TerrifierdirectorDamien Leoneseems to be in hot water right now with some of the franchise’s fan base,who are calling him out for refusing to “pick a side” in the current political climate. Recently, MAGA enthusiastshave been attacking Art the Clown actor David Howard Thornton on social mediafor his outspoken views on President Donald Trump and the current administration, which includes Elon Musk. Leone released a statement onFacebook(seen below) in which the director says he’s “all for freedom of speech and expression” and didn’t get into filmmaking to “become a politician or promote any political agendas.”
“I want to make a very important statement regarding theTerrifierfranchise inthis ugly political climatewe’re living in,” he began, adding, “As most of you know, some of my cast and crew members have a very passionate political presence on social media with extreme and sometimes harsh opinions, which is their right.”
“I’m all for freedom of speech and expression. That being said, Terrifier is NOT in any way shape or form a political franchise. I did not get into filmmaking to become a politician or promote any politcal agendas or ideologies, especially through a killer clown movie. I fell in love with horror movies as a form of pure entertainment and those are the films I like to make.
“Since Terrifier 1, our cast and crew has and still consists of both republicans and democrats and anyone is welcome to be a part of it regardless of their political affiliations as long as they’re a decent human being. That goes for our fan base as well. If this doesn’t sit well with any fans or cast/crew members that is your right and I respect it. You don’t have to buy a ticket and you don’t have to work on these films. Thank you and I recommend you don’t let toxic rhetoric on either side of the political spectrum deter you from being a Terrifier fan.”
Terrifier 3 Director Damien Leone Talks Christmas Horror & Continuing the Franchise
The auteur discusses taking Christmas horror to a gory new extreme and preparing for Terrifier 4.
Thornton has been posting his thoughts on Trump for some time now, with one of his most recentThreadsposts gaining the bulk of the attention. He doesn’t seem to be bothered by all the backlash, and urges people to continue their doom-scrolling if they don’t like what he has to say:
“I grew up around Germans that stayed silent. I learned from them what happens when one stays silent. That is why I continue to refuse to stay silent. If you don’t like that, you’re able to keep scrolling. It’s as simple as that.”
‘Terrifier’ Fans Are Not Happy With Damien Leone
Reactions to Leone’s statement have been swift on social media, with some praising the director for his “well-spoken” thoughts, while others have been taking him to task for not decrying the bad behavior of the MAGA horde taking personal shots at Thornton.“The creator ofTerrifiersaying he fell in love with horror movies as entertainment and he doesn’t do it to make political statements… I’m sorry but so much of the horror genre IS making a political statement. If you don’t wanna be doing that, find a new career,“said user @delbz on X.
User @Killjoyjake1 said that while it’s important to have an “escape” these days – like Leone said –“silence right now is compliance. We must speak up for the rights of our fellow Americans!““Disappointed but not surprised, I loveTerrifierbut being a fence sitter isn’t it dude,” added @gothfenian. User @sspiriorum was left confused by Leone saying the franchise isn’t political, when in their minds the genre itself has always lent itself to exploring the real-world horrors we face every day:
“i rlly dont get damien yapping abt terrifier ‘not being political’ when horror has ALWAYS been that. notice the recent influx of horror where womens bodies r forcibly taken control of (blink twice/immaculate/nosferatu etc) or their warped beauty standards (substance/grafted)”
TheTerrifierfranchise becoming a hotbed of political debate is similar to what happened in 2023 whenScreamstar Melissa Barerra was fired from the latest sequel after sharing her views on the Israel-Hamas war. Things got ugly then, as they are now, and no matter which side of the aisle you’re on, it appears as if things are going to get even more heatedwithTerrifier 4on the horizon, with many already calling for Thornton to exit the production after – in their eyes – his director failed to come to his defense.
