'Terrifier' Creator Says Franchise "Is NOT In Any Way Shape Or Form A Political Franchise" After Actor David Howard Thornton Calls Trump Administration Racists And Nazis
Terrifier creator Damien Leone recently declared that the horror film franchise he launched in 2016 “is NOT in any way shape or form a political franchise” in a seeming response to backlash that actor David Howard Thornton was receiving for supporting DEI and calling white people racist.
In an post to Facebook Leone wrote, “As most of you know, some of my cast and crew members have a very passionate political presence on social media with extreme and sometimes harsh opinions which is their right. I’m all for freedom of speech and expression. That being said, Terrifier is NOT in any way shape or form a political franchise. I did not get into filmmaking to become a politician or promote any political agendas or ideologies, especially through a killer clown movie.”
He continued, “I fell in love with horror movies as a form of pure entertainment and those are the films I like to make. Since Terrifier 1, our cast and crew has and still consists of both republicans and democrats and anyone is welcome to be a part of it regardless of their political affiliations as long as they’re a decent human being.”
Leone then addressed fans of the franchise, “That goes for our fan base as well. If this doesn’t sit well with any fans or cast/crew members that is your right and I respect it. You don’t have to buy a ticket and you don’t have to work on these films.”
“Thank you and I recommend you don’t let toxic rhetoric on either side of the political spectrum deter you from being a Terrifier fan,” he concluded.
The statement comes in the wake of actor David Howard Thornton, who plays Art the Clown in the franchise claiming that the Trump administration and its various officials are racist.
On Threads, the actor wrote, “Woooow. The white hoods are fully off and the brown shirts are neatly pressed with this regime.”
He also compared the Trump administration to Nazi Germany. He wrote, “Consider what all is happening in our country right now. How do you feel? Angry? Sad? Happy? Apathetic? Impartial? Now you know exactly how you would have reacted during the events in 1930s Germany. I hope you all plan on being on the correct side of History.”
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He made a similar comparison on Facebook, “Hitler did similar. He purged the government of those that would have upheld the safeguards and installed loyalists. We are witnessing the overthrow of the US government in real time. Get angry. Get loud. We might not have the chance to in the future.”
He also described President Trump as an “orange fascist idiot.”
Thornton wrote, “This orange fascist idiot is going to try to invade Canada, isn't he? Jfc.”
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In another post he wrote, “The same people that scream "They took our jerbs!" have no problem with an unelected illegal immigrant Nazi oligarch taking their social security information and taking over the Treasury by force. Make it make sense.”
Still in another, he wrote, “I grew up around Germans that stayed silent. I learned from them what happens when one stays silent. That is why I continue to refuse to stay silent. If you don't like that, you can keep scrolling. It's as simple as that.”
Ironically, his most recent post reads, “I'm ok. Just taking a mental break from the ensuing madness of the world right now. Thanks for the support.”
What do you make of Leone’s statement? What do you make of Thornton’s comments?
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I'm impressed how objective Leone is in his damage control. He knows that Thornton's TDS will lose him money, but he accepts it. Unfortunately my principle is to not fund people who hate me. This means any project Thornton is attached to will not receive my money.
Freedom of speech? Non-political? Uh huh. Tell me, is there anyone on the project who is vocally pro-Trump? Would they receive the same proclaimed neutrality? Or does this 'freedom' and 'neutrality' only work one direction, as it so often does?