Terrifier 3

What’s it about?

After surviving Art the Clown’s Halloween massacre in Terrifier 2, Sienna and her brother try to move on and enjoy Christmas. But just as they start to feel safe, Art returns to turn their holiday into another nightmare.

Note: This film is intended for those who enjoy intense horror and shocking content. With scenes of extreme violence and disturbing, graphic imagery, it’s designed to evoke strong reactions and test your tolerance. If this type of experience is not for you, it may be one to skip or at least approach with caution.

The facts 

• Directed by Damien Leone
• English language
• Runtime: 125 minutes
• Third instalment in the Terrifier series
• Opener movie for the 2024 Terror-Fi Festival 

Why did it get this rating? 

This film was classified by Te Mana Whakaatu, Classification Office. You can find out more about the classification process and ratings here.

Graphic violence and horror

Terrifier 3 has extremely intense, disturbing scenes with shocking gore, violence, and mutilation throughout the entire film. It includes violence against women and children which may be particularly distressing for some viewers. 

Some of the strongest moments of violence and horror include:

• People are shot, strangled, stabbed, beheaded, and dismembered.
• People have skin and flesh torn or peeled off their faces.
• A possessed woman feeds on the bloody spine of a body she may have just birthed.
• Rats feed on the flesh of a severed head.
• A character is hacked to death with an axe as his wife sleeps soundly beside him.
• A child is killed off-screen, but their body is shown in pieces.
• A Christmas present explodes at a crowded Santa’s grotto. Children are killed off-screen but there are fleeting images of charred body parts.
• A man has various body parts shattered with a hammer after they are frozen with liquid nitrogen. A frozen rat is also shattered against a table.
• A naked couple in a shower are brutally attacked with a chainsaw. The woman is dismembered and has her face crushed, and the man is sliced vertically starting at his buttocks and groin. Some viewers may regard this as sexualised violence because the man’s private parts are grotesquely mutilated.
• A man’s headless, partially eviscerated corpse is nailed to a wall. His entrails are used to decorate a Christmas tree.
• A woman has a crown of thorns bloodily forced down on her head. Another woman smashes her head against a bathroom mirror. 
• A rat is forced down a woman’s mouth through a large tube that has been hammered into place. The rat escapes when the victim’s throat is cut.
• A woman has her hands crushed with a mallet.

Self-harm

A possessed woman slices her wrists with a shard of broken glass so she can ‘hibernate’ after bleeding out. This scene of self-harm could be distressing for some viewers, even though this exact scenario is not relatable to real life. 

Sexual material

There is an implied sex scene between two college students in a frosted shower cubicle which includes some brief breast and buttock nudity.

It is strongly implied that a possessed woman uses a shard of glass to masturbate beneath her dress as she watches a man being gruesomely killed. 

Language

Highly offensive language such as “f**k” and “c**t” are used regularly in the film. 

Helplines:

The self-harm in Terrifier 3 could be upsetting for some viewers, especially for those who have, or know someone who has gone through similar experiences. If you are struggling with what you have seen on-screen please reach out for help. If you or someone you know needs to talk:

• 1737
• Safe to talk
• Lifeline
• Youthline

Further information 

• Why are ratings and content warnings important for me and my whānau?