Terrifier 3

Only the truly depraved could enjoy this reprehensible celebration of splatter gore and gleeful inhumanity. I am one of them.

The “Terrifier” franchise featuring Art the Clown represents some kind of litmus test for horror fans. You may say you enjoy slasher flicks with tons of splatter gore and gleeful inhumanity. But do ya really?

Written and directed by Damien Leone, these movies are an unrelenting parade of beheadings, disembowelments and other inventive maiming of human flesh. Not only do these movies not blink or cut away from the worst defilements, they fixate on them with fetishistic joy.

The latest, “Terrifier 3,” can only be enjoyed by the truly depraved. Luckily — or unluckily — I am one of them.

Let’s put it this way: do you find the legacy slasher franchises like “Halloween” and “Friday the 13th” too bloody and violent for your tastes? Then don’t even step anywhere near this picture.

Or bring a barf bag if you do.

There’s just an amazing purity about these movies. They aren’t about anything other than watching Art carve up people while cackling with delight as veritable fountains of blood gush. He doesn’t have a backstory or a motivation. He’s just here to kill, as gruesomely as possible, and enjoy the hell out of himself while doing it.

A big part of the appeal, at least for me, is the performance of David Howard Thornton as Art. Dressed in all black-and-white clown outfit vaguely resembling a mime gone horribly off the deep end, Art never speaks or even so much as makes a sound. With his hooked nose, rotting teeth and pinpoint pupils, he’s a soundless nightmare of undistilled sadism.

Howard prances around the screen like a wayward puppet that’s snipped its own strings, his mouth a rictus grin of delight, pointing and gesturing at his victims, mocking them in the midst of turning them into Cuisinart fodder. We are repulsed by Art… and secretly cheer for him.

It’s a brilliant piece of acting, though I doubt anyone working in mainstream genres would acknowledge it as so.

“Terrifier 3” doesn’t divulge any new details about Art’s origins, although it’s clear he’s more than a simple organic construct. After all, he was decapitated at the end of “Terrifier 2” by Sienna Shaw (Lauren LaVera), a young woman who has come to be his nemesis. He’s referred to several times as a demon.

His revival, which I’ll not detail, comes at the hands of Victoria Heyes (Samantha Scaffidi), who was the “last girl” of the original “Terrifier.” After Art ate her face (hey, I told you what you’re getting into here) she’s been consigned to a mental hospital. Events transpire such that she becomes Art’s companion and partner in further grisly delights — Stockholm Syndrome, but with major facial disfigurement.

Five years have passed, and Sienna is still trying to put her life back together. Younger brother Jonathan (Elliot Fullam) is now in college, running from his nascent fame as a massacre survivor. He’s being chased down by Mia (Alexa Blair Robertson), girlfriend of his roommate, Cole (Mason Mecartea), and co-host of a true crime podcast called Graven Image, who wants him and Sienna to appear as guests.

It’s Christmastime — as opposed to Halloween for the last movie — so Art soon gets around to cutting up with a store Santa and commandeering his outfit and… beard. With his omnipresent bag of weapons standing in for Santa’s satchel of toys, he moves about spreading his own, very wet, version of yule cheer.

Sienna is staying with her aunt and uncle (Margaret Anne Florence and Bryce Johnson), and is especially close with their daughter, Gabbie (Antonella Rose), who’s maybe about 11 and looks up to her big cousin. Of course, Art and Victoria soon set their sights on the kid as a way to get to Sienna.

Things start a little slow in the bloodletting department, but soon ramp up. I won’t spoil any of the gnarly fun, but there’s some very Art the Clown Christmas tree decorating that goes on, as well as playing around with a freezing device he puts together for turning his targets into popsicles.

There’s also a particularly messy encounter in a college dorm bathroom that I’m just going to go ahead and call the shower scene to end all shower scenes. It surely represents the film’s high (low?) point.

The last “Terrifier” movie was criticized for being too long (it was) and this one is a more modest 124 minutes, though probably could still have used some judicious editing. Some flashback sequences to Sienna’s dad (Jason Patric) are a prime target for trimming.

A few other recognizable actors show up, including Daniel Roebuck and Clint Howard as Santa and his drinking buddy, and horror icon Tom Savini in a bit role.

I really don’t have more to say about “Terrifier 3” other than a warning: seriously, if I haven’t made it abundantly clear by now, this is a hyper-violent flick that can only be endured by the strongest of stomachs. You’re either part of the Tribe of Gore or you’re not — casuals will be judged harshly.