Art the Clown is a Christmas murderer in Terrifier 3’s new teaser trailer

It’s beginning to look a lot like a bloody Christmas in the first teaser trailer for Terrifier 3, the third installment in Damien Leone’s slasher franchise.

In the 60-second clip, Art the Clown (David Howard Thornton) unleashes Christmas Eve havoc on the residents of Miles County. Backed by an eerie version of Silent Night, Art returns to his murderous ways, but this time, he’s sporting a blood-soaked Santa suit. One of his kills in the trailer occurs in a shower scene that mirrors Alfred Hitchcock‘s Psycho.

Reprising their roles for Terrifier 3 are Lauren LaVera as Sienna Shaw, Elliot Fullam as Jonathan Shaw, Samantha Scaffidi as Victoria Heyes, and Chris Jericho as Burke. New cast members include Jason Patric and Daniel Roebuck, with the latter playing Santa Claus.

At the end of Terrifier 2, Sienna decapitates Art, ending his reign of terror. However, a midcredits scene shows that Victoria, the lone survivor of Terrifier, birthed Art’s head inside a mental institution. The Terrifier 3 teaser depicts a possessed Victoria who looks severely disfigured.

Leone writes and directs Terrifier 3, the third chapter in the Terrifier franchise behind 2016’s Terrifier and 2022’s Terrifier 2. With Terrifier 2, the sequel became a box office success story, grossing over $15 million on a budget of less than $250,000. Terrifier 3 is a Cineverse and Bloody Disgusting film.

During Terrifier 3’s theatrical run, a novelization of Terrifier 2 will hit stores on October 29, 2024. Written by Tim Waggoner, the novel Terrifer 2 depicts the return of Art the Clown from the dead, who will “continue his murderous and mad spree in the sleepy town of Miles County.”

Terrifier 3 heads to theaters on October 11, 2024.