How to watch Art the Clown’s movies in order before Terrifier 3

Art the Clown appears in the third Terrifier movie this week, so here’s everything you need to know about his previous films before Terrifier 3.

Terrifier 3 is one of the most eagerly anticipated horror movies of 2024, with the third movie in the franchise a festive flick that features a very bloody Christmas.

Dexerto attended the world premiere of the movie at Fantastic Fest in Austin, Texas, where we wrote (in our Terrifier 3 review) that it’s Art the Clown’s “most disturbing and depraved adventure yet.”

The sequel hits screens this Friday, October 11, 2024, so in advance of that release, here’s what you need to know about the previous films.

What are the Terrifier movies?

Bloody Disgusting

The Terrifier movies are the brainchild of writer-director Damien Leone, who wanted to create a new slasher icon to rank alongside the likes of Freddie and Jason. Which is how Art the Clown was born.

Leone’s background is in practical visual effects, and he wanted to craft the goriest kill scenes imaginable, but on a shoestring budget.

He achieved exactly that with the first Terrifier movie, a micro-budget affair that largely played out in warehouses and basements, and is reported to have cost between $35k and $55k.

But audiences responded to the extreme violence – as well as Art’s sick sense of humor – resulting in the film grossing more than $400k worldwide when it hit screens in 2016.

A sequel was fast-tracked, with a bigger budget ($250k) and longer run-time (138 minutes), and the ambitious sequel was a smash, grossing nearly $16 million worldwide, and catapulting Art into the slasher big leagues.

Meaning Terrifier 3 was inevitable, while Terrifier 4 has already been announced. But there’s more to Art’s story than the main movies…

How many movies does Art the Clown appear in?

There are three Terrifier movies, with a fourth in development. But Art the Clown has also previously featured in two short films made by Damien Leone, which in turn contributed to a horror anthology.

Art first appeared in The 9th Circle in 2008, where the clown was a supporting character, stalking a woman at an empty train station on Halloween night, before kidnapping and taking her to a satanic cult for sacrifice.

Art then appeared in a short titled Terrifier in 2011. This time the clown pursues a woman who witnessed one of his murders at a gas station.

Meaning there are currently three features and two shorts, plus one anthology that combines the latter…

Is All Hallow’s Eve connected to Terrifier?

RLJE Films

All Hallow’s Eve is connected to the Terrifier series, in that it’s a horror anthology that includes both The 9th Circle and Terrifier short.

Released in 2013, the plot finds a babysitter playing a VHS tapes to the kids she is looking after on Halloween. Said video tapes feature the two shorts, and the film then ends with Art entering the real world and killing the children in question.

Which means that All Hallow’s Eve is Art the Clown’s feature film debut.

As for who plays Art, Mike Giannelli appeared as the clown in both shorts/All Hallow’s Eve, before he retired from acting, and David Howard Thornton assumed the mantle.

How to watch the Terrifier movies in chronological order

The Terrifier movies don’t jump around in time and haven’t yet ventured into prequel territory, so you can watch the movies in order of release:

• The 9th Circle (2008)
• Terrifier short (2011)
• All Hallow’s Eve (2013)
• Terrifier (2016)
• Terrifier 2 (2020)
• Terrifier 3 (2024)

Terrifier 4 was confirmed by Damien Leone at the world premiere of Terrifier 3, though there’s no word yet regarding a release date.

Where to watch Art’s movies

The 9th Circle is available to watch on YouTube, while an extended version of the short can be found at the start of All Hallow’s Eve.

Terrifier (short) is available on Tubi, with or without Damien Leone’s ‘Director’s Commentary.’ While it’s also in All Hallow’s Eve.

All Hallow’s Eve is also available on Tubi, as well as Shudder, Vix, AMC, The Roku Channel, while it can be rented or purchased from Prime Video and Apple TV+.

Terrifier (feature) is on Tubi, Plex, Pluto, Fubo, Peacock, and Shudder, while it’s also available to rent or buy from Prime Video and Apple TV+.

Terrifier 2 is on Plex, Freevee, Hoopla, and Screambox, while it can also be rented or bought from Prime Video and Apple TV+.

Terrifier 3 will be in cinemas worldwide from Friday, October 11, 2024. There’s no word yet on streaming details.

For more Terrifer 3 action, here’s Damien Leone on how he shot the new film’s goriest scene, and why he wants Art to be the opposite of Pennywise. Plus our ranking of Terrifier kills in the first two movies.