Terrifier 3 parents guide: Not for kids, but can teenagers watch?

The latest installment of Damien Leone's Terrifier film series is now playing in theaters, taking on a Christmas theme as Art the Clown stalks and kills his victims during the winter holidays. As far as horror goes, this franchise is just about as hardcore as you can get, which is why it's developed such a cult following since the first entry debuted in 2016. But while many people absolutely love the Terrifier series, it's not for the fainthearted. It's divisive within the horror community because of its extreme and graphic violence, and if you're a casual horror fan, I'd recommend you tread with caution.

I went to see Terrifier 3 on Friday night in theaters and actually believe it's a bit toned down from its predecessors when it comes to gore and mutilation specifically. But, as I've mentioned here at 1428 Elm, that doesn't mean the movie is any less disturbing. If your kids are asking you to take them to see the new release but you aren't sure they'll make it out untraumatized, you've come to the right place. I break down the biggest warnings below.

Spoilers for Terrifier 3 are below.

Terrifier 3 is Not Rated — and it wouldn't fit an R-rating

First, let's start with the official rating — or lack thereof. Terrifier 3, like its predecessors, actually does not have a MPA age rating. To score an R-rating, Leone would likely have to cut down on the acts of violence which is something he will not do. The Not Rated label is something that attracts horror buffs as it means it's likely worse than anything they've seen in an R-rated movie. But for young people, that's not a great sign. Here's what happens:

Violence: A whole lot of it. The entire premise of Terrifier 3 is based on violence as Art the Clown is resurrected and goes to find his victims from the second movie, Sienna and Jonathan Shaw. Along the way, he makes multiple kills, including the opening scene when he enters a family's home and kills nearly everyone. During this scene, he even kills a child — though the act itself is offscreen. Among his other kills include construction workers, bar patrons, Jonathan's friends at college, and multiple members of the Shaw family.

Art also kills multiple people — including children — at a mall after he brings in a bomb. Nearly all of the killings are very bloody, though the mall bombing is not.

Gore and mutilation: A lot of this, too! I mentioned this being toned down from the first two movies, which is true, but it's still much more than your typical horror movie. Compared to long, tortuous kill scenes like Allie or Dawn's deaths, Terrifier 3 is not as bad. But Art is still sadistic and loves to tear people's limbs off. Art mutilates people in the latest film through a box cutter to the head, forcing a tube down a woman's mouth, cutting out organs and limbs, freezing people with liquid nitrogen, killing people with a chainsaw, and hitting people repeatedly with a hammer.

The goriest part of Terrifier 3 is the shower scene, which is already generating a lot of buzz. I'll try not to get into major spoilers here, but this happens when Art goes after two people having sex in the shower. After injuring the man, Art kills the woman and then finds the man attempting to crawl away. He chops off his leg and then uses a chainsaw to cut up the man's buttocks and scrotum. We see in detail how his genitals are ripped apart, and though you can tell it's fake, the prosthetic work is still pretty gnarly.

Scares: Unlike other popular scary movies, Terrifier 3 isn't loaded with jump scares. The scary parts are the kills, blood, and gore. Art the Clown is as creepy as ever in his mime-like movements and actions, and his appearance alone is enough to give someone nightmares. But other than that, the movie doesn't waste time getting into the violence. There's not much suspense, at least not compared to other titles in the genre.

Suicide: One warning I definitely want to mention is the fact that a character kills themself. After becoming mutilated and realizing they are not conventionally beautiful anymore, the person gets into a bathtub and slits their wrists. They later come back to life. The scene isn't particularly gory but from a psychological standpoint, it is disturbing.

Sex and nudity: While the Terrifier movies earn their reputation for heavy violence, there's also some sex and nudity in the third entry. As mentioned earlier, two characters have sex in the shower, though we only see their silhouettes from outside as well as their bodies neck-up. The nudity comes when Art uses a chainsaw up the man's buttocks, though the body parts don't actually belong to the actor. It's clear it's all prosthetics.

The most twisted scene in Terrifier 3 is a sexual one, seeing a woman use a knife to masturbate while watching Art kill a person. There is no nudity here but the woman gushes blood while pleasuring herself, making for a "WTF?" moment.

Profanity: And finally, curse words! Yep, there's that, too. The "F"-word is used multiple times throughout the movie as is other inappropriate language.

The verdict? So what does all of this mean for who can and cannot watch Terrifier 3? Well, of course, that's up to a parent's discretion along with what the viewer's tolerance is for this type of content. But in my opinion, I would say most teenagers should not watch Terrifier 3. And it goes without saying that children definitely should not either. To play it safe, I would recommend viewers 18+ can watch the movie, but even then, please proceed with caution.

As someone who loves this genre, body horror in particular, I enjoyed Terrifier 3 and didn't think it was too much for me personally. That said, I wouldn't recommend the movie to friends unless they'd already seen the first two and know they can handle it. This franchise is not for everyone, and if you or your teenage kids scare easily, I'd say leave this one as a skip.

Think you have what it takes to watch Terrifier 3? It's now playing in theaters.