Almost exactly a year ago, our blood reign began with Bloody Disgusting SCREAM BOX, our very own streaming platform, now packed with a unique mix of great horror movies. The most notable is horror 2who challenged the cinema model last Halloween season and changed the game for independent horror cinema.
I will never forget watching Terrifier 2 for the first time, creator/director Damien Leoneis the slasher epic that continued Art the Clown’s bloody killing spree from the original Terrifier film. I sat in silence for several minutes trying to process what I had seen. I was shocked and absolutely certain that I had just experienced something really special.
What was exciting about Terrifier 2 was how defiant and uncompromising it felt. It had a punk rock vibe throughout. At a time when everyone feels like they’re walking on eggshells, Team Terrifier has put the viewer right in front of their noses and didn’t give a damn who it offended. There was something so refreshing about this experience and aroused me in a way I hadn’t felt in a long time. I knew Terrifier 2 was, and absolutely had to be, a generational experience.
I can’t even begin to describe how the success of the film is confirmed. Behind the scenes, other companies laughed at us. We were told that we could not bring the film to theaters uncut and unrated. But we knew. Oh, we knew. Terrifier 2 was special and would shock the system.
$15 million at the box office. Seen from The Howard Stern Show to Saturday Night Live. Art the Clown had officially become a pop culture icon.
This all happened independently.
Damien Leone’s Terrifier franchise is and will remain anti-Hollywood as the filmmakers have decided to give fans exactly what they want with a fully independent sequel produced without studio interference.
yes we are returning it
We are very pleased to be able to announce this today Cineverse, Bloody Disgusting and SCREAMBOX have acquired the North American rights to Terrifier 3 by filmmakers Damien Leone and Phil Falcone! Variety first reported the big news this morning.
The film is slated to hit theaters in North America next year, followed by its exclusive debut on Cineverse’s SCREAMBOX streaming service.
For the third part of the Terrifier films, creator Leone and producer Falcone want to build on the success of the second film and build on it. Staying true to their fanbase, the teams aim to recreate the magic of Terrifier 2 while pushing the boundaries of the horror genre to even more extreme levels.
“We are very excited to be collaborating again with Cineverse and Bloody Disgusting,” said Leone. “Apart from the yearning for new and exciting horror villains like Art the Clown, a big part of Terrifier 2’s success has been due to its unprecedented theatrical release and its uncompromising stance. These days, many studios are unwilling to take such a risk, while Cineverse not only took it, they embraced it. It’s pretty clear that we’re now entering a renaissance of the slasher genre. maybe the biggest since the 90s. Filmmakers like me are constantly pushing the boundaries, so it’s encouraging when a company respects a director’s vision and understands what makes a certain type of film successful.”
“Terrifier 2 was produced for just $250,000 and went on to be a box office phenomenon, grossing more than $15 million worldwide,” added Chris McGurk, Cineverse chairman and CEO. “It generated sales of about 60 times the cost of production, despite being powered almost entirely by social marketing. We are very pleased that Damien and Phil have chosen to stay true to the franchise and keep the film uncut and independent rather than going the studio route. We’re confident that Terrifier 3 will deliver another horror experience like no other, and we look forward to the creative vision Damien and Phil will elicit from audiences when we bring Terrifier 3 to the big screen in Fall 2024.”
“Indie horror changed the game last year, and that’s thanks in no small part to Terrifier 2,” said Brad Miska, managing director of Bloody Disgusting/Cineverse. “The team created something that has endured for decades and cemented an icon in Art the Clown that we’ll be talking about 20 years from now.” The earthquake-like impact this franchise will have on the genre is now only jarring sense. We’re confident that Terrifier 2, and now Terrifier 3, are films that people will see regularly. They’re movies that fans want to marathon in the run-up to Halloween every fall. We are delighted to once again be working with Damien and Phil on another big screen sensation with a comprehensive 360 degree marketing campaign.”
The rights agreement was negotiated by Brandon Hill, Director of Acquisitions, on behalf of Cineverse and The Coven’s Priscilla Ross Smith on behalf of the filmmakers. Leone is currently represented by WME.