We’ve been gradually hearing bits and pieces about Damien Leone’s Terrifier 2, the sequel to his micro-budget 2016 hit. Back in March, Leone was hard at work assembling a rough cut, and has now announced that he has a completed edit that comes in at over two hours. Although we’re still waiting for an official release date, it seems very likely that we’ll be seeing the finished version of Terrifier 2 before the end of the year.
Commenting on his progress via Facebook, Leone had this to say:
“Well, we officially have a rough cut, guys! And it looks fucking amazing! And it’s also 2 hours and 21 minutes long! So what now? It’s time to head on into the polishing phase of post-production. We will begin tackling the sound design, score, color correction, and some minor VFX (don’t worry! The gore is all practical!) We are also going to keep trimming the fat and refining the film itself. Keep in mind rough cuts are initially quite long but I can guarantee you the final run time of Terrifier 2 will remain slightly over 2 hours long. It’s epic!”
The confirmation of a two-hour runtime is a nod to the film’s reportedly more ambitious scope and stronger emphasis on character and story, with a teenage girl and her younger brother taking on Art the Clown on Halloween night. Having produced the original Terrifier on a budget of just $100,000, Leone was able to crowdfund additional backing of $215,127 for the new production, much of which is believed to be paying for a particularly bloody practical effects-led sequence.
In addition, the director revealed some fresh artwork for the movie, available above, which ties into recent stills and a trailer that show that the murderous Art is going to be seeking even more gory kills this time around. Indeed, the filmmaker has been keen to develop the backstory of the picture and its antagonist, and has also been working on a three-issue prequel comic series, which will presumably be coming out soon.
Based on the editing and polishing stage that Leone refers to, a projected Halloween 2021 premiere appears to be a realistic option, after COVID-19 delayed an original 2020 launch for Terrifier 2. In the meantime, we’d imagine he’ll keep us up-to-date with all the latest news about how post-production is going, and continue to share more glimpses at a horror sequel that promises to at least match or even top the impressive scares of its predecessor.