We hope he’s got his cap and gown ready because it looks like horror icon Art the Clown is going to university, as the Terrifier movies are set to receive an academic conference.
The University of Warwick in the UK is getting ready to host the world’s first Terrifier conference, as announced in a press release from Signature Entertainment. "The Terrifier Conference 2025 will welcome global scholars to Warwick to take an alternative approach to enthusiastic critical dismemberment by engaging with the Terrifier film franchise as an object of scholarly importance," reads the statement.
The aim of the conference is to examine the franchise’s out-of-the-box presentation of certain horror tropes, such as women in horror, the construction of practical gore effects, religion in horror, kill scenes, and discuss the overall "unsettling visual creepiness" of Art the clown. The presentation will feature contributions from academics all over the world, including Brazil, France, and the US.
It's not only UK fans we will be able to get in on the fun, as one day of the conference will be streamed internationally. The event takes place over two days with an online session on Friday, May 2, and an in-person presentation on Saturday, May 3.
Born from a 2011 Terrifier short, the first feature-length movie premiered in 2016, and since then, the franchise has become one of the most popular modern horror series. Last year, Terrifier 3 soared above expectations and had a majorly successful theatrical run, gaining $90.3 million worldwide against its $2 million budget.
Directed by Damien Leone, the movies follow evil entity Art the Clown (David Howard Thornton) as he terrorises the residents of Miles County on Halloween night. Terrifier 2 saw Art set his sights on final girl Sienna (Lauren LaVera), and then number 3 shook the franchise up a bit with its Christmas setting. Although a release date is not set, Terrifier 4 is on the way, which may be the final chapter in the gore-tastic film series.
As well as Terrifier’s presentation, Signature Entertainment's Head of Publicity will also be in attendance to conduct a special seminar on how their Terrifier 3 marketing approaches helped the movie gain mass success across the UK and Ireland. Signature is also releasing a special Terrifier 1 and 2 box set called Terrifier: The Bloody Duo, which will be available to buy on May 26.
The Terrifier conference takes place both online and at Warwick University on May 2-3, 2025. You can sign up for the event here. For more, check out our list of the best horror movies, or our guide to all the upcoming horror movies heading our way.
