Terrifier 4 Star Teases Mind-Bending Finale and Long-Awaited Art the Clown Origin Story

Terrifier 4 is coming, and the guy under the greasepaint says we’re getting Art the Clown’s origin story and a finale that goes completely off the rails. The weird part: even he hasn’t seen the big stuff yet.

What the man behind Art is teasing

I’m very excited, but I don’t know a whole lot, because this time around Damien has been keeping everything very close to his vest about what’s happening in the script. He just goes, 'Oh yeah, you’re gonna love the origin story, Dave. You’re gonna love how we do it.' And he said also, 'The finale is bat-shit insane. You’re gonna have a lot of fun with that.' Other than that, I don’t know, but that makes me excited.

That’s David Howard Thornton on Slasher Radio, sounding like a man who signed up to swing a chainsaw without knowing where the gas is. Director Damien Leone is apparently keeping the plot locked up, but he’s told Thornton enough to confirm two big things: an origin story for Art and a finale designed to blow the doors off.

So where is Terrifier 4 right now?

It’s in development. Damien Leone is back to write and direct, and he’s treating details like state secrets. The plan, per Thornton, includes digging into how Art the Clown became, well, Art the Clown. Leone has also said before that this will be the last chapter of the franchise, so expect the origin thread to feed directly into a grand sendoff. No release date yet.

How this series turned tiny budgets into big body counts (and bigger grosses)

Art the Clown started in a handful of shorts and an anthology before getting the keys to his own feature. From there, it’s been a word-of-mouth rocket ride that makes studio accountants sweat.

• Terrifier (2016): Follows two friends hunted by the sadistic serial killer Art the Clown. Scraped by on under $55,000 and still pulled in over $420,000.
• Terrifier 2 (2022): Crowdfunded its $250,000 budget, turned into a critical breakout, and racked up $15.8 million.
• Terrifier 3 (2024): On a $2 million budget, it blew past expectations with over $90 million worldwide.

Bottom line: the fourth movie is being built as the finale, with an origin story baked in and a closer that, if Thornton’s not overselling it, is going to be loud. And since he’s the one wearing the nose, I’m inclined to believe him.