Promising Update From Art the Clown Star: Terrifier 4 Hides Big Twists and Ends in Total Mayhem

Terrifier 4 is coming together, but here is the twist: even Art the Clown himself is mostly in the dark. David Howard Thornton jumped on Slasher Radio and gave a small-but-juicy update, and it sounds like writer-director Damien Leone is keeping this one locked up tighter than usual.

The short version

Thornton, who has played Art in all three official Terrifier movies and will suit up again for part 4, says Leone is still writing and not sharing much. That alone is noteworthy because this team normally workshopped ideas together in real time. This round? Radio silence.

'The finale is bat-shit insane. You are gonna have a lot of fun with that.'

That line is what Leone told Thornton. He also teased an origin story for Art and promised Thornton would love how they handle it. Beyond that, Thornton says he is not seeing pages yet, which is unusual for this crew. In the past, Leone would run ideas by him, final girl Lauren LaVera, and Samantha Scaffidi (who plays Victoria) while he was writing. Now he is playing it close and keeping everyone guessing. Thornton is not stressed about it, though; he says he trusts Leone completely.

Origins, finales, and the franchise question

Leone has already hinted that Terrifier 4 will finally dig into Art the Clown's backstory. He has also floated two ideas about where this chapter sits: on one hand, he has said this could be the last Terrifier; on the other, he told GamesRadar+ it might actually take more than one movie to wrap up Art's story. Thornton's read is somewhere in the middle. He thinks this could close the current arc, maybe take a breather for a few years, and then possibly come back later. Translation: expect a big swing, but do not carve 'final film' in stone just yet.

What we actually know right now

• Status: early development; Damien Leone is writing the script.
• Secrecy level: higher than usual. Leone is not sharing the script with his longtime leads while he writes, which is a change from previous films.
• Story teases: Art's origin story is finally on deck; Leone describes the finale as 'bat-shit insane.'
• Cast: David Howard Thornton returns as Art; franchise mainstays Lauren LaVera and Samantha Scaffidi have been part of the creative conversations in the past, but are not being looped in on the script right now.
• Franchise future: Leone has said this could be the last movie, but he has also said it might take more than one film to finish Art's saga. Thornton suspects this could end the current storyline and then go quiet for a bit before any potential return.
• Timing: no release date yet.

Bottom line: big secrets, bigger promises, and a finale that the guy under the makeup is already calling wild. As soon as the clown car doors open, we will know more.