Review by Stephanie Scaife
Killer Klowns from Outer Space is not a good film, but for those of my generation it certainly invokes a certain amount of nostalgia. This was definitely one of those titles that was popular in the playground when I was at school; I think the title along with the ridiculous plot, mind-blowing set pieces and tame levels of violence contributed to it being a huge hit amongst kids in the late 80s and now as a cult curiosity amongst horror aficionados. I have to admit that my memory of the film was quite far removed from the actuality of watching it 20 plus years later; that’s not to say that it doesn’t have its moments, but overall it’s a movie very much of its time that would probably never be made today. It’s somewhat of a shame that the likes of The Asylum and Syfy produce spectacle films on a super low budget with appalling CGI effects, leaving this type of genre lover’s passion project with in-camera effects and pastiche as a thing of the past.
Written and directed by the Chiodo Brothers, who are better known for their special effects work, Killer Klowns from Outer Space is proof that films were sold based on their title alone way before Sharknado came along. The premise is simple: a big top-shaped spacecraft crash lands on earth and blood thirsty clowns emerge to wreak havoc upon a small town. Mike (Grant Cramer) and Debbie (Suzanne Snyder) are the young couple at the centre of the chaos as they investigate what they think is a meteor crash, only to discover that giant alien clowns are in fact turning locals into cotton candy.
Rewatching this film, what immediately struck me was just how unfazed the local inhabitants are by these mutant clowns, initially being amused or charmed by them, despite their pointed teeth and freakish appearance. In one scene five giant clowns emerge from a tiny car holding cream pies and a passing security guard tells them to leave before innocently asking, “what are you going to do with those pies?” which are them thrown at him, causing him to dissolve into a puddle of cream pie ooze to which one of the clowns adds a cherry to the top. In another scene a group of people waiting at a bus stop are charmed by this hideous giant clown doing bizarre shadow puppets, even though it’s clearly very weird and creepy. But then again, that is undoubtedly part of the appeal of the film – precisely how ridiculous it is.
This should give you a good idea as to the tone of the film, which I think also adds to its cult status. It clearly thinks it’s being intentionally funny when it in fact isn’t very funny at all; it is mostly just peculiar and very, very camp. I think it says a lot that the Chiodo Brothers have since stuck to special effects and not to writing and directing as that’s clearly where their skills lie. As I mentioned there are some very impressive set pieces here and these are essentially the primary reason for watching this film; my favourite involves a giant, vibrantly-coloured vacuum cleaner that is used to hoover up all the human cotton candy cocoons which the clowns then pierce with giant bendy straws and drink blood from. Yes, it really is as nuts as it sounds…
This is an oddity and a curiosity that warrants a watch for its sheer audacity and ingenious visual effects. However, it’s so stupid and badly written that I found little to enjoy overall. Much like when I recently revisited Masters of the Universe (which I absolutely loved as a kid), it’s true that there are some things best left to the embellishment of nostalgia where it stays forever as the childhood wonder, not the badly written, poorly acted mess you see as an adult.
Being an Arrow release there are many great special features on this new Blu-ray release including audio commentary, featurettes, a blooper reel and much more, all of which have been lovingly put together and for the most part are worth watching. I particularly enjoyed the audition tapes of the Klowns.
Killer Klowns from Outer Space is out now on UK Blu-ray from Arrow Video.