The King of Micro-Budget Movies, Whose Latest Film Won the Box Office, Sets His Next Project

Damien Leone, the filmmaker behind the surprise horror hit Terrifier 3, is moving into the studio system with a new original project at Lionsgate. The upcoming film, Tortures of the Damned, will be written, directed and produced by Leone, according to reports. Plot details have not been disclosed, but the project is said to differ in tone from the Terrifier series and is expected to have a larger budget than Leone’s earlier work.

Leone built his reputation on the low-budget Terrifier franchise, which turned into an unexpected commercial success. Terrifier 3, made for just $3 million, opened at No. 1 in the fall of 2024 and went on to earn about $90 million worldwide. The first two films in the franchise were also profitable, helping establish Leone as one of horror’s most notable independent voices. A fourth Terrifier film is already in development.

Lionsgate’s president of Motion Picture Group, Erin Westerman, praised Leone as a distinctive genre filmmaker with a strong connection to horror audiences. She said the studio is excited to partner with him on his first original film outside the Terrifier series. The project reflects Lionsgate’s continued investment in horror, a genre that has consistently delivered strong audience engagement and box-office returns.

Horror filmmaker Sam Raimi will also produce Tortures of the Damned through his Ghost House production company. Raimi remains active in the genre and has another project in development at Lionsgate, a remake of Magic. His involvement adds another high-profile name to the film’s creative team and signals that the project is being positioned as a significant new horror title.

Leone’s rise has been unusual in modern filmmaking. On Terrifier 2, he took on multiple roles, including writer, director, co-producer, editor and sound designer, while also contributing to visual effects. That hands-on approach helped shape the franchise’s gritty, homemade aesthetic and contributed to its cult appeal. The character Art the Clown became a viral Halloween costume phenomenon after the success of Terrifier 2, expanding the series’ cultural footprint beyond the usual horror audience.

With Tortures of the Damned, Leone is stepping away from the franchise that made his name and into a new chapter backed by a major studio. The move suggests confidence from Lionsgate in his ability to translate his horror sensibilities to a bigger platform while preserving the intensity and audience appeal that made Terrifier such a breakout success.