Writer/director Damien Leone hopes to have Terrifier 4 in pre-production this spring

At the world premiere of Terrifier 3, franchise writer/director Damien Leone said there will be a Terrifier 4 – and he later said he thinks that will be the last entry in the franchise, because he doesn’t want it to wear out his welcome. We’ve heard that Leone plans to reveal Art the Clown’s origin in the new sequel, with the character’s backstory being told in the first 15 minutes, and that it will build up to a “batshit insane” finale. Now, Leone has said that the script is almost complete and he hopes to have the project in pre-production this spring.

Art Returns

Leone had a budget of around $55,000 to work with on his breakout horror film Terrifier, and a budget of “a little over” $250,000 for Terrifier 2, which was a massive hit when it was released in 2022, earning $15.1 million at the box office. Terrifier 3 has a substantially higher budget; a “couple million” went into that one – and it paid off, as the film raked in over $76 million at the box office. So we can probably expect Terrifier 4 to have a larger budget behind it as well.

Writing on X, Leone told his followers, “Since there’s so much Terrifier 4 speculation and false information out there, I wanted to drop in and give an official update. The script is very close to completion, and I’m hoping to begin pre-production this Spring. This is the most precious script I’ve written for many reasons, but it’s also the most challenging. There’s a lot of material to tackle and a lot riding on this one, not just creatively but emotionally.

We’ve built something special together over the years. The cast and crew who have been here since the beginning deserve a finale that honors their dedication, and the fans who’ve championed this franchise deserve something unforgettable. In all honesty, I’m thrilled with the way it’s turning out and confident it will deliver. I will officially announce when the script is complete on my social media pages which also means we’ll be moving into pre-production. If you don’t see it coming from or confirmed by me, then it’s not official. I promise it will be worth the wait!“

Not the End?

David Howard Thornton, who plays Art, is coming back for Terrifier 4, and he’s not entirely convinced that this is going to be the end of the franchise. Speaking with Slasher Radio, he said, “Is this going to be the true finale? I feel like this might be the finale of this story arc that [Leone]’s going with for right now and might give it a rest for a few years and might return later on to it. I have no idea, but I’m excited nonetheless.” Leone himself once said that Terrifier 5 might be required to properly wrap up the story and has also acknowledged that slasher franchises never really seem to end, so the door will probably be left open to more sequels in some way.

Are you a Terrifier fan, and are you glad to hear that Damien Leone hopes to have Terrifier 4 in pre-production this spring? Let us know by leaving a comment below.

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