It’s always fun checking out a “new to you” classic film, particularly when it’s just been given a deluxe physical media release by Scream Factory.
The Chiodo brothers (Stephen, Charles, and Edward) were established special effects artists when they made their 1988 feature debut: Killer Klowns from Outer Space. The FX bonanza was intended as a homage to the films of their youth and despite being a commercial failure at the time, the film has developed a substantial cult fanbase since its release.
Which, to be frank, is completely unsurprising because Killer Klowns from Outer Space is an utter delight. Packed with visual gags, exciting set pieces, and those incredibly memorable titular antagonists, the film is a fantastic piece of easily digestible entertainment.
Like so many of the 50s sci-fi flicks it pays homage to, Killer Klowns begins on a summer night when a “comet” falls to earth outside of the small town of Crescent Cove. It’s observed by farmer Gene Green (Royal Dano), who, along with his dog Pooh Bear, becomes the first victim of the mysterious circus tent in the woods. When local teens Mike (Grant Cramer) and Debbie (Suzanne Snyder) also decide to investigate, they stumble into the Klowns’ spaceship and onto a bizarre plot to trap humans in cotton candy cocoons that dissolve flesh.
After they escape back to town with the Klowns in pursuit, Mike and Debbie try to enlist the police, to no avail. Sheriff Curtis Mooney (John Vernon) is a disgruntled veteran who hates everyone, while Deputy Dave Hansen (John Allen Nelson) is <gulp> Debbie’s ex-boyfriend. Naturally both figures of authority eventually realize that the teens are telling the truth, but not before the Klowns rain chaos upon Crescent Cove, transforming citizens into cocoons or imprisoning them in balloons in a variety of alternatively hilarious or scary scenes (and sometimes both).
What makes the film so successful, aside from the wonderfully distinct look of the Klowns (a mix of man in suit, animatronic, and puppet work), is the perfect tonal balance the Chiodo Brothers achieve. One genuinely suspenseful set piece involves a young girl lured out of a burger joint while her parents aren’t looking; another features Klowns delivering pizza to a scantily clad woman before zapping her, but the tone is more in the vein of silly 80s frat comedies like Porky’s or Animal House.
These changes in tone might be jarring if the film wasn’t so visually dynamic (Sidebar: the transfer on the 4K pops; the film looks fantastic). The set design, including the interior of the circus tent and the amusement park, is much more expensive-looking than the film’s minuscule budget would suggest. Then there’s the attention to detail in the Klowns, from the oversized shoes to the ray guns to the variety in shape and size, including Jojo the Klownzilla, a massive marionette Klown featured in the climax – all of whom make a vivid impression.
The fact that the Klowns weaponize traditionally innocuous carnival food, such as cotton candy, popcorn, and pies, only reinforces the film’s clever, zany sense of humour.
Detractors will undoubtedly point to little flaws, such as the script’s tendency to make characters verbalize what’s visible on-screen (Mike, pointing to a circus tent: “Looks like…a circus tent!”) and the fact that the film is mostly composed of standalone sketches in which the Klowns interact with townspeople.
Still, so many of these scenes are amusing or outright funny, it hardly matters. Take, for example: the extended sequence of the drug store owner watching a Klown inadvertently destroy his store or the security guard who is pelted with pies which ends with Tiny the Klown leaving a cherry on top of the melted ice cream/human. It’s silly, it’s bizarre, and it’s emblematic of the film’s “big swing” approach to low budget, indie filmmaking: there’s always something new just around the corner to keep audiences engaged. 4/5
Other Observations:
- Much of the film’s humour has a juvenile “teen boy” vibe, including prankster brothers Rich and Paul Terenzi (Michael S. Siegel and Peter Licassi)’s desperate attempt to find girls to sleep with. Still, the aggressively hetero character beats are (inadvertently?) upended by the happy ending when Mike, Debbie and Dave embrace because it’s not much of a stretch to read them as a polyamorous throuple. Who would have thought Killer Klowns had that in it?!
- Also: The moment when the Terenzi brothers fall into a ball pit and one of the Klowns grows breasts to entice him? There’s…a lot to unpack there.
- One of the best moments of the film is when the popcorn that the Klowns spray on Mike and Debbie wiggles around her bathroom floor before transforming into phallic tentacle Klowns (see image above). It’s a fantastic sequence and the tiny movement of the popcorn looks so good!
- Similarly, the shadow puppet sequence, when a Klown dazzles a group of onlookers with increasingly impressive creatures before consuming them, is a fantastic piece of stop motion by visual effects artist Gene Warren Jr.
Extras Review
- The title song “Killer Klowns” by the Dickies is a total banger and perfectly captures the vibe of the film (though it should be noted that it plays far too loudly on the menu screen of the disc).
- The best featurette is “Komposing Klowns” with composer John Massari because he has a number of fun, obscure anecdotes such as how he got the job (30-40 prospective composers were each given a different scene and asked to create a demo score).
- He also elaborates that the Chiodo brothers gave him permission to do whatever he wanted because they were so busy with post-production, but there were two specific scenes that Stephen asked for careful attention on: 1) when the girl is lured out of the hamburger shop by a Klown and 2) the parade scene when cocoons are being vacuumed up on the street.
- “Kreating Klowns” offers some BTS footage of the Klowns on-set, including extended looks at the pizza delivery gag (it took 20+ takes!), as well as the struggles to get the decapitated “knock off” head to land correctly in the garbage.
- There are only two deleted scenes (both available with audio commentary) – one involving Debbie’s history with clowns was cut for pacing, while the other – part of the chase through the funhouse – was removed because it wasn’t photographed/lit properly. Sidebar: there’s no “Play All” option to watch these back t back on the disc, which is a little frustrating considering their brevity.
- There’s also a commentary with the Chiodo Brothers, who are extremely candid about their craft and what they could and couldn’t do with their budget. They also seem to be interested in a legacy sequel, bemoaning the fact that the film should have had sequels, so…let’s make that happen! (Perhaps the release of the multiplayer game will help to galvanize public interest in a revival?)
Killer Klowns from Outer Space is now out on 4k from Scream Factory