Damien Leone | |
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 Leone in 2024 | |
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Damien Leone is an American filmmaker, film editor, and special effects artist. He is best known for writing and directing All Hallows' Eve (2013), Terrifier (2016), Terrifier 2 (2022), and Terrifier 3 (2024), each of which feature his character Art the Clown. [1]
In 2016, Terrifier was released. Among other credits, Leone wrote and directed the film, which eventually became a cult film and for which he was nominated for a Fangoria Chainsaw Award for Best Makeup FX. [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] In 2022, Leone returned for the sequel, Terrifier 2 . Terrifier 2 was received favorably by critics and was a hit at the box office, grossing more than $15 million on a $250,000 budget. [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] Leone was again nominated for a Fangoria Chainsaw Award Best Makeup FX, for his work on Terrifier 2, which he later won. [15] [16]
Leone next directed and wrote Terrifier 3 and co-produced Stream , both 2024 films for which he also provided special effects. [17] [18] [19] [20] [21] [22] [23] [24]
Leone grew up in the Great Kills section of Staten Island, New York. [25]
| Year | Film | Director | Writer | Producer | Editor | Makeup/Special Effects | Notes | References |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Love | No | No | No | No | Yes | [26] | |
| 2008 | The 9th Circle | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Short film, first appearance of Art the Clown | |
| 2011 | Terrifier | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Short film | |
| 2013 | All Hallows' Eve | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Anthology film | [27] [28] |
| 2015 | Frankenstein vs. The Mummy | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | [29] [30] | |
| Laugh Killer Laugh | No | No | No | No | Yes | [26] | ||
| All Hallows' Eve 2 | No | No | Yes | No | No | Anthology film | [31] | |
| 2016 | Terrifier | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | [32] | |
| 2022 | Terrifier 2 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | [33] | |
| 2024 | Stream | No | No | Yes | No | Yes | [34] [35] | |
| Terrifier 3 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | [17] [18] [19] [22] [23] [36] |
| Year | Award | Category | Nominated work | Result | References |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | ShockerFest | Audience Choice Award | Terrifier | Won | |
| 2012 | Louisville Fright Night Film Fest | Best "Grindhouse" Film | Won | ||
| 2015 | Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Awards | Best Independent Film | Frankenstein vs. The Mummy | Nominated | |
| 2019 | Fangoria Chainsaw Awards | Best Limited Release | Terrifier | Nominated | [2] |
| Best Makeup FX | Nominated | ||||
| 2022 | Greater Western New York Film Critics Association Awards | Breakthrough Director | Terrifier 2 | Nominated | [37] |
| 2023 | Fangoria Chainsaw Awards | Best Makeup FX | Won | [15] [16] |
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All Hallows' Eve is a 2013 American horror anthology film written, edited, and directed by Damien Leone. The film is presented as a series of shorts that two children and their babysitter discover on an unmarked videotape on Halloween night, all of which feature a homicidal clown named Art the Clown. The film stars Katie Maguire, Catherine Callahan, Marie Maser, and Kayla Lian, with Mike Giannelli as Art the Clown. It incorporates footage from the 2008 short film The 9th Circle, as well as the 2011 short film Terrifier, both of which were also directed by Leone and featured Art the Clown.
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Terrifier is a 2016 American slasher film written, edited, co-produced, and directed by Damien Leone. The film stars Jenna Kanell, Samantha Scaffidi, Catherine Corcoran, and David Howard Thornton. The plot centers on partygoer Tara Heyes (Kanell) and her sister Victoria (Scaffidi), who become targets of the enigmatic serial killer known only as Art the Clown (Thornton) on Halloween night.
Art the Clown is a fictional character and the primary antagonist in the Terrifier franchise and related media. Created by Damien Leone, the character first appeared in the short films The 9th Circle (2008) and Terrifier (2011). Both shorts were included in the anthology film All Hallows' Eve (2013), which marked the character's feature film debut. In these early appearances, he was portrayed by Mike Giannelli before his retirement from acting. He was replaced by David Howard Thornton, who portrayed Art in Terrifier (2016), Terrifier 2 (2022), and Terrifier 3 (2024).
Terrifier 2 is a 2022 American supernatural slasher film written, edited, and directed by Damien Leone. It is the sequel to Terrifier (2016) and the second installment in the Terrifier film series. It includes the return of David Howard Thornton and Samantha Scaffidi, who portrayed Art the Clown and Victoria Heyes, respectively, in the first film, and stars Lauren LaVera, Elliott Fullam, Sarah Voigt, Kailey Hyman, and Casey Hartnett. The plot follows Art's resurrection and pursuit on Halloween night of teenage Sienna Shaw (LaVera), who discovers that she is destined to defeat him.
