Horror fans are struggling to cope with the goriest film of the year with people walking out of a Terrifier 3 screening – and they’re not alone.
The chilling sequel is set to be released on October 11 as David Howard Thornton returns as Art the Clown, and the studio proudly revealed that the venue for this week’s gala ‘reported 11 people walking out and 1 person vomiting’.
It turns out even the crew working on set were left gobsmacked by the brutality on display, which more than lives up to the reputation of other films in the franchise.
Practical effects guru Jason Baker – who co-founded Callosum Studios with horror icon Tom Savini – got a front row seat for the disturbing action as he and his team helped out with ‘some speciality weapons’ and other aspects during filming.
Despite spending two decades in the industry working on the likes of The Black Phone and an extensive partnership with WWE, Jason himself was left recoiling in horror at some shots when he watched the movie back.
‘You know it’s f**ked up when you’re there watching it be filmed, and then when you watch the film, you’re still just like, “Oh, what the?! No, come on, man,”‘ he with a laugh.
He even experienced a first for him on a film set when he had to literally throw out a pair of shoes after they got ruined during a particularly bloody day’s work.
‘Terrifier 3 was the first movie I’ve ever just at the end of the day was like, “I’m not getting the blood out of these shoes”. And I just threw shoes away. I just went full Hobbit out to my car, back to my hotel room,’ he recalled.
‘I put on my flip flops and then wore those to the sporting goods store in the morning, and bought a new pair of shoes. They were so drenched that I was like, it’s not even worth the effort.
‘Just standing in almost low shin-high blood for 12 hours! I was like, “These are done!” ‘
For a lot of people, that might sound traumatising, but Jason was delighted to be jumping on board for the infamous horror franchise, seeing parallels with the way director Damien Leone and his team operate.
‘Their whole mindset and their whole work ethic is really cool,’ he said, noting how it reminds him of his friend Savini and idol George Romero, with a, ‘f**k it, we’ll do it ourselves’ style of filmmaking.
That played into Jason and his team’s involvement on the film, as they ‘picked up the pieces’ and were even tasked with creating a chainsaw which could withstand the demands of the shoot.
‘Figuring out how can we make a chainsaw that can pump smoke, have a spinning blade, be safe and be used indoors – because you can’t just run a gas chainsaw inside. Everybody will die of carbon side poisoning,’ he deadpanned.
‘So that was a lot of fun, that was a challenge.’
He’s so proud of the movie as a whole, and he thinks some fans will find it hard to believe how much of what they’re seeing was created as practical effects.
‘There’s a few things here in Terrifier 3 that we did that we were actually, when we were shooting them on set, we were so impressed by them that we’re like, “Man, people are going to think these are VFX!” Like, that’s actually a puppet and a person.’
That’s part of the charm, where something tangible on screen – think the T-Rex in Jurassic Park, or even the Night King in Game of Thrones – adds to the immersion.
‘It’s a mixture of magic and then practicality. So what you’re seeing is actually happening,’ Jason pondered, while pointing out that those effects don’t age in the same way as CGI.
‘Visual effects are amazing,’ he argued. ‘[But] one of the reasons why they don’t work so much is that technology progresses at such a rapid rate.’
Jason is well-placed to have his say, with a wealth of experience, including making Ethan Hawke’s horrifying mask in Scott Derrickson’s 2021 blockbuster The Black Phone.
What he’s keen to point out though is that, as much as he’s proud of the work he does bringing people’s creations to life, the performer is a key part to making everything work on screen.
Jason – who worked extensively with late WWE legend Bray Wyatt before his death aged 36 in August 2023 – explained: ‘We talk about it, and we create it, and you’re looking at it for a month or two weeks or whatever, and you’re painting it.
‘But the moment you put it on somebody, and you get to see it come alive is the real payoff. That’s the ultimate, “Okay, wow. This thing just went from an inanimate object to like a living creature.” ‘
For Jason, the unpredictability and joy of creation still motivates him, which shines through even on projects that won’t see the light of day, like his film with Wyatt – ‘Ichi the Killer meets Xanadu’ – which was scrapped before the late wrestler’s death.
‘Every day is a new adventure. So it’s always, it’s always fun and exciting to see what shows up in my emails,’ he smiled, thinking of how far he’s come.
‘Nothing like scrubbing a Walmart toilet at four o’clock in the morning to make you really want to do something with your life or follow your passion.’