‘Terrifier’ Star David Howard Thornton Joins ‘Behind the Mask II: The Return of Leslie Vernon’ (EXCLUSIVE)

After breaking out in “Terrifier” as the horrifying harlequin Art the Clown, David Howard Thornton is joining the cast of “Behind the Mask II: The Return of Leslie Vernon” in a key role.

The sequel to the cult favorite 2006 mockumentary, as Variety exclusively reported, will be set 20 years after the original film, reuniting director Scott Glosserman and writer David J. Stieve with stars Nathan Baesel and Angela Goethals. It will once again follow the adventures of killing machine Leslie Vernon.

An official plot description teases: “The sequel picks up in a horror landscape that has changed dramatically since Leslie first emerged, as the old rules of the genre collide with a new wave of modern slashers, viral killers, legacy sequels and blood-soaked icons built for the internet age.”

“David is one of the defining faces of the modern slasher era,” Glosserman said in a statement. “If ‘Behind the Mask’ was about deconstructing the classic rules, then a sequel 20 years later has to reckon with what the genre has become. Bringing David into Leslie’s world lets us put the old guard and the new blood in direct conversation, which is exactly where this movie should live.”

Following “Terrifier,” Thornton starred in 2025’s “Screamboat” as Steamboat Willie and is set to reprise his role as Art the Clown in “Terrifier 4,” which has yet to announce a release date.

Production on “Behind the Mask II” is expected to start in the fall following the crowdfunding campaign that raised over $400,000.

Aaron B. Koontz and Cameron Burns produce for Paper Street Pictures (“Shelby Oaks,” “Scare Package”), who will work alongside producers Scott Glosserman and David J Stieve. Adam F. Goldberg and Hans Rodionoff executive produce alongside Carmelo Chimera and Syed Ali Saeed of Act One Media. Kristy Jett is an associate producer on the film.