Sienna Shaw

The conception of Sienna Shaw dates back to 2008—with Damien Leone envisioning an angel-warrior-attired heroine to battle Art the Clown for a feature-length follow-up to his directorial debut short film The 9th Circle (2008).[8] The project got scrapped, and Leone abandoned the Sienna character concept.[8]

Following criticism from critics and fans for Terrifier's (2016) underdeveloped protagonists, Leone wanted to bring back Sienna as the heroine of Terrifier 2. Leone spent three consecutive months in 2017 writing a screenplay with much of his focus on developing Sienna.[8] He has stated that he based much of Sienna's characteristics on his two older sisters and that the character was very personal to him.[9] Leone wrote the character with mythic religious undertones, envisioning her as a teenage girl slowly transforming into the embodiment of an Old Testament angel that is the equivalent to Art's representation of a resurrected demon.[10]

Lauren LaVera was ultimately cast in the role; she said that Leone and actor David Howard Thornton described the dynamic between Art and Sienna as something inspired by the relationship between superhero Batman and supervillain Joker of DC Comics during a lunch shortly after her casting.[11] Leone stated that out of all the actors he has worked with, LaVera showed the most interest and care for one of his characters—consistently questioning him about his intentions for Sienna and even journaling for the part to understand who she believed Sienna to be.[8] LaVera had Leone make a playlist for her that he envisioned the character listening to.[11] LaVera describes Sienna as reflecting Leone in personality.[11]

Collider's Raquel Hollman describes Sienna as the Wonder Woman of horror films and that she provides a "supernatural element" to the final girl trope due to her resurrection after death.[14] Hollman contrasts her with Victoria Heyes, the sole survivor of the first film—"Director Damien Leone not only gives us a final girl gone bad in Vicky, but a final girl seemingly just as powerful as her foe in Sienna."[15] Hollman writes that while the first film is solely Art's narrative, the second film shifts the focus to Sienna and that she is Art's equivalent in that "Art and Sienna are oppositional forces who parallel each other on a spatial and spiritual level. For all the heartlessness Art holds, Sienna is a character driven by her relationships with those around her."[15]

Writing for Fangoria, Andrew Crump writes that Sienna was the most influential heroine of 2022, writing that "When Sienna accepts her role as She Who Will Kill Art, she effectively becomes a new final girl variant. It isn't just inevitable that she and Art end Terrifier 2 together. It's destined in mythic fashion. LaVera carries that motif through with dazzling star power, ending 2022 as its greatest final girl, a serious accomplishment given that she's following up Neve Campbell and Jamie Lee Curtis. She may be the year's most influential final girl, too - the one to usher in a generation of final girls prepared to slash their slashers back."[16]

Jeffrey Anderson of Common Sense Media describes Sienna as being a positive role model for viewers and states, "Right away, it's easy to see what a great new character Sienna is; her warrior costume is only half of it."[17] Scott Mendelson of Forbes wrote, "Lauren LaVera makes for an agreeable and sympathetic primary target/protagonist/final girl."[18] Writing for /Film, Matthew Bilodeau highlights LaVera's performance as bringing a sense of personality and writes that Sienna will likely become a popular character for cosplay.[19]

Jaden Oberkrom of North Texas Daily praised LaVera, writing that her performance "immediately gets the audience invested in her character."[20] Dakota Mayes of MovieWeb writes that "Lauren LaVera breathes life into Sienna and plays her as a final girl like no other."[21] Writing for Comic Book Resources, writer Maddie Davis highlights the character's resurrection after death as making her notably different to prior horror heroines.[22] Matt Donato of IGN stated, "Lauren LaVera rules as Sienna in her angel-winged fantasy armor as a final girl fighting for family, facing her demons, and screaming bloody war cries in Art's mocking face."[23]

The character has been well-received by audiences, with LaVera recalling that she was shown the first Sienna tattoo in 2020, following the release of Terrifier 2's teaser trailer.[24] In response to the favorable reception to her character, LaVera stated, "That's all an actor ever wants. Not so much for fans to get tattoos, even though I am honored; it's more about the fact that they feel this connection to her. They feel strength from her. They feel that they see themselves in her, and that's all an actor ever wants, to make their audience feel less alone. That's why I got into acting. I'm collecting all the pictures. I have them on my phone, all the Sienna costumes. I'm slowly compiling them, and I'll eventually make a post of them, honoring everybody that's been honoring Sienna. It's an unreal experience."[24]