Review: Killer Klowns From Outer Space
Blu-ray: Killer Klowns From Outer Space (1988)
What is it with clowns? Does anyone actually find them funny and not absolutely terrifying? The makers of Poltergeist and IT haven’t really helped to champion the cause for family friendly clowns and neither does Killer Klowns from Outer Space! Although these clowns are a darn sight more amusing than the ones from the aforementioned movies, even if they will encase you in candy floss before harvesting your body! At least they will entertain you before sucking out your innards!
Mike and Debbie (Grant Cramer and Suzanne Snyder) are making out when a comet flies overhead and lands nearby. They investigate and find a huge circus tent which turns out to be the mother ship of the ray gun toting Killer Klowns from Outer Space. They quickly realise that the Klowns are capturing and storing local people inside candy floss sacs (cotton candy for anyone not from the UK) to be eaten at a later date.
Mike and Debbie are soon discovered and chased by the Klowns who fire lethal popcorn at them. No, I am not making this up! Killer Klowns from Outer Space is extremely inventive in a lot of its set pieces which includes one of the Klowns making a balloon dog to track Mike and Debbie as they make their escape. The spaceship and practical effects in general still look fantastic, especially the Klowns themselves, even if they do sound a little bit like Jawa’s from Star Wars.
The real fun begins when the Klowns head into town to wreak havoc and I loved watching the way the Klowns interact with the townsfolk before they kill them. I don’t want to spoil any of the highlights but trust me when I say you will not be bored watching this movie. One thing I will say is keep your eyes open for a genius moment involving one of the Klowns doing some deadly shadow puppetry.
The movie also stars a young John Allen Nelson (24, Baywatch) and the legendary John Vernon (Animal House, I’m Gonna Git You Sucka) who play sceptical local police officers. Vernon is fantastic playing his character pretty much like he does in every other film he has starred in as he shouts and intimidates people with that big booming voice of his.
For me, Killer Klowns from Outer Space follows in the tradition of similar comedy horror movies from the 80s such as Critters, Ghoulies, Bad Taste and Night of the Creeps. If you like those movies then I think there is a very good chance you will enjoy Killer Klowns from Outer Space. Funny and inventive, this is a true cult classic which was a blast from start to finish and deserves to be in your collection.
As this is an Arrow release it is absolutely packed with special features including:
- Brand new restoration from a 4K scan of the original camera negative
- High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentation
- Newly remastered stereo 2.0 and 5.1 DTS-HD MA audio options
- Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
- Archive audio commentary with the Chiodo Brothers
- Let the Show Begin! Anatomy of a Killer Theme Song – an all-new interview with the original members of the American punk band, The Dickies
- The Chiodos Walk Among Us: Adventures in Super 8 Filmmaking – all-new documentary highlighting the making of the Chiodo Brothers childhood films, from the giant monster epics made in their basement to their experiments in college
- New HD transfers of the complete collection of the Chiodo Brothers 8mm and Super 8 films, including Land of Terror, Free Inside, Beast from the Egg, and more!
- Tales of Tobacco – an interview with star Grant Cramer
- Debbie’s Big Night – an interview with star Suzanne Snyder
- Bringing Life to These Things – a tour of Chiodo Bros. Productions
- The Making of Killer Klowns – archive production featurette
- Visual Effects with Gene Warren Jr. – archive interview with co-writer/producer Charles Chiodo and visual effects supervisor Gene Warren Jr.
- Kreating Klowns – archive interview with Charles Chiodo and creature fabricator Dwight Roberts
- Komposing Klowns – archive interview with composer John Massari
- Klown Auditions
- Deleted Scenes with filmmaker’s audio commentary
- Bloopers
- Image Galleries
- Original Theatrical Trailer
- Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Sara Deck
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Review by Chris (co-host of 60 Minutes With) from a disc kindly supplied by Arrow Films.