Sienna Shaw is a fictional character and the main protagonist of the Terrifier franchise. Sienna first appears in Terrifier 2 (2022) as a teenager interested in cosplay who battles the enigmatic villain Art the Clown. She is portrayed by Lauren LaVera, who will reprise the role in further installments. Sienna's creator, Damien Leone, invested a lot of time into fully developing her as a character as he regretted leaving the first film's heroine Victoria Heyes underdeveloped. The character originates from an abandoned film Leone was developing in the late 2000s, featuring the concept of a Valkyrie-angel warrior attired heroine battling Art.
Hellraiser is a 2022 supernatural horror film directed by David Bruckner, with a screenplay by Ben Collins and Luke Piotrowski, from a screen story co-written with David S. Goyer. A reboot of the Hellraiser franchise, the eleventh installment overall, and the second adaptation of the 1986 novella The Hellbound Heart by Clive Barker following the 1987 film, the film stars Odessa A'zion as a young woman recovering from addiction who ends up with a mechanical puzzle box that can summon the Cenobites, humanoid beings who thrive on pain being pleasure. Jamie Clayton, Adam Faison, Drew Starkey, Brandon Flynn, Aoife Hinds, Jason Liles, Yinka Olorunnife, Selina Lo, Zachary Hing, Kit Clarke, Goran Višnjić, and Hiam Abbass appear in supporting roles.
Stream is a 2024 American slasher film co-produced, co-written, edited and directed by Michael Leavy, and starring Jeffrey Combs, Charles Edwin Powell, Tim Reid, Dee Wallace, Wesley Holloway, Sydney Malakeh, Jason Leavy, David Howard Thornton, Liana Pirraglia, Mark Haynes, Daniel Roebuck, Mark Holton, Felissa Rose, Danielle Harris, and Tony Todd in one of his final works before he died. It tells the story of a family vacationing at a small hotel as its apparent owner unleashes four masked killers on them while live-streaming the activities.
Terrifier is an American horror media franchise created by Damien Leone and consisting of slasher films, comic books, novels, and video games. The franchise mainly focuses on Sienna Shaw, a young woman destined to defeat the enigmatic Art the Clown, a demonic serial killer that inhabits the fictitious Miles County, New York. Additionally, the series follows the Little Pale Girl, a sinister entity accompanying Art, and Victoria Heyes, a disfigured survivor struggling with her mental health who the Little Pale Girl possesses, becoming Art's accomplice.
Lauren LaVera is an American actress, stunt performer, martial artist, and writer. Following her breakthrough role as the resourceful heroine Sienna Shaw in the Terrifier franchise, she has become primarily known for her work within the horror genre. LaVera has received accolades for her performances, such as a Fangoria Chainsaw Award.
Terrifier 3 is a 2024 American Christmas slasher film co-produced, written, edited, and directed by Damien Leone. It is the sequel to Terrifier 2 (2022) and the third installment in the Terrifier film series. The film stars David Howard Thornton, Lauren LaVera, Elliott Fullam, and Samantha Scaffidi. On the days leading up to Christmas, Sienna Shaw attempts to rebuild her life, while pursued by Art the Clown alongside his new accomplice, a possessed Victoria Heyes.
Victoria Heyes is a fictional character in the Terrifier franchise. Initially a heroine, Victoria first appears in Terrifier (2016) as a college student who is left facially disfigured and driven insane after narrowly escaping the serial killer Art the Clown on Halloween night. The sequels follow her becoming possessed. She is portrayed by Samantha Scaffidi, who reprises the role in Terrifier 2 (2022) and Terrifier 3 (2024).
David Howard Thornton is an American actor. He is known for his role as Art the Clown from the Terrifier franchise, a role in which he appeared in Terrifier (2016), Mistress Peace Theatre (2020), Terrifier 2 (2022), Bupkis (2023), and Terrifier 3 (2024). He has had other various roles in film, television, and video games, including Two Worlds II: Pirates of the Flying Fortress (2011), Ride to Hell: Retribution (2013), Invizimals: The Lost Kingdom (2013), Gotham (2017), The Bravest Knight (2019), The Exigency (2019), Alma's Way (2021), and starring as the Mean One in The Mean One (2022).
