a shout-out though to another favorite scene. Because again, we're talking about Art and his Killer Santa moment. Before we get the absolute annihilation of the shower scene, we have Art the Clown eavesdropping on the conversation between Mia and Cole. And dare I say that's maybe one of his second or third funniest moments in the entire movie because he is listening to her describe his reputation, his accolades, he is being bashful and modest in that moment. There's a moment where Cole says, You sound like you want to fuck him, and she says, I don't want to fuck him, and then he's like, ah. He's just so fucking expressive. And there are honestly so many gifable moments from this movie, in particular that scene. Are we all good to move on to characters?

SPEAKER_07

Yep.

SPEAKER_06

And that's exactly why art is just so unbelievably fun. He wields that massive silly goose energy I mentioned earlier, but he's still the terrifier. He's still creepy as hell. And I actually want to take this moment just to highlight an article that just published on our blog as this episode releases. Our patron Chell is actually a borderline clown expert. She's written a whole dissertation on this. She's done a piece called Juggling, Fear, and Fun, The Paradox of Clowns and Horror, where she traces a line back through time to explore the history of clowns in media, literature, and horror. I'll drop a link in that to the show notes, but this is such a great companion article to read while you check out the Terrifier franchise. Because clowns are one thing, but art the clown is on a whole nother level.

SPEAKER_00

A whole nother level because yes, he's got his little mimey moments. You know, he's not saying anything, but his expressions to your point are so creepy. His face in general is creepy, and then he does the silly shit with his you know body gestures and things like that. So you have this strange mix of just dark humor and just terrifying creepiness, all mixed together, and art is a piece of art for sure. He definitely is. And he does some things in this movie that I think are hilarious and super crazy. Like we we talked about him ripping the dude's flesh off to get the beard, the Santa beard of it all. The fact that he actually finds a way to tie that to his face when he goes to sit at the Mall Santa whole meet and greet gig, I think was great. I don't know, uh obviously hopefully everyone caught that, but I mean, just what that bloody beard being tied to his face, I think was fantastic. I love how we evolved from the sunflower glasses to the Christmas tree sunglasses in this one. I think everyone, you know, wanted we didn't need it, but I think it was a fun thing to do, just to give us a little callback to Terrifier 2 in that one. I think that was fantastic. But yeah, man, Art the Clown is just a force to be reckoned with.

SPEAKER_03

And like I said, although I wanted a little bit more of the serious to funny to serious, like back and forth that he did a lot of in the second film, I do love Art the Clown, and I do love how he is in this film too. It's just that I felt like there was definitely an imbalance of his serious sinisterness and his campiness. However, one thing that cannot be argued is David Howard Thornton is in his bag now. He is Art the Clown and he is doing it fucking well. And it's like you said earlier, it's one of those moments where you start to think like we need more mimes in this kind of industry because he is always going to be art the clown, and I don't think that there's a problem with that. There is no one else that could ever be art the clown, and that's an honor, right? Like to as an actor to know that you have created a character, but then also immortalized it in a genre and to the point where you will always be associated to that imagery or to the legend that is. I think that that's so awesome. Maybe some would say like that pigeonholes you, and I understand that argument too, but I think we talked about in B-Sides with Robert England being uh Freddy, right? Like that's incredible. I feel like I wish that I had a character that everyone wouldn't associate me as and be like no one could ever be or play such and such quite like you. And I I hope and I can see the art and David Howard Thornton being that.

SPEAKER_06

Yeah. But for as much as he is that, he needs a good counter. And Lauren Livera as Sienna is every bit the perfect part. She brings so much soul to Sienna, and she's this perfect match for his art the clown. And this is such a great example of how Terrifier gives you so much more than gore, blood, and guts. This movie is known for its brutality, it's known for its shock value, but she is what balances this movie out. She brings such raw power, but also softness, this absolute warrior-level spirit, but also this insane vulnerability to Sienna.

SPEAKER_07

Yeah.

SPEAKER_06

And I think people have drawn comparisons to say that she is going to be what Lori Strode is to Michael Myers. And I agree with it. I agree with it 100%. And I honestly can't believe what I'm about to say. But she has quickly emerged as one of my top three favorite final girls. Like her performance is that fucking good, and I believe in her character that much. The plot, it's messy. We get it. There's some weird shit going on here with some supernatural shit. I'm not crazy about that, but her character and Nor LeVere's performance as that character, top three favorite.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, absolutely. I think I'm right there with you. I feel like this movie, this franchise, at least we've got right the terrifier feature film length, terrifier two, now terrifier three. It's special when you can carry on the same cast, right? Not a lot of horror franchise have that luxury for whatever reasons, maybe disagreements on pay, scheduling conflicts, whatever you want to say. But these three films I think stand out because you have David Howard Thornton as Art the Clown, and he carries through both all three films, and no one can ever top him, right? You have Mike Gianelli, who was the original Art the Clown in the short in All Hollows Eve, and you know, he really birthed that, but David really took that and ran with it, and now we can't have anyone else. Can you imagine Terrifier 4 coming around and they had to fit somebody else in those shoes? It would be a major catastrophe for the franchise. And then you have Sienna, who is now a final girl that's carrying through the films, and we have seen that with Lori Strode, we've seen it in other films, Nightmare in Elm Street and things like that. But this feels special, I think maybe because the story does kind of work in in some way, as convoluted as it gets, right? And as many questions are left unanswered, you find yourself really rooting for her, and it is special when you have that. So I can definitely see how you can hold her up there with someone like Lori Strode. And we'll see at as time goes on, and maybe these movies go on, maybe we get more than a fourth one. I don't know. We'll see what happens, but it is a special dynamic that not a lot of horror franchises get, and I think that's really cool.

