Posted in: Exclusive, Horror, Interview, Movies | Tagged: art the clown, Cineverse, damien leone, David Howard Thornton, Lauren Lavera, Samantha Scaffidi, Terrifier 3

Terrifier 3 Stars Thornton & LaVera on Leone, Meeting Fan Expectations

Terrifier 3 stars David Howard Thornton & Lauren LaVera spoke to Bleeding Cool about their latest installment of the Damien Leone franchise.

Things have come full circle for the Terrifier franchise, with stars David Howard Thornton and Lauren LaVera returning for the third installment following the success of the 2022 sequel Terrifier 2. Joining them in a more expanded and sinister way is Samantha Scaffidi, who reprises her role as Victoria Heyes, the sole survivor from the 2016 original film, left permanently disfigured and locked in a psychiatric hospital. Cineverse's Terrifier 3 takes place years following the second film with Sienna Shaw (LaVera), holding on by a thread, coping with her trauma, and finding herself distant from her college-bound brother Jonathan Shaw (Elliot Fullam). Meanwhile, Art the Clown (Thornton) takes advantage of the Christmas shopping season, prospecting for new victims to satiate his thirst for blood and carnage, and joining him on the ride is an unexpected ally. Thornton and LaVera spoke to Bleeding Cool about if they felt pressure heading into the third film, how writer and director Damien Leone became such a horror visionary, how much Thornton was able to improvise as Art, and LaVera breaking down where Sienna stands in her sibling relationship with Jonathan.

Terrifier 3 Stars David Howard Thornton and Lauren LaVera on Upping the Ante from the Second Film

Bleeding Cool: Given the success of the first two 'Terrifier' films, did you feel pressure heading into the third film?

David Howard Thornton: Yes, much so, because you're always afraid you might have peaked too early [laughs], and we didn't want to disappoint the fans. I also felt confident because I loved the script when I first read it, and I was like, "This is a good script…my favorite I've read of any of these films so far." I had a lot of confidence, but there was still a little trepidation, like, "Maybe we won't meet the expectations the fans have for us, but we did well."

Lauren LaVera: The pressure has come more now than when we were filming because it takes a village to make a film. I felt supported by all the artists around me. It's never just about me; it's about everybody who's there. I wasn't as aware as I am now because people will start seeing it, and you wonder, "Will they feel we've delivered in the same way I feel we have?" The pressure I'm feeling now, not so much when we were filming.

How does Damien stand out as a horror visionary?

Thornton: Oh, my gosh! He's brilliant and stands out so much because he's been a lifelong horror fan. He has watched horror films since he was three years old. He's literally named after Damien from 'The Omen' (1976). His mother did that because she loved the film so much. His love for the genre translated so well to these films because you could tell they're a labor of love. We have so many homages to many horror films that came before us in these films. As a fan, he knows what fans want to see in one of those big things: the practical effects and the over-the-top kills in slasher films. He's so good at coming up with new ways to innovate and take things forward because he's got such an encyclopedic knowledge of his works in the past. He's able to build upon what has worked in the past in other films and bring his own thing to that.

LaVera: I agree with what Dave. Damien is a horror fan, but he's also a cinema fan, and he's not afraid to push boundaries and limits because he knows that's what he needs to do to stand apart from the rest. That's what I respect about him.

David, given how long you've worked with Damien on these films, how much did you find yourself improvising, and what are the biggest inspirations you tapped into playing Art as viscerally as you do?

Thornton: A lot of this is improvised, and I know where the scene is supposed to go because of what the script says. A lot of it is pure improvisation, and I usually show up the day, and I'm like, "What am I doing again today? Okay, cool." I'll play, and he will allow me to play. There are certain bits there, especially with the kill scenes, where he knows specifically what he needs me to do in those moments, and he's good at directing me in that way.

We have such a great dynamic in that regard. It's like we trust each other so much; we have our language with each other on set where he'll say a certain word, and I know exactly what he wants at that moment. We'll go from there, or else it is like, "What is he talking about?" How I approached Art is I looked at him as the ultimate horror fanboy. There's a little bit of every single slasher icon that came before him inside of him, from Freddy Krueger (from 'A Nightmare on Elm Street'), Pinhead (from 'Hellraiser'), Leather Face (from 'Texas Chainsaw Massacre'), and Michael Myers (from 'Halloween'). He's got little bits of piece of everything that made each one of those characters stand out inside of him.

I also wanted to bring the clowning aspect to him because he is a clown, I have an extensive background doing physical comedy, and I have a long appreciation for great silent film actors and comedians from like [Buster] Keaton all the way through, like Mr. Bean (Rowan Atkinson), Doug Jones, and Jim Carrey. I wanted to bring that aspect to the character because that would separate Art from other killers who came before him, especially the clowns. It feels like even though there are other clowns out there from 'Killer Klowns from Outer Space' (1988) out there, none of them got more into those aspects like Art does. Being a silent character helped lend to that.

Lauren, how do you break down your rapport with Elliot Fullam, and how do the events of the second film affect Sienna and Jonathan's sibling relationship in this third film?

LaVera: Elliott is like my real-life brother now. We are so close. I love the Fullams, including his parents, Justin and Daniella [Fullam], and his girlfriend, Josie. We hung out all the time. In terms of our relationship this time around, Damien and I were grappling with it. We were trying to figure out what would be the best way to approach this dynamic. I was grateful he asked me for my opinion. I loved how Jonathan was more doubtful about the previous events. It helps elevate the story because it makes sense that he was 12 years old when it happened.
Jonathan was a kid entering adulthood and trying to put it behind him. He's trying to be normal because he has these new friendships and is trying to move on. Sienna is still on the brink of insanity with everything going on in her visions. I was excited to do that with Elliot, and we had this climactic scene where Sienna explained to him what was happening. It's a bit of an information dump of what's happening. Elliot and I were improvising, and much of that improv was in the final cut. I was so proud of how he's grown as an artist ever since, and I could never stop saying more positive things about him.

Terrifier 3, which also stars Chris Jericho, Daniel Roebuck, Tom Savini, Jason Patric, Antonella Rose, Margaret Anne Florence, Bryce Johnson, Clint Howard, and Krsy Fox, is in theaters.

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