‘Terrifier 3’ Director Breaks Down His Chainsaw-Fueled ‘Psycho’ Tribute and the Line Even He Won’t Cross on Screen

As a die-hard fan of horror movies and a supporter of independent filmmakers who dare to push boundaries, I can confidently say that Damien Leone is a true inspiration. His life experiences, as a writer, director, and visionary, have led him to create one of the most iconic silent antagonists in Art the Clown.

SPOILER ALERT: This story contains minor spoilers for “Terrifier 3,” opening in theaters Friday.

Damien Leone, the creative force behind the “Terrifier” series, exudes such an optimistic energy that it’s not hard to envision him in a different profession – perhaps as a life coach, fitness instructor, or educator. His conversations often contain insights and inspiration drawn from directing his latest work, “Terrifier 3.

“You never know where inspiration is going to hit you.”

“You have to go and make the quickest, best decisions you can.”

I’ll take him aside and tell him, ‘I’m genuinely experiencing a magical moment right now. This is simply amazing.’ And such moments are not common for me.

As a cinephile, I found myself utterly taken aback when I discovered that Leone’s apparent cheerfulness was merely a facade for one of the most gruesome horror flicks ever conceived – none other than the unrated “Terrifier 3”. In this chilling sequel, Art the Clown, an unhinged antagonist played by David Howard Thornton, makes his terrifying return on Christmas. This time around, he relentlessly pursues Sienna Shaw, portrayed by Lauren LaVera, who has been designated as the final girl.

However, Leone’s actions may seem mad, but there is indeed a method to his madness. He meticulously constructs his films to offer something fresh and intensely extreme for gore enthusiasts. This thought process led him to one of the film’s most notable scenes, which was inspired by Alfred Hitchcock’s famous shower scene from “Psycho.

One conversation-sparking moment in this movie could be the shower slaughter scene, he remarks. Being a huge fan of ‘Psycho,’ he pondered, ‘If Alfred Hitchcock were making it today, would he film it the same way? Would he up the gore?’ He thought, ‘If I were given the chance to remake “Psycho” today and recreate that shower scene, I’d show everything gruesome the chainsaw could do.’ Since he can’t make ‘Psycho,’ and he didn’t want to simply replicate a knife in a shower scene, he asked himself, ‘How can I put my own twist on this scene? Let’s give him a chainsaw because it’s more brutal than a knife, and let’s make it involve two victims instead of one.’

Leone’s ambitious vision received a substantial financial boost after the success of “Terrifier 2.” Earning close to $16 million at the box office on an initial investment of only $250,000, “Terrifier 2” paved the way for “Terrifier 3,” which increased its budget to a substantial $2 million — a relatively small sum compared to Hollywood’s standards, but a game-changer for Leone and his crew.

One factor contributing to the long production time of “Terrifier 2” was not just the pandemic delaying progress, but also the fact that I had to handle all the special effects alongside my producing partner, Phil [Falcone]. This task was quite extensive. In fact, there were more special effects and gags in this movie than I’ve ever included in a film before, so we would often need to pause production, retreat to Phil’s basement to create the effects, and then return to filming. This pattern repeated throughout the entire shooting period. Making a movie like that wasn’t ideal, and we knew we couldn’t repeat this approach again.

With a larger budget at his disposal, he managed to recruit the expertise of Christien Tinsley from Tinsley Studio – a skilled professional in special effects makeup who has contributed to projects such as “The Passion of the Christ” and “No Country for Old Men”. This proved to be a pivotal decision for the movie.

It’s astonishing how someone of such high skill level joined our ‘Terrifier’ universe to produce those remarkable effects,” Leone expresses. “It was incredibly exciting, allowing me to devote more time on set with my actors, cinematographer, and focus on enhancing the film’s visual style and production quality.

David Howard Thornton, the actor behind the enigmatic adversary Art the Clown, shares that collaborating with Tinsley helped him add greater nuance to the eccentric facial expressions of his character.

He informs EbMaster that they’ve remodeled his mask. Previously, in the first two films, he used a mask modeled after Mike Giannelli, who was the original face for Art the Clown from ‘All Hallows’ Eve.’ That mask wasn’t tailored to fit him perfectly, so adjustments were made. This time, they had a new one that was custom-made for his face and crafted from a different material – foam latex. Since it’s thinner, it offers more flexibility for facial expressions. Every movement of his face is now visible, allowing him to express himself fully. Damian encouraged him to go all out with the facial expressions, always pushing for more – ‘Go as big as you can, especially the eyes.’ He had a great time experimenting with these exaggerated expressions.

Even though it had its benefits, Leone admits that the funds brought about fresh difficulties they hadn’t encountered during the production of their initial two low-budget movies.

I’ve found myself stretched remarkably thin lately due to an influx of three times the usual number of people and queries on a daily basis. It feels like I’m constantly hopping from one department to another, juggling numerous tasks. We’re now grappling with more union regulations than ever before – something we rarely encountered in the past. Previously, we flew under the radar, but now we’ve become a focus of attention for all. Additionally, we’ve had to speed up our filming process because time waits for no one; it’s a race against the clock, and at times, I wish I could just call a timeout to assess our progress.

Occasionally, such choices involve questions of moral boundaries. While fans of Art the Clown might find appeal in the apparent lack of limits, Leone acknowledges his sensitivity towards the depiction of child deaths in his movies.

He expresses that he’s constantly seeking boundaries to challenge, sometimes even crossing them, but he wants to avoid going too far into distasteful territory. There’s a scene at the start where Art kills a child off-screen, and while he could have portrayed it graphically, he chose not to because such depiction would be distressing and might drive away many viewers. He feels that resorting to shock tactics for the sake of shock value is desperate, and as an artist, his aim is to navigate that line in a more intriguing and responsible manner.

For ardent horror fans who manage to endure the gruesome events of “Terrifier 3”, there’s a suspenseful ending that sets up a sequel, the fourth film in the series, which has been confirmed as being in production by Leone. Although he’s not disclosing many specifics, his characteristic excitement hints at what’s to come in the next installment.

As a devoted fan, I eagerly anticipate that this Art the Clown chapter will culminate in an unforgettable confrontation – a grand finale to the saga. Intriguingly, the concept brewing in my mind is pushing the boundaries of experimentation, so I can’t reveal too many details just yet. However, be prepared for some truly outlandish events in the upcoming installment!

2024-10-11 00:17

‘Terrifier 3’ Director Breaks Down His Chainsaw-Fueled ‘Psycho’ Tribute and the Line Even He Won’t Cross on Screen

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