It is difficult to convey to someone who has not seen a film in the ‘Terrifier’ series the extent to which what they can find is, perhaps, the most extreme and brutal thing they have ever seen in a commercial movie theater (unless they are in their sixties). years and attended the premiere of ‘Cannibal Holocaust’). ‘Terrifier 3’, which arrives just in time for Halloween in Spanish cinemas, is an absolutely overwhelming spectacle of extreme violence and terror, but it is also a very unique success story, becoming a piece worthy of study. Whether you are interested in horror films or not.
Move away, clown. When ‘Terrifier 3’ surpassed ‘Joker: Folie á Deux’ at the box office when it had only been in theaters for two weeks, the joke was made: Art the Clown, the unspeakable villain protagonist of Damien Leone’s film, surpassed another sociopathic clown, Joaquin Phoenix’s Joker. And by the way, it left an obvious moral of David against Goliath: the wit, sick honesty and passion for what it did in ‘Terrifier 3’ were much more stimulating for an audience tired of remote-controlled eccentricities like the failed Warner musical. ‘Terrifier 3’ literally did not seem to find an opponent at its level.
The collection of terror. ‘Terrifier 3’ has already grossed $57.7 million worldwide, against a budget of just $2 million. That is to say, it is improving the already spectacular result of its predecessor, which started with a budget of only $250,000 (the most complex scene in the film had to be completed by financing it separately. crowdfunding) and raised 15.7 million. Although it has been said that it is the film released without a rating that has grossed the most in history, it is not entirely accurate: ‘Zombi’ by George A. Romero, with inflation adjusted, surpasses it, although the collection data for that one is contradictory. Still, Art the Clown’s achievement is absolutely spectacular.
What extreme horror likes. That horror films are going through a moment of critical and box office acceptance unlike anything seen in decades is something that is not lost on anyone. Production companies like A24 succeed, specializing in auteur films but dedicating a good part of their efforts to genre films, always with a distinctive seal and far from the big box office bombs (although sometimes they succeed, and with films like Ari’s Aster have certainly shaped horror as we know it today). And the most extreme side of terror finds successes that have not been seen since the greatest bloody absurdities of the eighties. The surprise success of the corrosive ‘The Substance’, which has grossed $41 million worldwide, is the latest case.
Now yes. In parallel to this new renaissance at the box office of horror there is a new revaluation of the most extreme aspect of the genre. The aforementioned ‘The Substance’ has no less than 91% on Rotten Tomatoes. And this same ‘Terrifier 3’ has a not inconsiderable 77% (in both cases accompanied by excellent user opinions). Possibly never has a film been so clearly and simply splatterwith no intellectual alibi other than pure impact, had been so well received by critics. There is nothing more to compare with extreme horror subgenres such as slasher of the eighties, adored by the public but defenestrated by the specialized press.
Art Attack. And the truth is that ‘Terrifier 3’, and in general the saga of Damien Leone’s murderous clown, has – despite its extreme violence, which sometimes forces you to look away from the screen – a suggestive proposal, a play with the spectator, whom he challenges to have fun with absolutely atrocious situations. Returning gore to the fairground spectacle that it was in its beginnings, the proposal of ‘Terrifier 3’ may not be excessively sophisticated, but it has an intention, a thesis, a speech, and it remains in the viewer’s memory long after leave the seat. Which is already more than we can say about ‘Joker: Folie á Deux’. And for once, the public agrees.
In WorldOfSoftware | Guide to an alternative Halloween: unusual, independent and extreme horror movies that you can watch streaming
