While horror fans are waiting for “Terrifier 4,” it looks like Damien Leone already has set up his first big studio movie — “Tortures of the Damned” for Lionsgate, with Sam Raimi and Rob Tapert producing through Ghost House Pictures.
There are no plot details yet, but THR reports the movie will have a different tone from ‘Terrifier’ and a noticeably bigger budget than Leone’s famously low-budget horror franchise.
And honestly, good for Leone. I’m not a fan of the “Terrifier” movies, but he’s a self-made man who stuck with his vision and created a very popular franchise.
The original ‘Terrifier’ was made for roughly $35,000–$55,000, depending on the source. Even “Terrifier 2” reportedly cost only around $250,000, yet it became a viral horror phenomenon that massively overperformed at the box office. Then “Terrifier 3,” made on a $2M budget, broke out commercially ($90M worldwide) with a much larger theatrical presence and mainstream attention.
That’s an almost unheard-of rise in modern horror: taking an ultra-indie splatter film and turning it into a globally recognized franchise led by the now-famous Art the Clown, played by David Howard Thornton.
Leone built that audience largely through practical effects, relentless word of mouth, and a very specific uncompromising style that horror fans rallied behind. Whether someone loves or hates the Terrifier movies, it’s hard not to respect the hustle and the scale of what he accomplished with such tiny budgets.
Now he’s getting the chance to work with a major studio. That’s a pretty major career leap for someone who came up through DIY indie gore movies.