‘Terrifier’ Director Defends His Horror Film Series

‘Terrifier’ director Damien Leone finds it “kind of hilarious” that some people claim his horror film series is misogynistic.

The franchise has been labeled sexist by some outraged viewers due to its intense violence against women. However, the 42-year-old filmmaker pointed to his strong reliance on the “Final Girl” trope, in which a young, unassuming woman typically faces off alone against a nightmarish creature.

Leone defended the concept, calling it a “powerful element” in his work, and told ‘IndieWire’: “I don’t think it’s a funny matter, but I’m so far from that myself that I find it kind of hilarious. It’s also a trope I loved from a young age. The ‘Final Girl’ trope is such a powerful element in these films, and I don’t think it’s as effective when it’s a ‘Final Man.’

Men are generally just more contemptible, and we’re already used to seeing them die [in other film genres].” Damien’s upcoming film ‘Terrifier 3’ follows the feared clown Art (David Howard Thornton), who tries to turn Christmas into a living nightmare for Sienna Shaw (Lauren LaVera) and her brother Jonathan (Elliott Fullam).