Non merci! France issues rare ban for new horror film

A new film comes out on French screens today and it’s causing a bit of a stir.

Terrifier 3, the third film in the horror-slasher-platter series, has been issued a rare ban in France – the first of its kind since 2006.

What makes this even more impressive is that films released in France don’t have to go through as much red tape compared to the UK, for instance. The BBFC (the British Board of Film Classification) issues some of the most precise – some might say illiberal – classification systems in Europe when it comes to film ratings, with six ratings.

Comparatively, France usually goes for two (12 and 16 ratings), knowing that things need to get pretty intense for a 16 classification. One of the last ones to get that rating was Julia Ducournau’s mind-meltingly brilliant Palme d’Or winner Titane.

But now, France’s film classification committee has ruled that Terrifier 3 be stamped with an “under-18 ban”. The last film to get that restrictive ruling was 2006’s Saw III – another third instalment in a horror franchise.

For those who aren’t familiar with the Terrifier series, it’s the sick brainchild of Damien Leone, which focuses on Art the Clown, a demonic serial killer who slices and dices on Halloween (2016’s Terrifier), resurrects and gets stabby once more on Halloween (2022’s Terrifier 2), and now has his infernal eyes set on ruining Christmas (this year’s Terrifier 3).

The series has been one of the biggest independent horror hits of recent years. The second instalment tallied more than $15 million (€13.6m) at the worldwide box office, with a budget of just $250,000 (€228,000).

Still, they’re not very good.

Fine, Terrifier 2 was actually a step up from the original. It’s a relentless gorefest, a subtext-free genre film that offers some creative kills and little else. If you’re into that sort of thing, it’s a bloody good time. If you prefer your horror with a bit more nuance, it serves no purpose other than to shock.

That’s as charitable as we get.

So, unless you’re 18 or over, young French gorehounds will have to get their fix elsewhere. And film’s French distributors aren’t happy about it.

Factoris Films, Shadowz Films and ESC Editions released a joint statement (via Bloody Disgusting): “We can only deplore this unexpected final decision, which will severely hamper the release of the film, eagerly awaited by tens of thousands of French viewers and scheduled for October 9 (and of course maintained).”

They go on to say that the film’s violence is “grand-guignolistic and unrealistic” and argued that “viewers will have all the distance and maturity they need to understand and appreciate this artistic approach”.

“In addition, for over 2 years now, we’ve been working daily and tirelessly to defend free, creative and radical genre cinema, systematically acclaimed by the press and audiences alike,’ the statement continued.

“The audience for these films, even if they are teenagers, are cinephiles who are passionate and respectful of the films and the cinemas that show them… We remind you that four of our recent releases, including Terrifier 2, were forbidden to minors under 16, and none of them caused the slightest outburst in cinemas.”

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Fair, even if there were reports of people passing out and throwing up during Terrifier 2 and patrons walking out of the UK premiere of Terrifier 3 last week – but those so-called reports are often trotted out by distributors to boost interest in their film. The same buzz-craving reports came out for the release of Titane and during the premiere in Cannes of this year’s fantastic The Substance (both far, far superior films in case clarification was needed), and no one was carted out of those screenings…

Granted, exceptional ratings can be a death knell for distributors fearing a negative impact on box office numbers. However, they can also boost interest. And let’s be real: no one can be that surprised that an extreme horror film like Terrifier 3 gets slapped with a special classification.

The only thing that does surprise is that it comes from France, a country which birthed the transgressive New French Extremity movement with titles like Sheitan, Martyrs and Inside. It takes a lot for the French to get squeamish.

Maybe the sanctity of Christmas is what did it…

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Does a Terrifier film deserve the added hype brought about by this decision? And will you be watching Terrifier 3?

Terrifier 3 is out now in French cinemas and comes out on Friday in the UK and US.