Terrifier parents guide: ratings for all three films

• ✓Official rating above age 7
  Unrated by MPA; BBFC: 18; FSK: 18
• ✓Violence in rating descriptors
  BBFC: strong gory violence
• ✓Scary content in rating descriptors
  BBFC: strong sustained threat, horror
• ✓Bad language in rating descriptors
  BBFC: strong and very strong language
• ✓Sexual content, drugs, or alcohol in rating descriptors
  BBFC: strong sex, nudity, drug misuse
• ✓Rated 12 or higher in the UK or Germany
  BBFC: 18; FSK: 18

Each flag is a yes-or-no fact from the sources on this page. The number is a count of flags, not a safety score. How we count. Rating reasons marked mild, very mild, or brief don't count.

Checked October 2026. Ratings and settings change; check the official source before you decide. What do these ratings mean?

Facts for parents, not medical or legal advice. If you're worried about your child, talk to your pediatrician.

What Terrifier is about

Terrifier is a horror series written and directed by Damien Leone. In each film, Art the Clown, played by David Howard Thornton, stalks and kills people on a holiday: Halloween in Terrifier (2016) and Terrifier 2 (2022), Christmas in Terrifier 3 (October 2024). Terrifier 3 cost about $2 million and made about $90 million worldwide, according to Wikipedia. A fourth film is in development; as of October 2026, we couldn't confirm a release date.

Terrifier parents guide: what's in it

Short answer: Unrated in the US; 18 in the UK and Germany for all three films.

• Terrifier (2016): BBFC 18, strong gory violence, injury detail. FSK 18; a cut version is FSK 16.
• Terrifier 2 (2022): BBFC 18, strong gory violence, injury detail, very strong language. FSK 18.
• Terrifier 3 (2024): BBFC 18, strong gory violence, injury detail. FSK 18.
• Common Sense Media: 17+, 17+, and 18+.

The BBFC lists people being mutilated and dismembered, sustained sadistic violence, strong sustained threat, strong language, sexualized nudity and a strong sex scene, and drug misuse.

Why isn't Terrifier rated R?

Short answer: It isn't rated by the MPA at all. Filmratings.com, the MPA's rating database, has no entry for any Terrifier film, and Common Sense Media lists all three as NR (not rated).

When Terrifier 3 opened unrated, The A.V. Club reported, citing The Hollywood Reporter, that most theaters, including AMC, Regal, and Cinemark, treated it like an R-rated film and wouldn't sell tickets to minors who came alone.

Why young kids know Art the Clown

Spirit Halloween sold an officially licensed, 6.2-foot Art the Clown animatronic in 2024 for $200; it honks a horn and waves, per Halloween Daily News. The Philadelphia Inquirer called Art "the Spirit mascot" and reported children as young as 5 at a June 2026 Spirit Halloween event on the Wildwood boardwalk, some lining up for a photo with Art.

The habit kids may copy: the silent clown

Art the Clown doesn't talk. Common Sense Media calls him a "silent, evil killer clown"; the store animatronic just honks and waves.

Try tonight: person or machine?

If your child has seen Art the Clown in a store, look at a photo of the animatronic together. Ask: "Is that a real person, or a machine someone built?" Find the parts that show it's made: the stand, the plug, the switch. In our program, this is the lesson "True or Made Up": checking a fear against the facts.

What is Terrifier rated?

It has no MPA rating in the US. The BBFC and Germany's FSK rate all three films 18 (adults only).

Is Terrifier 3 rated R?

No. Terrifier 3 opened in US theaters unrated, and filmratings.com has no entry for it. The BBFC rates it 18 for strong gory violence and injury detail.

What age is Terrifier for?

The BBFC and FSK rate all three 18 (adults only). Common Sense Media lists Terrifier and Terrifier 2 for 17+ and Terrifier 3 for 18+.

Who is Art the Clown?

The killer in the Terrifier films, played by David Howard Thornton. Spirit Halloween sells a licensed Art the Clown animatronic.

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