10 Biggest Theories About Terrifier 4's Story

Damien Leone’s viral slasher franchise took a major step forward with Terrifier 3, and with Terrifier 4 already in development, fans have already begun to theorize about how the gory saga will come to a close. The third chapter in the series starring the depraved and demonic Art the Clown expanded upon the overarching narrative that began in Terrifier 2, and positioned Art and his nemesis Sienna Shaw as representatives in the grand-scale battle of good and evil. In the process, Terrifier 3 broke box office records and garnered plenty of critical and fan acclaim.

Terrifier 3’s cliffhanger ending made it clear that Leone intended the ongoing clash between Art and Sienna to extend into at least one more movie, if not more than one. While some of the theories that have developed since the movie’s release feel inevitable, others would represent a major leap for the overall story. Terrifier 4 may not be the end of Art and Sienna’s story, but even if it isn’t, sweeping changes in scale and scope seem to be on the way to the Terrifier franchise.

10 Jonathan Isn’t Actually Dead

Sienna’s Younger Brother Was Supposedly Killed By Art And Vicky Off-Screen

This might be the most popular theory about what happens in Terrifier 4, only because it feels fairly obvious. The climax of Terrifier 3 saw Art and Vicky capture Sienna, and force her to watch as they kill her aunt. They reveal a gnawed skull in a cage covered by rats to her, and tell her that it is actually the head of her young cousin, Gabbie. However, when the very alive Gabbie is pulled into the room, Vicky places Jonathan’s horn-rimmed glasses on the skull, implying that the skull is actually his.

However, it’s extremely suspicious that the Terrifier franchise would have one of the major characters killed off-screen, especially one that Art has already tried to kill on-screen once. Damien Leone has never shied away from showing important characters being killed in gruesome fashion (ex. Dawn in Terrifier, Allie in Terrifier 2), so it seems pretty suspicious that he would have the death of one of the major players in the ongoing battle between Art and Sienna happen completely off-screen. It seems likely that Jonathan may be imprisoned somewhere, but that it wasn’t his skull Vicky showed Sienna.

9 Art Is Mortal Again

The Demon May Have Left Him When Sienna Stabbed Him In

Terrifier 2 and Terrifier 3 established that one of the giveaways of a demon is the eyes; Vicky gets glowing yellow eyes once The Little Pale Girl possesses her. Art’s eyes are typically free of that glow, even though he is clearly possessed by some sort of demonic entity. However, his eyes did glow briefly when Sienna stabbed him in the climax of Terrifier 3, which may indicate the demon left Art’s body, leaving him mortal again. The mortal serial killer version of Art may not be as strong or unkillable as the demon-possessed version, but he’s still plenty dangerous.

8 Sienna Is On The Highway To Hell

To Save Her Cousin, Sienna Will Have To Visit The Biblical Hell

The ending of Terrifier 3 saw the decapitated Vicky’s blood pour across the floor of Sienna’s aunt’s home, which opened a massive portal in the floor. Sienna’s young cousin Gabbie fell into the smoking portal before it closed back up, unfortunately taking Sienna’s magical sword with her. It’s very clear that it was a portal to Hell itself, even if it’s never explicitly stated by any character.

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All 6 Art The Clown & Terrifier Movies Ranked, Worst To Best

Art the Clown has a history that extends before the Terrifier franchise, and each appearance varies in both length and overall quality.

Sienna’s vow to find her cousin all but guarantees that she will find her way to Hell in Terrifier 4, likely via another portal similar to the one that Vicky’s blood opened up. How she will survive the horrors that await her there without her magical sword remains difficult to imagine, but a battle-functional version of her angel warrior armor would likely help, perhaps created by the dangerous new demonic creature she saw in her vision. Terrifier 3 may have already teased another portal’s location: as Sienna says, “I have to go back to the Terrifier.”

7 Terrifier 4 Will Be Easter-Themed

Christian Imagery And Simple Seasonal Progression May Mean Art Terrorizes A New Holiday

One of the more entertaining yet seemingly plausible theories is that Terrifier 4 will continue the holiday-themed trend and will be set around Easter in Miles County. Terrifier 3 was laden with Christian imagery, with angels, demons, a crown of thorns, and a literal crucifixion all conspicuously appearing in some capacity throughout the movie’s runtime. The battle between Art and Sienna has been set up as a microcosm of the greater universal battle of good against evil.

With that in mind, it stands to reason that Terrifier 4 would be set around the holiday that marks the Biblical resurrection of Jesus Christ, who wore the very same crown of thorns that Vicky jams onto Sienna’s head during his own crucifixion. Sienna even gained the power to heal after her battle with Vicky and Art at the end of Terrifier 3, making her own messianic metaphor even stronger. There are also plenty of visual gags that Art could employ with the more secular Easter aesthetic to work with, making this theory perfectly plausible.

6 Sienna Finally Kills Art

After Suffering Years Of Psychological Torment, Sienna Slays Her Evil Nemesis

Sienna has slowly become more supernaturally powerful as the Terrifier series has progressed, to the point that she is approaching superhero territory. Art has taken almost everyone she loves away from her, so whether she’s able to rescue Gabbie from Hell or not, she’s coming after the clown to exact her final vengeance. Terrifier 4 could very well mark the end of Art and Sienna’s saga, and for a truly satisfying conclusion, Sienna could finally kill Art once and for all, ensuring that both the body and the demon possessing it never have a way to come back.

