“Terrifier ”director sparks backlash over claim franchise isn't political, urges fans to avoid 'toxic rhetoric'

Terrifier franchise director Damien Leone has ignited controversy and sparked debate with a message posted to his Facebook on Monday.

"I want to make a very important statement regarding the Terrifier franchise in this ugly political climate we're living in," Leone began. "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."

Then Leone demurred: "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 [political] 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."

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Leone, who has directed three films in clown slasher franchise and seven overall featuring its star, Art the Clown (David Howard Thornton), explained that "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," he concluded. "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."

Leone's post circulated widely throughout social media platforms, where fans heavily scrutinized the director's message. Some fans argued that while all horror films have an inherent political dimension, the Terrifier films traffic in explicit political themes, pointing to a scene from Terrifier 3 in which Lauren LaVera's Sienna is coronated as a Christ-like figure when a crown of thorns is placed on her head.

Reps for Leone, LaVera, and Thornton did not immediately respond to Entertainment Weekly's request for comment.

Others speculated as to which Terrifier cast and crew with "extreme" and "often harsh" opinions Leone might be referring. Many pointed to posts by Thornton, who is open and expressive with his left-leaning political views on his Facebook account.

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Hours after Leone's post, Thornton shared two messages with his followers, one stating, "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 can keep scrolling. It's as simple as that."

The other post indicated Thornton's desire for "a break from all of this." "We're in for some really bad times. I'm tired, especially of the slander and bullies," he wrote. "I've said my piece and y'all know where I stand. Hopefully we'll get through this time of troubles unscathed. Keep fighting for what is correct and know I love y'all."

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Leone engaged with some of the disagreement over his original post when he reshared it on X Monday morning. When one of Leone's followers shared, "I feel this is in response to some of the LGBTQ advocacy that [Thornton] has been standing up for lately on his platform," Leone dismissed the connection.

"It's definitely not since I agree with his stance on that," he wrote. "Who do you think hires all of our LGBTQ cast n crew members? They are loved, respected and encouraged to work with us."

In response to another user, who self-identified as gay and expressed concern that Leone may be "condoning treating me like I'm not worthy," the director shared, "We love you back! Why would we condone that? All I'm saying is my team who killed themselves bringing everyone Terrifier is made up of both republicans and democrats and this franchise doesn't promote hatred for either as long as you're a good person."

Leone shared on Jan. 29 that a fourth Terrifier film "is in the works," after the independently-produced Terrifier 3 debuted at no. 1 at the box office this past October, above mega-budget clown competitor Joker: Folie à Deux.

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