Terrifier Director Declares His Films Non-Political
As much as we all want politics out of the arts (at least in the way they’ve been for the past decade or so), we’re in a moment where virtually everything is politically charged, even things making a concerted effort to stay out of politics. One recent instance of this involves the Terrifier films. If you’re not aware of them, the Terrifier movies are low-budget slasher flicks about a killer clown who isn’t It or the Joker – his name is Art, and he’s becoming something of an icon among horror fans. The Terrifier movies are very popular, though, with each installment earning more money than the last, despite a climbing (though still small) budget: Terrifier cost $35,000–$55,000 in 2016, and it made $421,798; Terrifier 2 had a $250,000 budget and made $15.7 million; and last year’s Terrifier 3 cost $2 million and pulled in $89.9 million. This is an extremely successful horror series, in large part because of the small budgets the films maintain. All three Terrifier movies were written, produced, and directed by Damien Leone, who recently teased fans with a picture on Instagram showing the script for Terrifier 4, which appears to be the final installment of the series.
Thank you for all the bday wishes Figure I’d give you a present in return! The script for Terrifier 4 is in the works and it’s shaping up to be a most epic, thrilling, nasty, horrifying, emotional and utterly satisfying conclusion. P.s., I will finally reveal Art’s origin pic.twitter.com/TBnG4zfp34
— Damien Leone (@damienleone) January 29, 2025
Fans seemed excited for Terrifier 4, with many asking if they could appear as extras in the movie so Art the Clown could kill them. But Leone must have gotten messages about the film’s political stance because, in a follow-up post, he affirmed that the Terrifier movies are not political and that anyone of any political persuasion is welcome as a cast/crew member or a fan. This appears to be in response to comments made by the actor who plays Art the Clown in the Terrifier movies, David Howard Thornton, who invoked Nazi Germany when talking about the current political situation in America and the LGBTETC community. (He offered no specifics because… you know… what would those even be?) More likely than Thornton’s statements, it was probably people harassing Leone about them that made him declare the Terrifier films politics-free. You can see his statement below:
Hopefully I never have to bring up politics publicly ever again but this desperately needed to be said on behalf of the Terrifier franchise pic.twitter.com/b7soIj9P33
— Damien Leone (@damienleone) February 3, 2025
That sounds downright logical, doesn’t it? But if you’d like to know where the problem comes from, scroll through the comments to Leone’s post. The left is apoplectic that his killer clown slasher movies won’t be political, accusing Leone of “taking sides” in his endeavor not to take sides. This is called totalitarianism, the demand that your political beliefs consume absolutely every aspect of society. It isn’t enough that Leone’s movies are for everybody; they must specifically exclude anyone the left doesn’t like. Leone defends himself in a few comments – in one, responding to someone bringing up the gay people Thronton says he worked with on the Terrifier movies, Leone amusingly says, paraphrased, “Who do you think hired them?”– but after a while, the zombie horde just takes over. I’m sure it’s infuriating now, but hopefully, Terrifier 4 will make even more than Terrifier 3 did, and another wave of tears will flow. Meanwhile, people who aren’t foaming-at-the-mouth lunatics seem to like Leone’s stance:
Imagine if more people in the film industry were like this. https://t.co/88PC0ejzUE
— The Critical Drinker (@TheCriticalDri2) February 4, 2025
I have no idea what Leone’s politics are (although apparently, he’s from my home town, Staten Island, so it’s very possible he’s right-of-center, but again, I don’t want to assume), and that’s a good thing. These movies, by Leone’s admission, are just meant to be entertaining horror films anyone can enjoy. Leone is doing what a real artist does and keeping his personal beliefs from ruining his creations. And, while this may sound silly, Leone’s statement and the shrill reaction of the angry rodents in his comments have me considering watching the Terrifier series; these movies aren’t typically my thing, but I like supporting people who want to save the art form, if only in their little corner of it.
Let us know what you think of Damien Leone’s statement about politics in the Terrifier movies in the comments!
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