Overview
- Lionsgate officially acquired Tortures of the Damned and confirmed on Friday, May 29, 2026, that Damien Leone will write, direct, and produce the film after he finishes Terrifier 4.
- Veteran horror producers Sam Raimi and Rob Tapert will produce through their Ghost House Pictures label while Scott O’Brien and Pavan Kalidindi will oversee the project for Lionsgate and Romel Adam and Jose Cañas will oversee for Ghost House and executive produce.
- Leone will begin the new original project only after completing Terrifier 4, which is currently in pre-production and is being positioned as the likely conclusion to the Art the Clown saga.
- Plot and release details are being kept private, but multiple sources say the film will take a different tonal approach than the ultra-violent Terrifier series and will have a substantially larger budget.
- The deal reflects Leone’s jump from micro-budget indie films to studio-backed projects after Terrifier’s box-office rise and was negotiated for Lionsgate by Dan Freedman, with Leone represented by WME and Zerner Law.