SPEAKER_03

I think that a reason that Sienna is so admirable is because in these kinds of camp films or b horrors, do we really get final girls with such an impact quite like this? I don't know, or if we have, it's just been a long while. I feel like the characters that are written in these campy bee horror films aren't always fully fleshed out because it knows what it is and what it's trying to do with a minimal runtime and a minimal budget. But I don't know if necessarily we could call Terrifier a b horror anymore because of the money that it's making and ex et cetera, et cetera, right? And obviously it's fan base, but do you track what I'm trying to say? Like I think that at the very least, even with Terrifier 2, some could even argue Terrifier because the characters there had a little bit more heart too than I had expected, with that being a short ass film. I just feel like Damien gives his characters the opportunity to say something, even though a lot of people feel like this is a write-off of just a gory ass film and you're here for the kills. So that's why I said what I said earlier. Like, I think that to write this franchise off as I'm just gonna go there and you know what it's for, and I want to see people die and blah, blah, blah. Like, no, there's more here because there has to be. It's a movie. For that, I could be watching a compilation video or something like that, right? Like, no, this is a film. I'm sitting my ass down in a seat. I want to feel something for these characters. I want to feel sad when Jonathan potentially dies and I want to get upset about it. Like, I want to have heart, right? So I think Sienna in particular and her dynamic with Jonathan is a perfect example of that. That's possible and that can be done in a gory ass, silly film.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah. I also think the two of them, Sienna and Jonathan, as characters, did a really good job in really depicting how they were each attempting to deal with the trauma of what's happened to them. I think that was a really cool dynamic to see in the film. You know, we're five years after the events of Terrifier 2, so we're not just picking up where it left off, right? Like we did from Terrifier to Terrifier 2. Now we've got space and we have to fill this void of like, what are these characters doing? Where have they been? How are they coping? And I loved that we got to see that side of these characters.

SPEAKER_03

And I think it's interesting also from the perspective of the family members, too, because initially I was like, why are these family members acting this way? Like the aunt and the uncle being such assholes, well, in particular the uncle. The aunt slowly but surely, of course, kind of gives in and agrees, right? But it just seemed a little insensitive at first. The cousin, Gabby, God, I wanted to hit her with a trancoleta so bad. Oh fucking bad. Such a chimosa. But you know what? Again, thinking more about it, that's real, right? All of this is real. You can't imagine what it would be like. And if you can, I'm so sorry. But like, think about it. There's gonna be a little girl who misses her older cousin, who sees her as an older sister, that doesn't understand what happened to her and couldn't potentially ever comprehend it. So she's gonna look and she's gonna try to get answers. And even when she does, doesn't quite fully grasp the extent of what she has read until she is seeing and facing Art the Clown herself. And then as far as these adults go, I think it's one of those things where when it doesn't happen to you directly, you are so z desensitized to it, right? Or you just can't quite comprehend. And so you can write it off. So what I mean by that is that it's so easy for you to be dismissive of what Sienna's feeling and how she's acting and the things that she's been through. And so easy for you to say, like, well, we gotta send her back because we have to think about our own daughter. But if Gabby faces this, then would you be acting the same way? Well, you're both dead. So unfortunately, guess we'll never find out. But you know what I mean? Like, I think that that's just real. So and at first glance, it's like, would family members actually do that? Why would they be so insensitive to their niece and what they've you know, all the things that they went through? They wouldn't believe her. And the sad reality is is that they probably wouldn't. Mm-hmm. Yeah. Yeah. They probably wouldn't.

SPEAKER_06

Yeah. And you know what though, Gabby. And the girl who plays her Antonella Rose. Again, the interview that with Damien that I've linked in the show notes, he goes to great lengths to describe what a phenomenal actor she was, to the point where he would give her a little bit of direction of like, hey, can you, you know, take it from this level to this level? She'd walk off, go to a corner, start making these tears, really turn it on. And then he's wondering like how is she gonna be impacted by that? And then as soon as they call cut, he checks in on her, she's like, Oh yeah, I'm good. She starts stretching, she starts jumping around, and it's like, damn, the level of performance that we get from her. Although Gabby, you know, I found myself wishing, damn, okay, but where's Jonathan? I think I just have a soft spot for Jonathan because he looks very, very similarly to one of my nephews. But Gabby was someone who grew on me as the movie went. I will say though, I have a couple notes here on what is potentially my worst part of the film, and I almost want to wait to secure what the worst part of this movie is for me until maybe even the end of the year after I've watched it a couple more times. But there's something here about the pacing. This movie isn't that long, but there are moments where it feels long. And I think it feels long in the moments where we just get Sienna and Gabby together. The fairy fantasy face painting was a little bit much for me. It just felt like it slowed the movie down. That's not to discredit either of their performances. And I understand how we want to build and you know get everybody bought into their bond together and how close they are and how Gabby really looks up to her. I understand that. But something about it just felt a little off. I think I need to rewatch. But the other portion of this is actually Victoria. And it's not the actress who plays Victoria, it's not the performance of Victoria, but it's the way that Victoria takes a front seat and puts Arthur Clown in the passenger seat in a way that I don't know if I really enjoyed it. I think it's necessary because of the lore and what we get with the demon who is now possessed, Arthur Clown, and is using Victoria as a host, and they're trying to isolate and break down Sienna. I realize it's a necessity. And I'm really just I'm really working through and sorting out what my feelings are on this. But that is something that when I watch this movie again, I want to pay closer attention to.

SPEAKER_00

It is an interesting dynamic for sure. I don't know that I minded it as much because I think outside of the unnecessary violence against rats, I think the worst part of this movie is probably for me, not so much the pacing, not so much Victoria Hayes, but probably just the overall story or plot that I mentioned earlier, because it does find itself getting more and more convoluted as the franchise progresses. And we get some answers, right? Like we get some backstory, and that's cool. Like we get to see this dynamic between Sienna and her father, and like how their relationship was to an extent, and how this character came to be, this like angel warrior character came to be, and the firesword and all of that lore. And it kind of explains like the purpose of the character as a comic book character, but while it explains that or gives that backstory, it still doesn't explain how the firesword is real, it still doesn't explain how she has these powers, it still doesn't explain this kind of connection, it doesn't explain the connection to Art the Clown. So like you have some backstory for her dynamic with her father and and how he created this character on paper, but they didn't give you all the things, and I think that still kind of leaves me a little bit uneasy, and we'll see where it goes. It could be all, like I said, part of Damien's master plan to carry into Terry Fire 4, but we'll see.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, I agree. I think that we're given a lot of information in such little time at the very end that again, it's like drinking from a fire hose just a bit. The idea that you still aren't quite quenched because there's still some questions that don't get answered. And I'm okay with that. Again, he's really trying to drag out this story, and I'll give him his opportunity, right? And and I'm locked in, it's fine. For me, though, what I think is kind of like the worst part of this world, it's not even the movie, but it's the world, is again, I go back to my joke about like Tom Savini and his cameo. It's established at this point that everyone knows about Miles County Killer and Art the Clown. We've got costumes all about the streets, we've got podcasts being recorded. So you know what he looks like, and you know that his body was never found. So he should be easily identifiable when it's just a little bit too sus, okay? Because not for anything, but all the other art the clown costumes that we've seen running about don't actually look like they could be art the clown because they're all short kings, no problem with that, but they're all short kings, okay? If I saw a very tall, very prominently figured, you know, with the teeth and all that, I gotta be honest, I would be very concerned and I'd probably call a hotline, especially if I saw him doing some weird ass shit. Sorry about it. I'm gonna have to do my due diligence. So when we see in the bus driver scenario at the end that he's just like going into the bus, like without a fucking problem in the world, it just seems odd to me when you are able to recount a whole scene of gruesome murders and explosions, but you fail to mention that he looked like Mao's county killer.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03

