Killer Klowns from Outer Space Killer Klowns from Outer Space
1988 Directed by Stephen Chiodo
Synopsis
In space, no one can eat ice cream.
Aliens, who look like clowns, arrive on Earth to capture and harvest people in order to use them as sustenance.
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I'd always heard this movie cited as one of the worst of all time - apparently a lot of people who see it suffer from some mysterious affliction that causes them to take a movie called 'Killer Klowns from Outer Space' too seriously and miss that it's an often-hilarious comedy? Of course, that's not too unfathomable, as pretty much all of the human actors in the movie are terrible, off-putting in that broad comic way that they should teach actors to avoid in acting school. One huge exception: John fucking Vernon, who's almost as good in this as he is in Savage Streets.
Still though, it seems a shame to write off a movie as imaginative and original as this just because you can't handle a goofy horror movie premise played largely for laughs - maybe it's too creepy to really be funny? That's always the problem with clowns though.
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So campy it hurts. This film is definitely - DEFINITELY - not for everyone. It has your usual dose of 80's special effects cheesiness and horror cliché posing as comedy. Beyond this, however, it has an insertion of trashy circus-type sets and concepts that, surprisingly, transcend gimmicky decoration and often result in some rather fun, clever scenes. Just when you think you've seen it all, it pushes the silliness even further. You've also got your bad acting, cheesy one-liners, unrealistic scenarios, and a cop that makes Chief Wiggum look effectual. What's there not to love?
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I love, and grew up with this movie. It's one of my all time top favorite horror movies. Fun cheesy goodness from beginning to end, gotta love it!
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Some films really do exactly what they say on the tin. Snakes On A Plane is about a bunch of snakes on a plane, House on Haunted Hill is about a house on the aptly-named Haunted Hill, and Killer Klowns From Outer Space is about a bunch of clowns from space who go around killing people. For that alone, it’s very hard to justifiably complain about this film having a ludicrous plot because you’re made fully aware of that before you sit down to watch it. However, that doesn’t excuse the shoddy acting, dodgy looking effects and the general ludicrousness of everything that happens.
Killer Klowns From Outer Space is part-horror and part-spoof. It takes much of its inspiration…
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44/100
Not very keen on this sort of readymade cult item, though the Burtonesque production design (some sets seem directly inspired by the clown nightmare in Pee-wee's Big Adventure) can be fun. Murderous aliens that happen to look like clowns to us wasn't necessarily a bad idea; applying the funhouse motif to literally everything—their spaceship is a circus tent; their cocoons resemble cotton candy; eggs as popcorn kernels—just makes it seem like very bloated sketch comedy. One startlingly creepy moment: John Vernon as ventriloquist's dummy, with the clown speaking through him. That must have fucked up little kids at the time.
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It's about killer clowns from outer space. That's about it.
I'm not afraid of clowns but these clowns are pretty terrifying. The way the ears move makes me shudder. Just the whole face kills me a little. And their mechanical laughter is creepy. But they have adorable balloon animal dogs that come to life so who could hate them?
Killer Klowns is my kind of film because it's just so incredibly over the top with cheese which makes it so enjoyable. It's not a good film, it's not well made, it's completely laughable but it's full of things that make it a fun watch. Like shadow puppets that come alive and eat whole groups of onlookers.
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It's about killer clowns from outer space. That's about it.
I'm not afraid of clowns but these clowns are pretty terrifying. The way the ears move makes me shudder. Just the whole face kills me a little. And their mechanical laughter is creepy. But they have adorable balloon animal dogs that come to life so who could hate them?
Killer Klowns is my kind of film because it's just so incredibly over the top with cheese which makes it so enjoyable. It's not a good film, it's not well made, it's completely laughable but it's full of things that make it a fun watch. Like shadow puppets that come alive and eat whole groups of onlookers.
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I love, and grew up with this movie. It's one of my all time top favorite horror movies. Fun cheesy goodness from beginning to end, gotta love it!
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I struggle to understand poor reviews for a movie like this. Some schlock disappoints because the film fails to deliver the promise of the title. If I see a movie called "Death Bed: The Bed That Eats", I expect it to munch some douche-bags into crimson chunks, not slowly dissolve them into a yellow chemistry experiment.
Killer Klowns delivers exactly that is promises. A fun B horror movie where clowns land on earth, wrap small town hicks in cotton candy, then store them on their ship to take back to their home planet. The movie has a great soundtrack, a mean sheriff, a sniffing dog made from baloons and a shadow puppet that eats a bunch of clapping by-standers.
One of the few times where somebody has deliberately filmed a cult movie and succeeded.
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Really entertaining and surprisingly clever in some scenes. This is cheesy 80s horror movies at their best. I don't recommend this if you're scared of clowns. This film exploits your every fear about clowns onto celluloid. Overall, fun and forgettable.
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[B]
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An insane but innovative ride from my childhood.
People turned into candyfloss, killer shadow puppets and a spaceship that looks like a big top.
Whats not to love.
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This review reportedly contains spoilers. I can handle the truth.
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Decided to watch this again after listening to the Film Sack episode and thinking it may be just as if not more fun than I remember it as a teen! Sadly, it hasn't aged well.
I will give it its dues in that it maintains, whatever level it had set itself, throughout its entire run time but aside from a handful of standout scenes and performances (never has a grizzled old small town sheriff been so fun - and the lead characters name is Mike Tobacco! Sweet!), there isn't much to separate this from other cheesy horrors from the same time (Critters, The Blob both come to mind immediately).
It's still a 3 star film because although it hasn't aged…