The cast — including Art the Clown and Sienna themselves, David Howard Thornton and Laura LaVera — open up about the grossout franchise’s surprise success, fan theories for the fourth film and whether they believe it will truly be the last in the series.
Art the Clown is taking over.
With the massive success of the uber-gory Terrifier franchise, star David Howard Thornton has joined the ranks of Michael Myers, Jason Voorhees and Freddy Kreuger in record time — while protagonist Sienna Shaw, played by Lauren LaVera, has become a Final Girl to rival the Laurie Strodes and Sidney Prescotts of the horror world.
TooFab spoke with both stars on Thursday night at Universal Studios Hollywood’s Halloween Horror Nights, where their franchise was celebrated with a grossout new haunted house, as scare actors in Art the Clown getups ran amuck around the park. On the red carpet, the two and a few of their costars gave some insight into what they hope to see in the fourth film — and whether they truly believe director Damien Leone when he said the next movie would be the end of the franchise, calling it a “satisfying conclusion to the Terrifier saga.”
“Damien has been keeping us in the dark. He’s still writing it. We’re in the dark. We’re just kind of hoping I’m in it,” quipped LaVera, who spoke with TooFab alongside Thornton. “I just know I’m on the bus,” added her costar, before joking they’ll end the next movie “like The Graduate, with us just sitting on the back of the bus, like, ‘What’s going on?'”
Also speaking with us at the event were Elliott Fullham and Antonella Rose, who played Sienna’s brother Jonathan and cousin Gabbie in the previous films. Now is where we need to give a SPOILER ALERT — as we must mention Jonathan was killed, off-screen, in Part 3, which also ended with Gabbie seemingly getting sucked into Hell.
“I’m like in a limbo now. I’ve heard all kinds of crazy theories, possibly Jonathan is alive, that he could be dead, but it’s all up to Damien,” Fullham told TooFab. “The gears are clicking in his head. He is so secretive, it’s not cool, but I’m down for whatever if they want me back.”
Rose added that she’s “excited to see what happens,” especially for her character, and has been reading “so many theories from fans” until she sees a script.
Samantha Scaffidi, who starred as Victoria Heyes in the first three films, also said she’d love to return after she too was killed — via decapitation — in the last movie.
“I hope so,” she told TooFab when asked if we could possibly see her horrifying bad girl return in part four. “It would be nice to be in the fourth and finish out with them, because they’re like family and we’ve been together since the beginning. I know that whatever Damien does, with or without Vicky, it’s going to be phenomenal.”
And while she was killed off in absolutely brutal fashion in the second movie, franchise alum Casey Hartnett told TooFab what she would love to see in the finale. “I do want to see some badass fighting between Sienna and Art. I want Sienna to just go all in. And end him and live happily ever after,” she shared.
Whether the fourth film is indeed the nail in the coffin for Art the Clown and friends, however, is the big question. The characters have become horror icons, with the last film pulling in $90 million on a $2 million budget. Ending the series as the iron is hot seems unlikely, especially in a business that loves to milk every last drop out of a horror IP.
When asked whether he believes four is the end, Thornton seemed skeptical.
“Maybe for a little while, but I have a feeling Damian’s going to want a house in the Hamptons eventually and he’s gonna come up with some really cool ideas that he never got to utilize and he’s like, ‘Let’s go back and have some more fun,'” he told TooFab.
LaVera said she’s always “down for fun,” claiming Leone has said he “wouldn’t mind Sienna getting the Laurie Strode treatment” and getting more showdowns with Art in the future. “We’ll see, that would be a blessing,” she continued, adding, “I don’t know if its officially done, but I appreciate his process. Whatever he needs, I’m here for him.”
When asked the same question, Scaffidi said she believes the next movie “will be the final for these storylines … but it doesn’t mean it’s final forever.” She added, “It could be final for now and then in 10 years … it’s a horror film, a Terrifier film, there’s so many ways you can come back. I’m sure there will be other iterations.”
“I know nothing,” she also clarified.
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For now, the cast is just thrilled to see their franchise be embraced so quickly, after the first movie became a cult classic before really blowing up with parts 2 and 3.
“It makes me extremely happy. I’ve been a lifelong fan of Jason and Freddy Kreuger and Michael Myers, Leatherface and Chucky and Pinhead and all those guys,” said Thornton, who told TooFab he also gave some tips to the scare actors working at Halloween Horror Nights before opening night. “To see other people falling in love with this character like I fell in love with those characters is something special. Because horror fans are a different breed of fanbase. That’s a fan base that’s going to be dedicated to you for life and it makes me so excited to see that.”
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LaVera, meanwhile, said she was thrilled be be walking around the park and hearing people talk about the film in different languages, showing its worldwide appeal. She was also pumped to see all the Terrifier merch at Spirit Halloween this year, before calling her husband over to show of the Sienna Shaw t-shirt he picked up from the store. “I see Sienna there, her sword is sold there, that’s crazy!” she exclaimed.
“I’m a former elementary school teacher, so for me to see children cosplaying as Art has been amazing,” shared Thornton. “I’ve seen whole families cosplay as all of the characters — Pale Girl, Sienna, Art, Victoria — it’s so cool. That’s what I think is so cool, that’s how much they love these characters.”
“I can’t believe how much people have connected on a human level with these characters,” added LaVera. “They say I’ve lost a parent, I’m part of a sibling relationship that’s really important to me, and that truly means the world. It’s why I got into acting, to connect, make them feel represented and feel less alone.”