It's just those little things that again, I'm gonna let it be. I'm gonna let it be because fuck it. Who cares, I guess. But it is just a little bit of an annoyance.

SPEAKER_06

Yeah, you know, Mings, have you ever been more right? Probably not. That's a very fair point. It's not something I want to pay attention to, but you're not wrong. And that's that's the frustrating part. Why don't we have a single wanted poster anywhere in this town?

SPEAKER_03

And I want to go back to my issue with the uncle and the aunt because it's like Sienna's telling you that she saw someone, she saw him at the mall, and you find that so fucking hard to believe.

SPEAKER_06

She did cut his fucking head off.

SPEAKER_03

But they don't even entirely believe that because they write it off as if, like, oh, you know, like, no, he's not here. It's fine. Like, they never really saw the body. They don't actually believe that she did any of that to that extent, right? Right. So I guess at the same time, though, she also got away with all of the murders that happened around her and didn't go to jail just because her brother testified for her. So there's a lot of questionable things about this uh world's government and justice system. But I'm not really questionable things.

SPEAKER_00

This is what happens. This is what happens when the story gets so convoluted, you're bound to have a few plot holes here and there, you know what I mean? And and people start asking questions. Luckily, obviously, it doesn't ruin the movie, but there are some plot holes nonetheless.

SPEAKER_03

Absolutely. And that is probably why I will continue to watch this film along with all the other ones when the next one comes out to make sure that I am sharp and ready to go to identify any other plot holes, and I'll still probably like the movie either way. I just want to be that bitch that just points it out every time.

SPEAKER_06

Yeah. I do think I'm gonna try to catch this one more time in theaters, but then I'm gonna watch it again in the winter. I really want this to be in my Christmas horror movie lineup. Can't wait.

SPEAKER_00

It has to go into that lineup as well for sure. I think, yeah, I actually cannot wait to watch this one again. I would love to see it in theaters one more time. I am looking forward to a box set of this being released with some special features or some shit would be really cool. I don't know if we now with a confirmation of Terrifier 4. I don't know if we now have to wait for the fourth one to come out to get that box set, but I'm definitely getting whatever special set is released 100%.

SPEAKER_06

Well, I can't wait to see what comes, but for now, there you have it, folks. Terrifier 3 has earned a universal slash. Now, we certainly had a robust discussion here, but the conversation about this movie and how wild it is doesn't end here by any means.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, if you want to find out how you can go further than this episode, consider supporting the show. You can actually support the show by subscribing through Apple Podcasts or visiting patreon.com/slash hackerslash. That's where you can find and enjoy even more of the show, including bonus content with early access, extended episodes with our B-sides, which again are free sides for the spooky season, movie nominations, and live shows.

SPEAKER_03

And if you loved listening to us fangirl over art and his insane kills, leave us a five-star review wherever you get your podcasts. This helps us continue to deliver great content for all you horror fiends out there.

SPEAKER_06

Our thanks once again to Adam and Eve for making this episode possible. We'll see you next time, folks, and remember, perhaps you can have a little concern about your family's well-being.

SPEAKER_00

Christmas really hasn't been the same around here.

SPEAKER_06

Alright, I have to really confess, and I've been dying to talk to you both about this. I got to watch Terrifier 3 in a place I didn't initially imagine I'd be watching Terrifier 3. As we originally had this plan for us to all go to Spooky Empire and watch this movie together, I assumed we'd go to like a Regal or maybe an AMC in the area, or maybe City Walk, the Cinemark on City Walk before Halloween Horror Nights. But Hurricane Milton had other plans and deviated all of us from this journey. So I ended up watching Terrifier 3 on Disney property in Disney Springs.

SPEAKER_01

Oh, in Disney Springs.

SPEAKER_03

That theater's really nice.

SPEAKER_06

Okay, I don't know about that.

SPEAKER_03

Well, last time I remember.

SPEAKER_06

I have a point of contention with that theater, and we'll get there in a moment. But how fucked up is it to watch Art the Clown do the unholy things he did in the House of Mouse?

SPEAKER_03

But speaking of, did you get the Steamboat Willie trailer?

SPEAKER_06

Of course I did, and it was glorious.

SPEAKER_03

That's even better.

SPEAKER_00

I didn't get this trailer where I saw it. Really? It's an AMC thing. Yeah, unless I completely blanked on it, but I don't think I saw it.

SPEAKER_06

We'll drop a link in the show notes, don't worry. You can take a look at it. But the costume, it's giving fuzzy.

SPEAKER_03

Very fuzzy. Oh my gosh. Very furry. But that's kind of crazy. So wait, what was your point of contention with the theater?

SPEAKER_06

Okay. First off, let me display for the camera the Terrifier 3 cup from AMC.

SPEAKER_03

I'm so jealous. They didn't have it at the AMC I went to.

SPEAKER_06

They didn't have it? Okay. Well, of course the fucking Disney Theater would have it because who would think to watch me and everyone else in my sold-out theater, apparently. They had plenty of cups. What they did not have? Lids.

SPEAKER_07

Oh.

SPEAKER_06

I had a regular ass plastic lid on this. What the fuck is that? That's the first thing. The concessions area was also very peculiar. It was like a little tucked-away counter. There's uh maybe another counter where other food should have it looked like where the concession stand should have been was just closed off. But we go into the theater, it's supposed to be a dine-in theater. My friends, I ask you, what is a dine-in AMC theater? What would you expect?

