Terrifier Hit With Second Lawsuit

In addition to the ongoing lawsuit filed by Catherine Corcoran October last year, the Terrifier franchise has been hit with a second lawsuit that could have a major impact on the future of Art the Clown.

Company Ruthless Studios have filed a lawsuit in federal court in California accusing production companies Dark Age Cinema and Art the Clown LLC of copyright infringement, trademark infringement, unfair competition, and improperly profiting from the Terrifier franchise without authorisation.

According to Complex, the dispute centers on an agreement signed between Damien Leone & Ruthless Pictures, whose rights were later assigned to Ruthless Studios, back in 2013.

According to the complaint, Leone transferred ownership of the original Terrifier and The 9th Circle short films, along with related copyrights, trademarks, sequel rights, and derivative works, to the company for $5,000.

The lawsuit alleges those agreements gave Ruthless ownership of "the right to produce audiovisual works of all types ... and sequels thereto and remakes thereof and all other types of derivative works based thereon," as well as "all copyrights, neighboring rights, trademarks and any and all other ownership and exploitation rights" tied to the properties.

Ruthless claims it financed and produced the 2013 anthology film All Hallows' Eve, which incorporated both Terrifier and The 9th Circle while helping turn Art the Clown into a recognizable horror icon. The company says it also secured domestic and international distribution for the film and spent years promoting the character.

Terrifier Hit With Second Lawsuit

The complaint states that Ruthless allowed Leone to make the first low-budget Terrifier as a "one-time exception" after he allegedly acknowledged their ownership rights and asked for permission to shoot the film. Ruthless then alleges they were cut out of the franchise as Leone and his company (Dark Age Cinema) went on to produce both Terrifier 2 and Terrifier 3, negotiate merchandise deals and expand on the brand without obtaining permission or notifying them.

The lawsuit argues that Terrifier 2 and Terrifier 3 are "clearly derivative works of, and/or sequels to, the original Terrifier short film," pointing to shared themes, characters, story elements, visual style, and even the franchise's logo and title design.

Ruthless is seeking damages, an accounting of profits, injunctive relief, and a court declaration that it owns the copyrights to Terrifier 2, Terrifier 3, and all related sequels, merchandise, video games, events, and other derivative projects, excluding the 2016 Terrifier film.

Damien Leone, Dark Age Cinema & Art the Clown LLC have yet to respond to this. With the fourth currently gearing up to start production, and Art about to make his Dead By Daylight debut, you can't help but wonder what this will mean for the future of the Terrifier franchise and Art the Clown. Between this and the other lawsuit, I wouldn't be surprised if we're going to have to wait just that little bit longer for Terrifier 4.