Damien Leone Terrifying 3 broke new ground in the horror genre along with many box office records, but one element about its heroine, Sienna Shaw, makes her unique among major horror's "final girls." Sienna Shaw by Lauren LaVera was featured in Terrifying 2 as a potential victim with a mysterious connection to the demonic Art the Clown, only to evolve into his starring role at the end of the acclaimed sequel. Their epic battle is relived in Terrifying 3 five years later, and Sienna once again proves herself capable of stopping Art.
Many horror franchises have included the concept of a lone survivor of a killer's rampage, eventually giving rise to the "final girl" trope within the subgenre. Although often the heroine's victory is simply to survive, some of the most famous final girls, such as HalloweenLaurie Strode or ScreamSidney Prescott, returned several times to fight and defeat their tormentors. Sienna Shaw fits the latter's mold, but Terrifying 3 introduced a potential new trait that sets her apart from any other destructive heroine.
Terrifier 3 Teases Sienna Could Be Immortal, Just Like Art The Clown
No major Slasher franchise has ever given an Immortal Slasher an immortal target
The climax of Terrifying 2 saw Sienna and Art fighting at the abandoned carnival and Terrifying funhouse that is part of Art's story. Art technically managed to kill Sienna; he stabs her with his father's sword before throwing her into a portal to what appears to be Art's personal corner of Hell, "The Clown Cafe." Sienna died there, but was resurrected by the power of her father's sword and returned to the Terrifier to decapitate Art.
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Terrifying Key Franchise Details |
|||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Film |
Release date |
Budget |
Gross box office |
RT Tomatometer Score |
RT Popcorn Meter Score |
|
Terrifying |
2016 |
$35,000 to $55,000 |
$416,000 |
60% |
53% |
|
Terrifying 2 |
2022 |
$250,000 |
US$15.7 million |
86% |
80% |
|
Terrifying 3 |
2024 |
US$2 million |
$64 million (and counting) |
79% |
86% |
In Terrifying 3Sienna managed to escape the trap set for her by Art and Vicky, despite Art massacring her hands while she was tied up. She is soon shown magically healing her own hands, which, combined with her previous resurrection, could indicate that she is immortal. Her resurrection in the Terrifier is a direct reflection of Art's resurrection in the morgue after his suicide at the end of Terrifyingwhich could mean that she and Art are on equal terms.
Art and Sienna, both immortal, differentiate the terrifying from other slashers
It's rare for a slasher's victim to be unkillable
The practice of making a slasher practically impossible to kill is common in the horror subgenre. The reason why franchises like Halloween, Friday the 13thor A Nightmare on Elm Street extending over so many sequences is because his killers are never truly defeated, even though they may be stopped or killed on some level at the end of the film. In that sense, Art the Clown is like Michaal Myers, Jason Voorhees, or Freddy Krueger; he may have started out as mortal, but over time he developed into something supernatural and effectively immortal.
What defines the Terrifying The franchise aside is giving Art a target that can't be killed by a kitchen knife, machete, chainsaw, or sharp gloves. In fact, Sienna appears to be her cosmic inverse, as the religious and messianic symbolism surrounding her angel-warrior persona makes her the ideal opponent for a serial killer clown driven by some sort of demonic entity. Terrifying 3 increased the symbolism to make it clear that Sienna's battle against Art is a microcosm of the never-ending battle between the forces of Heaven and Hell/Good and Evil that is unique in horror franchises.
What Art and Sienna Being Immortal Would Mean for the Franchise After Terrifier 3
There are many more narrative possibilities than traditional horror sagas
If Art, the Clown and Sienna Shaw are truly immortal, then the future of Terrifying franchise becomes even more exciting. So far, both Art and Sienna have become more powerful as time has passed, with Art adding an ally in Vicky/The Little Pale Girl and Sienna gaining a self-healing ability and arming herself with her father's (seemingly magical) sword. If neither is able to kill the other, then the supernatural arms race will almost certainly continue, especially considering the path Sienna is currently on.
The regenerative healing powers that Sienna and Art demonstrated in Terrifying 3 means that the Terrifying the franchise may be far from over.
Terrifying 3The cliffhanger ending implied that Sienna is on her way to rescue her cousin Gabbie from Hell itself. This in itself is an exciting prospect for Terrifying 4 and beyond, but if Art and Sienna are invincible, they'll need to keep increasing their power until something gives. The regenerative healing powers that Sienna and Art demonstrated in Terrifying 3 means that the Terrifying the franchise can't be anywhere near over, and Sienna and Art's battle as avatars of the forces of good and evil could return from Hell to new locations.