SPEAKER_00

I mean, you know, you have a menu, you can order food, maybe there's a table that swings around, you can place that food in front of you, you know, TV tray style.

SPEAKER_06

I would expect that as well. Maybe the quality of the table or the chair is debatable, varying on your location. But Binx, do you have experience in dine-in AMC theaters? I have. What's the problem? But can you tell me what it's supposed to be? Because I think what I got was advertised as dine in, but was not dine in. That is the real struggle here. Because my friends, I walked into this theater, a packed house. It was a red leather chair that is not an actual recliner. It felt like just arm seats. It looked like a dead like a desk chair almost. That's dramatic. But it felt old. It felt ancient. The signage outside, it creates the illusion that you're gonna be in like the AMC at Pembroke Lakes that's nicely remodeled and refinished. However, this shit was bizarre. It was a tight-fitting seat. It did not give luxury, it did not give dine-in. There was no table to be found. I couldn't find a way to order food. Granted, what do you order food at a terrifier three? I don't know. But the option was not presented.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, that's interesting. It's a weird experience, and then you don't even have the option to dine in.

SPEAKER_06

No, no, yeah. No option to dine in whatsoever. It was just a little odd. But you know what? Hey, aside from that, fuck it. House of Mouse, we out here. We did it. We watched Terrifier 3 and mice, rats getting stomped. It felt ironic.

SPEAKER_03

That is pretty ironic. I just I also just feel like it seems like every time you talk about a poor theater experience, they all seem to be AMC. And I have such an opposite, I guess, experience with AMC that it's just interesting.

SPEAKER_06

I should be very clear that I love AMC. Maybe the sample size of my poor theater experience happens to go to AMC because I've had enough bad experiences at other theaters to not go to those theaters anymore. It's just one AMC in Pompano that I've had a bad rap with. Actually, I've had a difficult time at Hyalea and Aventura.

SPEAKER_03

But Thank you. And now the one in Disney Springs. So I'm just curious. The one in Pines?

SPEAKER_06

Yeah, fantastic. I love the one in Pines. It's great. It's perfect. It is the standard, the gold standard of what AMC should be for me.

SPEAKER_03

That's true. That's fair. Okay. I'm just saying that you thought it was one and we just named four.

SPEAKER_06

Yeah. Yeah. But the amount of times that I go to AMC, usually it's a good experience.

SPEAKER_03

Okay, fair, fair. Well, my AMC experience was quite funny, mostly because I saw this with my brother, once again, just like I watched Terrifier 2 with him. And we get to the theater early, and everyone that is in that theater, except for us, is a couple, which is funny because of course I would suppose at first glance, when you don't realize that we look alike, you would think that maybe we're also a couple. But everyone else went with their significant others. They were clearly dragged there. Like the women and some men seemed like they didn't want to be there, and they were there because their significant other was the one that wanted to see Terrifier. And so their reactions as the movie went on was peak.

SPEAKER_06

Oh, that is so fantastic. And you know what better crowd to listen to this episode with our Adam and Eve sponsor?

SPEAKER_03

I'm just saying. That is so true. That is so true. It's very fitting.

SPEAKER_00

Absolutely. Well, I can tell you my theater experience, also in AMC, because it's the closest one to my house, uh, much different than it has been. It's the same theater, right? Like it's the same theater that I go to that's usually completely desolate with not like a soul. You barely you're lucky enough to get anybody working behind the concession stand, let alone anything else. I'm picturing tumbleweeds. It's tumbleweeds for sure. Picture like waking up from being like frozen in time, and you wake up, maybe you were frozen, maybe you go back in time. I don't know. You find this AMC, it's like 93, 94, right?

SPEAKER_06

Okay. Walt Disney wakes up from being cryogenically frozen, not on his house and mouth property. Here we go. We got the Gorny Weaver treatment, got the fry from Futurama treatment.

SPEAKER_00

Absolutely. Oh my god. So that's what this is like, right? It's like nobody working, the carpets, everything looks like it hasn't been touched since the early 90s, the bathrooms are grungy as hell, the other concession stands down the halls near the other theaters are like desolate. It feels like you might be in a horror movie just walking into this theater. So that's the vibe that I usually get. And that's the vibe that it usually is. I walk in, we get in there, Ari and I, we we get in the theater, and lo and fucking behold, it's a fucking packed theater. This is the first packed theater I've been at in the last like over a year in this city. I've been to new release after new release after new release, and I'm telling you, most of the time it's Ari and I and maybe one or two other people, but this was fucking packed.

SPEAKER_06

I am blown away by that, and it really makes me want to just request a couple days off and go see a movie up there with you to experience this desolate ghost town.

SPEAKER_03

And of all movies, that it's terrifier three that packs the fucking house. It was number one at box office.

SPEAKER_00

I know. This is what I'm saying. Who knew that all these terrifier fans were out here? And I'm telling you, this is you know, Port St. Lucie or whatever. It's not like I don't know, you just don't expect to see it, but there were people walking in with terrifier shirts on. There was like mega fans in this theater. But if that wasn't shocking enough, we're sitting there, and this fucking dude and his wife come walking in with 14. I'm not fucking exaggerating, 14 of their what looks to be children or extended family, maybe nieces, nephews. I'm not sure. I'm not talking about extra parents, uncles, aunts. I'm talking about a dude, his wife, and 14 fucking kids, probably all under the age of 12, also have at least a five or six-year-old with them that's like literally maybe an inch off the ground, this fucking kid. And at one point, they all left him to go get stuff as the movie started, and this fucking six-year-old or whoever is sitting there by himself about to watch the opening scene of this fucking movie by himself.

SPEAKER_06

Okay, when did the family return? Was it pre or post holiday massacre?

SPEAKER_00

It was in the middle of the holiday massacre.

SPEAKER_06

So Timmy gets murked, and then all of a sudden the fucking 14 of them stroll back in. Jesus Christ.

SPEAKER_00

Yes. Let alone they were distracting as hell. I know security was in and out of the theater trying to like control this family, so there was a little bit of distractions there that kind of was taking me out of the movie. I was getting kind of pissed, but it all settled down. It was just the shock of like how many like kids these people brought, and all of them were not like suited to watch this film by any means. But then the audacity to bring somebody that's like just out of diapers to watch Terrifier 3 is absurd to me.