5 Art Finally Kills Sienna

The Demonic Clown Could Live To Kill Again

While Sienna killing Art would put a nice, neat bow on the entire slasher series, that may not actually be the route that Damien Leone takes. The Terrifier franchise’s perfect ending would actually be to have Art kill Sienna, and in particularly gruesome fashion. Art the Clown’s entire purpose is to inflict pain, suffering, and death on anyone and everyone–children included. He deals in psychological torture as well, often laughing at his victims or taunting them with their dismembered loved ones.

The very reason that the Terrifier franchise went viral in the first place is the vomit-inducing gore and sadism. Therefore, a happy ending in which good triumphs over evil would be somewhat disappointing in the right light. Art the Clown has shown that there is no happy ending for those who cross his path, and despite the best efforts of the forces of good, Art always wins, and always survives. Having Art kill Sienna (in a gut-wrenching manner) would be a divisive yet on-brand ending for the battle between the two nemeses.

4 Art And Sienna’s Battle Ends In The 9th Circle

The Terrifier Franchise Will Go Back To Its Origins

Assuming that Sienna does go to Hell in Terrifier 4 it seems inevitable that she will find her way to the 9th Circle, the sector of Hell reserved for the most vile. Terrifier 3 already left an Easter egg (and perhaps a clue) related to Damien Leone’s short film The 9th Circle, in which Art the Clown makes his first appearance. It makes sense, therefore, that the Terrifier franchise ends up back where it all began, in the 9th Circle of Hell, which is where Art and Sienna can finally conclude their epic struggle.

3 Sienna Will Fight Satan

Art May Be A Stepping Stone On The Way To A Greater Evil

While Art was built up as the central villain in Terrifier and Terrifier 2, Terrifier 3 saw him almost take a backseat to Vicky/The Little Pale Girl during the final confrontation with Sienna. The silent Art operated almost as a henchman while Vicky did the speaking and attempted to possess Sienna, and ultimately it was Vicky’s blood that opened a gate to Hell and not Art’s. On a related note, Art appeared as a servant of Satan in his first appearance in Damien Leone’s short film The 9th Circle.

That could all mean that as terrifying and murderous as Art is, he is a minor player in a world of greater evil. If Sienna does travel to Hell and makes it all the way to the 9th Circle, she will likely come face-to-face with Satan, who is depicted as a permanent resident of the 9th Circle of Hell in Dante’s Inferno. Sienna can still get her final vengeance on Art and still have to clear the “final boss” behind the demon-possessed gang of killers in the real world.

2 Art Is Actually Satan Himself

It Could Be Satan That Possesses Art

Fans theorized prior to the release of Terrifier 3 that The Little Pale Girl was Satan, which explained why she could only be seen when she wanted to and was able to resurrect Art via Vicky and his decapitated head. However, that theory was more or less accepted as dead when Sienna killed Vicky at the end of Terrifier 3. That opens the door for another theory: if Sienna is being powered up by the forces of good, could it be that it’s because she’s been fighting the Devil himself all along?

This theory is admittedly harder to accept given the fact that Art played second fiddle to Vicky at the end of Terrifier 3, along with his on-screen origins as a servant of Satan. But if Art is indeed mortal again, he could be an open vessel with enough evil in him to warrant possession by Satan himself as opposed to a lesser demon. That would elevate the stakes of Art and Sienna’s final battle, as Art embodies the literal Devil while Sienna acts as a battle-ready Archangel of God in the vein of the Biblical Michael.

1 Sienna’s Father Will Return

Michael Shaw Saw Art’s Rampage And Sienna’s Ascent Years Before They Happened

Sienna’s father Michael finally made an on-screen appearance in Terrifier 3, as Sienna had a vision/memory of the origin of her angel warrior persona, which was a character created by her father. The drawings shown in Terrifier 2 from her father were written off as the scribblings of a mind ravaged by cancer, but they were eventually proved to be prophetic, indicating Sienna’s father knew in advance that Art would rise in the world, and that Sienna would need to be the one to stop him.

The concept of prophets and prophecy is very on-brand for the Terrifier franchise, which has become increasingly laden with Christian imagery. In Christianity, prophets are believed to be chosen by God to pass along his word, and often could see the future in visions. Given that he was portrayed by a major actor in Jason Patric, Michael Shaw could return in some capacity in Terrifier 4 as Sienna and Art hurtle towards their final battle, perhaps as an angelic supporter of Sienna just as Art has had The Little Pale Girl.

Terrifier 3 follows Sienna and her brother as they attempt to move past the traumatic events of Art the Clown’s Halloween massacre. As they embrace the Christmas season, Art reemerges, intent on turning their holiday into a nightmare, continuing his reign of terror.

Director

Damien Leone

Release Date

October 11, 2024

Studio(s)

Dark Age Cinema , Fuzz on the Lens Productions

Distributor(s)

Cineverse

Writers

Damien Leone

Runtime

125 Minutes

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