Why Terrifier 2 Won’t Release Until 2021

Terrifier 2, one of the most anticipated horror sequels of 2020, has been pushed to 2021. According to director Damien Leone, there are several reasons why production has been delayed, including an obvious one that has affected the entire industry. Here’s why Terrifier 2 won’t premiere until 2021, and why the slasher movie will probably be worth the wait.

Released in 2016, the original Terrifier movie stars David Howard Thornton as Art the Clown, one of the most frightening movie villains of the last decade. On Halloween, he stares down Tara Heyes (Jenna Kanell) and her friend Dawn (Catherine Corcoran) at a pizzeria, and later slaughters two employees after being kicked out for a making a big mess in the bathroom. Art the Clown continues to stalk Tara and Dawn in a creepy Miles County apartment building, and shows no mercy when attacking people who get in his way. Terrifer co-stars Samantha Scaffidi (Victoria Heyes), Pooya Mohseni (Cat Lady), and Matt McAllister (Mike the Exterminator).

Terrifier is one of those special low-budget horror movies that just feels destined for numerous franchise installments. In July 2020, Leone released the Terrifier 2 trailer, in which the seemingly un-killable Art the Clown once again targets teenagers in Miles County. Here’s why Leone and company decided to push the Terrifier 2 release date to 2021.

COVID-19 Delayed Terrifier 2’s Release

On October 1, 2020, Leone released a full statement about Terrifier 2 on Facebook. The director revealed that he was hoping to deliver the highly anticipated sequel by Halloween, but stated that “Covid set us back big time.” Leone also notes that his team is still in the “final stretch” of filming because of COVID-19 delays, and that the sequel will be “worth the wait.”

Terrifier 2 Doesn’t Have A Distribution Deal

The original Terrifier was produced for just $100,000 and eventually became a critical success, evidenced by its current 64 percent Tomatometer score. However, the sequel—co-starring Lauren LaVera as the protagonist Vienna—wasn’t financed by a studio, and doesn’t have a distribution deal at the moment, according to Leone’s Facebook statement. The Terrifier 2 director describes his film as “truly a grassroots campaign on every level.” So, Leone and company have decided to take their time in order to “exceed expectations on every level.” The next step will be securing a distribution deal for their horror movie.

Aside from Thornton and LaVera, the Terrifier 2 cast includes Felissa Rose (Sleepaway Camp), Griffin Santopietro, Amy Russ, Elliott Fullam, and Charlie McElveen. In addition, Samantha Scaffidi reprises her Terrifier role as Victoria Heyes.

When Terrifier 2 Will Release

Per Leone, Terrifier 2 will be completed sometime in early 2021. However, that doesn’t necessarily mean that the movie will be available to stream right away in January, February, or even March. Once a distribution deal is secured, then an official release date can be set for the movie. Until then, Terrifier and Art the Clown are ready to terrify audiences on various streaming platforms to help with the prolonged wait.

About The Author

Q.V. Hough
(1892 Articles Published)

Q.V. Hough is a senior writer at Screen Rant. He’s also the founding editor at Vague Visages, and has contributed to RogerEbert.com and Fandor.

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