SPEAKER_03

But it's that I don't even understand how security walked into that theater and allowed them to still be in that theater, knowing full well that this is an NR-rated film.

SPEAKER_01

And then scene 17, yeah.

SPEAKER_03

There is no way on this planet Earth that there should be children, let alone arguably teenagers watching this. That's crazy. Security said, nah, that's a fuck ton of kids. I'm out of here. I ain't doing that.

SPEAKER_00

Security doesn't want to deal with it. The management is probably like, this is the most tickets we've sold all year. So no, we're not messing with this. Let these kids watch this movie. They're trying to make the money, man.

SPEAKER_06

Yeah. You know what? Kids were really problematic. I had one stranger sitting next to me. I went to go see this with Allie at Disney Springs. There was one person who came in on his lonesome with a single ticket, and he had a huge fucking backpack, and that really creeped me out. I'm like, what are you doing with the backpack here, sir? Because it's not like this is a backpack full of, you know, chicken nuggets. Not a backpack full of a blanket or other creature comforts for this.

SPEAKER_07

Right.

SPEAKER_06

What the fuck are you doing with that? I was actually a little nervous that there was gonna be something vi violent happening in this fucking theater. However, Allie had a group of kids next to her, and I've never been so excited to have poor hearing because I was just captivated by the movie, and I didn't know anything was going on until she leaned over to me and said, I'm about to go mom mode on these fucking kids next to me.

SPEAKER_01

Oh shit.

SPEAKER_06

Apparently they're all like, bruh, no way, bruh.

SPEAKER_03

What the fuck? I am so blessed. You would think that that kind of stuff would happen on like opening night. I saw it Thursday night, first showing available. You would think that that's the kind of crowd that I got. Thank God that I did, and it was just a bunch of couples not making out, obviously, because that's not this kind of film, but just hiding under their blankets and looking at each other in shock. No one walked out of the theater though, which is so disappointing. Yeah. All this talk, which I know is actually true, all this talk of people walking out of the theater, fainting, vomiting. My brother and I finished and we're like, God damn it, once again we didn't visit, or rather, we didn't see anyone visiting this theater and exiting very quickly.

SPEAKER_06

Yeah. See, here's the thing people in Florida, we got Florida man in here. They're not surprised, they're not phased by this. The people in Minnesota, they're the ones walking out of this. The Midwesterners are walking out of this shit.

SPEAKER_00

However, it's a little bit too much. Blood, don't you know?

SPEAKER_06

Yeah, okay, so I also didn't have anyone walk out of my theater, although I wished a large number of people would have walked out of my fucking theater, to be honest. But it did remind me of the magic of seeing Terrifier 2 with Sean and Ari in what was also a packed house. And I was a little bit nervous that I was gonna be bitch mode and throw up. I no longer am worried about that.

SPEAKER_03

I didn't think I got fooled by that. My brother, when he told me about Terrifier altogether, he was like, Yeah, I really want you to see this with me, but it's gonna be a little gross. And after I had seen Terrifier going into Terrifier 2, I was like, Oh, I'm doomed. But I was fine.

SPEAKER_06

I was mentally prepared in Terrifier 2 because nothing has ever really made me feel super sick, present day excluded. Up until that point, nothing had ever really made me feel sick. So I thought, no, you know, I'll be fine, but what if I'm not? What if I'm not? What if I'm eating and what if I'm not? All of a sudden, what if shit just goes sideways? But then I was like, oh well, no, listen, it could be crazy as fuck, and I'm gonna be just fine for Terrifier 3. And then in the theater, what did I think of? When evil works, and I swear to god, if I saw someone choking up a fucking hairball, it was gonna be dunzo for me. Thankfully, that's not what we got.

SPEAKER_00

Yikes. Okay, so don't know if it was reaction to the movie or not, but definitely two people left midway through the movie. So I don't know what that was about. They didn't return. Could have been reactions to the movie, could have been maybe they didn't, they just weren't into the movie. I don't know. Could have been they had to go an emergency situation. Not sure.

SPEAKER_06

I'm blaming it on the movie, absolutely. You know, they're the first punks right there.

SPEAKER_00

That's what I'm hoping for. That's what I'm hoping for. But the hype of getting sick and people fainting and all that vomiting and bullshit, like never happens. We know that that's just hype to get people into the theater, but there was a video that someone sent me. I don't know if it was one of you, I don't know if it was Mac, I don't know if it was someone else, but they sent me a video of theater reactions to Terrifier 3, and there were the reactions of people gasping and reacting to the sounds of what you can only imagine would be some gruesome kill scenes throughout the movie, people putting their hands over their mouths, their eyes, things like that, watching through their eyes, all of that. And I was like, okay, this is interesting. This could easily be faked. This video could easily be faked from another, whatever. So I was like, okay, we'll see what happens. I will say, the reactions in the theaters were pretty spot on. I mean, all of us were like gasping, all of us were like, oh shit, oh damn, there was a lot of people putting their hands over their eyes, there was a lot of people putting their hands over their mouth, like crazy stuff. So from that hype, it was pretty true to when you have a full theater.

SPEAKER_06

The reactions in the theater were absolutely phenomenal, aside from the noisy people. However, I have to know, friends, we're we're here. This is a safe space. What were your reactions to the demon glass shard fucking herself while art is committing murder?

SPEAKER_03

The jaw was dropped. I looked at my brother, I looked at the screen again. Oh, I forgot to tell y'all, my seats for the theater were like I was not the first row in front of the screen, but I was the second one. So I had full frontal. Full frontal, all right. It was Adam and Eve, alright? It was right in my face. It was tough. It was tough and it was rough, and I did not like it. It hurt. It hurt a lot. I was like, oh shit. And you know, it's crazy because a while back, one of my closest friends he had mentioned to me, what is something that we like haven't seen in a long time? What would be like something absolutely gnarly that he could do, and it was this, and he hasn't seen it yet, but I can't wait for him to see the movie.

SPEAKER_06

And well, it's very reminiscent of Reagan and the Exorcist with the crucifix. Correct. Is that what your friend referenced?

SPEAKER_03

Yes, yes.

