Damien Leone is moving to the Hollywood studio system for his next original horror project.
Leone, who bootstrapped himself into the top echelons of horror thanks to the Terrifier franchise, has closed a deal to write, direct and produce Tortures of the Damned at Lionsgate. Plot details are unknown, but sources say it is different in tone from Terrifier and will sport a heftier budget than the low-budget Terrifier franchise. He will turn his attention to the project after completing work on the fourth Terrifier movie, which is in pre-production.
Horror maestro Sam Raimi will produce with Rob Tapert through their Ghost House.
Leone came from micro-budget obscurity to create the ultra-profitable, ultra-violent Terrifier movies. The franchise launched in 2016, but Terrifier 2 in 2022 became a life-changing movie for the director. Made for just $250,000, it earned $15.7 million globally and turned antagonist Art the Clown into a Halloween costume icon. He was a one-man show, serving as writer, director, co-producer, editor and sound designer on that movie, as well as working on the VFX.
The third installment beefed up its budget to $2 million and brought in $89.1 million globally.
Scott O’Brien and Pavan Kalidindi will oversee Leone’s Tortures of the Damned for Lionsgate, with Romel Adam and Jose Cañas overseeing for Ghost House and executive produce. Dan Freedman negotiated the deals on behalf of Lionsgate.
“We’re incredibly proud and excited to be partnering with Damien Leone on his first original film after the beloved Terrifier series. I join the huge contingency of horror fans — and Damien fans — inside Lionsgate who have been following his work and cheering him on,” said Erin Westerman, president, Lionsgate Motion Picture Group. “Damien is a true genre auteur with a singular vision, and we’re thrilled to help bring this bold new project to the screen while continuing to build on the incredible connection he has with fans around the world.”
In 2024, Leone spoke of the added pressures that came with a bigger budget and greater spotlight on Terrifier 3, which offers insight into his thinking about taking on bigger projects.
“In some regards, it was easier, but [Terrifier 3] was also the most stressful and intense film I’ve ever worked on. More money, more problems is real,” Leone told The Hollywood Reporter. “The two other films were very homemade. We made them at our own pace. We didn’t have anybody breathing down our neck, saying, ‘The movie needs to come out by this date.’ And I’m not saying this as a negative critique. This is just the nature of the beast.”
Leone is repped by WME and Zerner Law.
Raimi, who was last in theaters as a director with Send Help, is already in the Lionsgate business, set to direct a Magic remake for the studio. He is repped by CAA and Hansen Jacobson.
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