‘Terrifier’ director Damien Leone thinks it's "kind of hilarious" that people claim his horror series is misogynistic.
The franchise had been labelled as sexist by some disgruntled viewers for its intense violence against women, though the 42-year-old director pointed to his heavy reliance on "the final girl" trope - which usually finds a young unassuming woman having to face off against a nightmarish creature alone - to dispel these claims, and said the concept is actually a "powerful element" in his work.
He explained to IndieWire: "I don't think it's a funny matter, but it's so not me that I do find it kind of hilarious.
"It's also a trope that I grew up loving. The final girl is such a powerful element to these movies, and I don't think it's as impactful if it's a final man. Men are just more reprehensible in general, and you're already used to seeing them die [in other film genres]."
Leone’s upcoming ‘Terrifier 3’ follows the dreaded Art the Clown (David Howard Thornton) as he attempts to turn Sienna Shaw (Lauren LaVera) and her brother Jonathan’s (Elliott Fullam) Christmas into a living nightmare.
Reflecting on the movie, the filmmaker hailed LaVera, 30, for being one of the most "empowering final girls" the horror genre has ever seen.
He said: "I think she’s one of the most multidimensional, powerful, and empowering final girls that we’ve seen.
"And a lot of that is because of what Lauren LaVera brings to the role — the humanity she brings to it, the strength she brings to it."
Since its debut in 2016, the ‘Terrifier’ franchise has come under fire for its graphic violence - and had even lost out on Hollywood backing due to its overly-gory nature - though Leone insisted the horror series is for everyone.
He said: "Every age, every gender, you name it, we’re always so surprised.
"We’ll see an old couple and think they’re there for their grandchild, and they’re like, ‘No, no, no! We love these movies; we love this clown!’ And we’re like, ‘OK?! How is that possible?’
"People think only vile, repulsive people watch these things, and it’s not true at all. It’s people who are often very passive, and they’re trying to find ways to deal with the horrors of reality. That’s why the horror movie is a multi-billion-dollar industry."