SPEAKER_00

Of course, of course. Yeah, I mean, it was an intense moment, it was a shocking moment, it was definitely a mouth-wide open moment. Like, I really remember it like starting to happen, and I remember asking, telling Ari whatever. I was like, there's no way that they're gonna do this, and I was like, wait, she's doing this, and I was like, Holy shit, this is happening! So it was definitely a shocking moment. I don't know if I was so in the zone of trying to really take that whole moment in, so I wasn't really paying attention to the rest of the reactions like I was some of the other kill scenes, so I couldn't tell you what the theater was responding to, but I gotta imagine that there were some people that were pretty disturbed by that.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, I was too locked in to notice what all of the other women that were in the theater were looking like.

SPEAKER_06

There was so much gasping, and quite frankly, there was a point where Allie texted me, pulled out her phone, and said, What the fuck did we just watch LMFAO Demon Born?

SPEAKER_00

Oh my god.

SPEAKER_03

I love how she texted you that and didn't just turn her head.

SPEAKER_00

Crazy.

SPEAKER_03

The LMFAO needed emphasis. LMFAO.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, it was absolutely wild for sure. Very crazy. But you know what? You know, we're talking about the fact that there's such like a big following and we're seeing these theaters get packed for Terrifier 3, and it it shows because when we were at Halloween Horror Nights the other night, like there was a lot of people in Terrifier shirts. There was Art the Clown shirts, terrifier shirts, and let me tell you, man, these art fans are out here. They're out here and they're running wild.

SPEAKER_06

We got our tattoos, we got our shirts. Thanks to Binx for getting me this shirt.

SPEAKER_03

I did, I did. I just noticed it, actually. That's awesome. I was gonna bring this up now, but you say that. I had a conversation with the same friend, and we were talking about icons, horror icons, right? I don't know if I would say that art is like top tier, like level A horror icon. That is reserved for Michael Myers, Pennywise, Ghostface. I don't even know if I would put Chucky there entirely, but you know what I'm talking? I'm talking like everyone and their literal mother knows who these people are. Never even seen the movies. But I would say that he's level B, like right below it. Like I would put maybe Chucky in that, right? I would put Hellraiser, you know, like Pinhead. I'd put him in level B because yes, they're very noticeable to us and they're very famous. But I don't know if every single human out on the street knows that Pinhead is from Hellraiser, right? Chucky, perhaps. So we can play around with it, but terrifier is hella famous from zero to five thousand in very little time.

SPEAKER_06

Okay. I could have agreed with this take early terrifier two days, but now I think art has absolutely earned his way up into the top tier because and I know I said it during the episode. Art and David Howard Thornton is to art what Robert Englin is to Freddie Krueger. Nobody else can play this role and the level of quality with which he performs it. And I mean, quite frankly, granted, we are at Terrifier, Terrifier 2, Terrifier 3. Let's see what happens with four. He's already got three quality movies. I think he's the first really great example of an icon born from our generation. Because sure, you have Saw, but you can have old ass Gr John Kramer, or you're gonna have Billy the Puppet. Yeah, people know what it is, sure. Ghostface, as I think the most arguable one to be able to get up into that category. But Ghostface is more so a costume and multiple people behind it, and quite frankly, just doesn't scratch quite that itch. Iconic, fantastic, but art. I don't think we've had one as charismatic since the 80s.

SPEAKER_00

It's a fair point, and and something that I think we even touched on when we were talking about it, but it's I think I see both sides of it. I think that Terrifier definitely is cementing itself as a solid slasher franchise that is going to be remembered. I think it's it started off so low budget and so underground, I feel like, that it had to climb its way up and fight for its survival. And I think it's like we're seeing the progression of that. We're seeing that it went from like a $50,000 budget to a $200,000 budget to a million, two million dollar budget or whatever it is. Like we're seeing that progression. And look, I wasn't around in the 70s, right? Like I wasn't around to see the birth of Halloween in theaters or any of that stuff. I was also, I also missed like Nightmare and Elm Street, the birth of that in theaters and things like that. And I don't know if they were like hits off the first movie, even though those are like some of the best ones of those franchises, but they have so many movies under their belt that at some point they've been fed to you for so long that everyone kind of knows them. And we don't know, maybe that'll be the way we see Terrifier in 10, 20 years. Maybe we won't. We don't know. But I see your point, Binks. You can't go to anyone off the street and say, Who is this? And they're like, Oh, that's Art the Clown. Like they can say that that's Jason or Michael Myers, but we don't know that it might evolve to that later down the road.

SPEAKER_06

Right, yeah. What's shocking to me is that it's already evolving there, though. Because listen, I got this tattoo of Art the Clown right after Terrifier 2 was in theaters. Actually, it was still in theaters. I got this after seeing it made for the second or third time in theaters. The theatrical run was still going on. Nobody knew who the fuck it was. One person maybe. Most people thought it was Captain Spaulding. Most people thought it was just a clown. A couple years later now, so many people recognize, and if they don't know Arthur Clown's name, say, Oh, is that that terrifier guy? Is that the guy with the sunflower glasses? And so I think he's already well on his way.

SPEAKER_03

Okay. So to that sunflower glasses point, the thought that crosses my mind is unlike the other icons, they started off obviously during decades in which the internet was not a thing and social media more particularly was not a thing. Meme culture, even more so, not a thing. I think that what Terrifier has to its advantage in terms of climbing this icon ladder and being so reputable is meme culture specifically. Because if people do know Art the Clown and maybe aren't even horror fans, it's because of the incredible, hilarious memes of him wearing the Daisy glasses or, you know, him doing the hands coming out of the clown cafe truck or whatever the case may be. So I think even more recently, it's like now there's one of David Howard Thornton on September 30th, and then October 1st, it's him as Arthur Clown. So it's all of these memes that are about this movie that I think have helped propel its marketing to audiences that don't even consume horror and thus making it such a massive horror icon so fast.

SPEAKER_06

Oh, 100%. Before the trailer for Terrifier 3 even dropped, Arthur Clown was trending as an Instagram reel, as a template that you could use. And it was so many different variations of his reactions because he is so expressive. I think this is a great moment to capitalize on it. And also he's being ported over to Call of Duty. So even if no one watches these movies, he is permeating culture, and that's why I'm saying he's already there. Maybe within the top four, he's not number one or two, obviously, but I think he is absolutely in the top slashers because he's instantly way more recognizable. Think about my bloody Valentine, Harry Warden, had a great movie in the 80s, got a remake in 3D in the 2000s. Nobody knows who the fuck that is. Nobody fucking knows. Even though that movie is a cult classic. Sure. Or the clown, mm-mm-mm. Got him.

