Damien Leone, the mastermind behind Terrifier, has achieved a remarkable accomplishment by establishing a thriving independent horror franchise from the ground up.
From a short film to theatres
In a 2008 short film titled The 9th Circle, the Philadelphia native introduced the franchise's iconic character, Art the Clown (portrayed by David Howard Thornton). Despite Art's brief appearance, Leone's unsettling character design garnered significant attention, prompting him to further develop the clown character.
In just a couple of years, he created a short film called Terrifier (2011) to showcase his idea for a full-length feature film. Despite being discouraged by the widespread belief that clowns are not marketable, his determination only grew stronger.
Leone gained initial experience as a special effects makeup artist, and while working on Phil Falcone’s independent film Joe’s War, he formed a close bond with the producer-director. This relationship led to Falcone deciding to finance a Terrifier feature with a budget of $35,000. The slasher movie, released in 2016, exceeded expectations by earning approximately twelve times its production cost. This success motivated Leone and Falcone to consider a sequel with a similar budget. However, due to the film's growing popularity among fans, an Indiegogo campaign raised an additional $220,000 for the $250,000-budgeted sequel.
After a theatrical release in almost 900 theaters, Terrifier 2 gained positive momentum due to word of mouth, resulting in a 28% and 70% increase in its second and third weekends. This success led to a doubling of theaters for the fourth and fifth weekends. Before its recent re-release on November 1st, the film distributed by Bloody Disgusting had accumulated close to $16 million globally.
As a result, it was inevitable that Terrifier 3 would be made, and the Christmas-themed slasher has now been scheduled for release on Oct. 25, 2024. Following the direction of Terrifier 2, which incorporated supernatural and fantasy elements to a greater extent, Leone has indicated that the third installment will return to the gritty and more realistic atmosphere of the original film.
“I aim to capture the tone of 2016’s Terrifier,” Leone stated.
His decision to go back to the original film's atmosphere is influenced by observing other franchises that moved away from their origins.