SPEAKER_00

And you know what? I said it before, and I'm gonna say it again. It was a big miss not to have a terrifier house at Halloween Horror Nights.

SPEAKER_06

Oh my fucking god. When I think about this shit and thinking about the bit of a Christmas house that we did get, or a Christmas section of a house, it was a complete fucking miss to not have terrifier. I got to do well, I wouldn't say I got to do, I get the same fucking survey that everybody gets after they go to Universal Orlando, and I said, What the fuck is up with not having a terrifier house? This is the content we wanted to see.

SPEAKER_03

Here's my theory. Is Halloween Hornights one of those places where it's like one year yes, one year no? Or two years mega hitters, and then one year, meh. You know, again, it seems like there were a lot of original houses and not so much IP, which is fine because their original houses sometimes can be super fantastic. But Terrifier seems like it would have been a great hit if a lot of people were also wearing the memorabilia and all that. Now, I say that from knowing full well that I'll probably shit myself if I go to a terrifier house, although there will probably be shit all over the walls as well, so I can blend in. But I feel like I would be very scared in a hot house. Yeah.

SPEAKER_06

ArthaClown would fuck you up. Yeah. And by you, I mean the general you. Anyone going through that house gonna get fucked up a hundred percent for sure.

SPEAKER_00

Let's hope that they actually maybe squeeze one in next year because maybe because it was releasing very close to it opening or after its actual opening date for the season. You know what I mean? Maybe it's gonna be next year because they did have the Insidious House, and that last Insidious installment was 2023, not 2024.

SPEAKER_06

But you know what, Sean? I'd love to take on that note of optimism and just believe the best here, but those motherfuckers had an Exorcist Believer House, and that movie was, while I slashed it, generally a disappointment to the box office.

SPEAKER_00

Sure. Sure.

SPEAKER_03

And it was, and I believe that that house came out not long after the movie as well.

SPEAKER_06

It came out before the movie. Before the movie. The movie opened mid-October. Oh wow.

SPEAKER_00

Okay.

SPEAKER_03

That's true because we had to move it for Taylor Swift. Oh my god. That's right, that's right.

SPEAKER_00

Okay. So, okay, so the release date theory is out the window, but the theory of them potentially being able to squeeze it in next year is still on the table.

SPEAKER_03

Well, we're on the topic, by the way. I want to have our listeners hear this straight from my mouth. Um, fuck you both, because you both the video, it's the video. Sean already knew what I was gonna say.

SPEAKER_00

But it's the fuck you both the story on the Because Pasan started it.

SPEAKER_03

He took a picture of the walkway, which is fine because my brother did the same thing. He actually sent it to me, and that's fine. Uh, it's his face doesn't scare me. No, it's that you had the balls to not only write the lyric at the top, which is clever, okay. No, you also added the song, which thank God, by the way. One, my friend warned me, two, that my phone was on silence when I eventually did have to get rid of your stories.

SPEAKER_04

And then, Chris, you had the audacity to repost it, so I had to dodge it again. It was so great.

SPEAKER_06

Okay, I do remember actually being very drunk and Sean debating whether or not he was gonna tag hacker slash. I was like, fuck it, why not? He's like, Well, poor being so I'm like, fuck it, why not? I do remember this now.

SPEAKER_00

You heard it here first. It turned into a a fun thing, but the intention was not to come at you with that. But we knew that you were gonna see it.

SPEAKER_04

So Yeah, it's fun. I just got super lucky that I saw Tip and I was like, oh no. And then I exited, and then my friend warned me when we posted, and I was like, oh my god, thank God.

SPEAKER_03

I messaged you Sean. I don't know what I said. I said something like Sean, fuck you, or something like that.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, you said what the fuck or something like that.

SPEAKER_06

Listen, Banks, yeah, we trust that you knowing where we are, when we are there, and what's there to pursue precaution. You understand. Yeah. You have self-preservation.

SPEAKER_03

To put the whole ass song as a choice. Okay, whatever. That's not the point. I'm not posing it. Sean, you told me that it was amazing.

SPEAKER_06

This is why you didn't go to Halloween Horror Nights.

SPEAKER_03

It sure is. It sure as hell is. My brother said it was amazing, though, that it was the best house.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, the song was in the house too, which we knew what was gonna happen. And it was one of, if not the best house. It was definitely really good.

SPEAKER_06

Yeah, they got in that house the closest I've ever seen Halloween Horror Nights actors get to touching people. That's what my brother said.

SPEAKER_00

They got really in your face.

SPEAKER_06

That's what my brother said. Yeah, at the end, I won't spoil it for any of our listeners who do plan to go to this house and haven't experienced it yet. But holy shit, there was a point where I don't know what Ali was thinking. She was so brave for going, she wanted to go first. This is her first Halloween horror nights ever. First house we go into, I can't remember what it was, but the second or third house we went to was Insidious. And she was like, fuck it, I'll go first. And she decided to go through, and oh my god, they got so close to fucking touching her.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, they got close to our they got in Ari's face. There was like a moment where like she reacted and then they circled back and cornered her by a pillar. It was wild.

SPEAKER_03

Look, I'll be so so honest. The FOMO in me is like, damn, I really want to go. And maybe I can do it, maybe I can actually do it. But visualizing it, how I would survive hearing that song as it is, is very touch and go. But then you add the fact that they're gonna get in my face as well.

SPEAKER_04

I I feel like I'm my heart, my chest and my heart are already like getting tight. Like just imagining it. I'm like, God damn it, I kind of really want to experience this, but I know I'll end up hospitalized.

SPEAKER_06

Just take a few salt packets, you're good, girl.

SPEAKER_04

I'm gonna need like a Xanax and salt. A Xanax and some salt.

SPEAKER_06

Yeah. Get ready with me as I build my survival kit for in the insidious house at Halloween Horror Nights. How adorable. As you just take a fucking cylinder of mortem salt.

SPEAKER_00

Oh my gosh. Throws it back.

SPEAKER_06

You could do it, Banks. I think it was well worth it. And honestly, I think Halloween Horror Nights was worth it even if you don't go to that one house. But listen, we had the express pass, we got every single house done. We had plenty of drinks, we got a couple snacks.

SPEAKER_03

I'm telling you.

SPEAKER_00

What a couple of other rides in as well.

SPEAKER_03

Once you go express, you never go back. It's something about it.

SPEAKER_00

Ah, it's such an ease.

SPEAKER_06

Oh no, I did go express express and then I did go back because I trusted your recommendation of only needing scream early last year. And then I went back to express.

SPEAKER_03

Okay, okay, yes. But to my defense, on that one, we went on a Saturday. We did not go on a weekday. Yeah, when you don't have scream early, or rather, when you have scream early, but on a Saturday, it doesn't work as well because ultimately it's still Saturday. It's gonna be packed.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03

Was it actually super full like you guys thought with the hurricane?

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, it was busy. Yeah, it was very busy.

SPEAKER_06

It was booming. Thankfully, the food lines weren't super long or the drink lines weren't super long.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, those were chill.

SPEAKER_06

But also, we went to the dead coconut club. Holy fucking shit, that was amazing.

SPEAKER_00

Oh, what a vibe. The the best vibe.

SPEAKER_03

Yes, I'm glad you guys went.

SPEAKER_00

Oh, that was so cool. That bar in that form needs to be all year round.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, I got sent videos of the whole place, and it looked so cool.

unknown

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03

The whole little like blumhouse section, right? At one point, and it's just all yeah, that's awesome.

SPEAKER_00

The top floor, top floor blumhouse, black phone, Megan, all that good stuff, and then what happy death day and all that was featured there, and then the whole bottom was just yeah, it was just like the 80s vampire theme with neon lights, and just they had dancers that were like choreographically dancing to 80s hits in the middle of the dance floor. It was fucking fantastic.

SPEAKER_06

It was my kind of vibe. It felt like that shit absolutely needs to be there all year round. They need to put that up as a permanent attraction when they opened up Epic Universe.

SPEAKER_00

That would be cool. That would be super cool.

SPEAKER_06

That'd be fitting.

SPEAKER_00

But you know, you mentioned not remembering what first house we went into, and that's because it was a quiet place and it was a fucking letdown. That fucking house was boring as shit. It was not scary.

SPEAKER_06

Really? Mostly animatronics.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, mostly animatronics, not super scary, and I don't know. It was just kind of boring. Yeah, it was just kind of boring.

SPEAKER_03

That's a letdown. I'm so sorry.

SPEAKER_00

It's a good warm-up house, you know what I mean? It's a good warm-up house.

SPEAKER_06

Yeah, and then I think we did Ghostbusters next, right? Frozen Empire, and then Insidious.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, we did Ghostbusters. Ghostbusters was fun.

SPEAKER_06

That's all right. I really loved Slaughter Cinema, which was the one where you walk through different scenes of bee horror movies or exploitation films or grindhouse films. It was so fucking good.

SPEAKER_00

That was fun.

SPEAKER_03

They brought that one back, actually. I loved that one a lot because I was went to that one a few years back and it was real real cool. Yeah. I wonder if they did it at the same lot though.

SPEAKER_06

See, that's the one though that gave me a taste of what Terrifier could have been.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah. Yeah. I and I think Tide for Worst was probably the candy factory one. Yeah.

SPEAKER_06

That was a little bit of a letdown.

SPEAKER_00

That one wasn't that good either. Yeah. Yeah, but the goblin one was pretty fun. There was the goblin one that was pretty fun. The triplets of terror was pretty it was okay. It was pretty fun.

SPEAKER_06

Yeah. Eternal Bloodlines actually was a letdown. And I think it was actually supposed to be so much better. And I believe that it's great. It's like the all-female version of the classic Universal Monsters.

SPEAKER_00

Right.

SPEAKER_06

But I feel like our timing just got so fucked up. There were a couple kids right in front of us. Yeah. And like they were just triggering everything, and we just couldn't really get a good moment in that house.

SPEAKER_00

I couldn't, yeah, we couldn't pace that one very well. Like even if you tried to stay behind, it felt like it was just not working out in our favor in that house. Monsters of Latin America was actually kind of fun. That one was actually kind of fun. That was like one of the last ones that we did. For sure.

SPEAKER_06

The other one I really enjoyed was Triplets of Terror.

SPEAKER_00

Yep, yep. Triplets of Terror was fun. It reminded me of the Bray Wyatt crew when WWE. That's what it reminds me of.

SPEAKER_06

Banks, that one was like super culty, like ritualistic murders. Oh, I would have loved that. It was so good. And I honestly was surprised. It was like girls, little girls in Easter bunny masks or different masks, and they're like brutally killing people. It is a whole cult storyline. They say that like okay, every March 3rd, every someone's like ritualistically killed. When you walk in, you walk into a scene where there's a family massacred with little birthday cakes in front of them. It was really fun. Long legs?

SPEAKER_00

Yeah. That's cool.

SPEAKER_03

I like that. Damn.

SPEAKER_00

Super fun.

SPEAKER_03

Well, we'll see. Maybe I'll make it this year. I have very little time left.

SPEAKER_06

There's always next year.

SPEAKER_00

There is always next year.

SPEAKER_03

Oh, I mean, there is always next year, and most likely I will be there next year because there won't be an insidious house, and thus I will be feeling a lot more comfortable.

SPEAKER_00

There most likely will not be. I will tell you though, you know, we were talking about the houses that like we wanted to see a terrifier house. So I think for me, like if they were gonna maybe and we we have a lot of of space to go, a lot of movies coming out and things like that. Just from what's out already, I feel like from an atmosphere standpoint, I think we need the terrifier house next year. I think we need an alien house. That would be super fun. And I actually think, like, not saying it's the best movie out there, and I'm sure we're gonna get to it, but on the pod, but I think from an atmosphere standpoint, I think a Salem's lot house would be dope as fuck.

SPEAKER_03

Oh, that's so crazy you bring that up because I was gonna watch the remake that just came out.

SPEAKER_06

We have it coming up in the lineup in a couple weeks.

SPEAKER_00

We're gonna get into it.

SPEAKER_06

Stay tuned.