Blu-ray Review – Killer Klowns from Outer Space (1989)

Killer Klowns from Outer Space says it all in the title: it’s a hilariously trashy B-Movie from The Chiodo Brothers but also has a surrealism which gives it an edge over many other films of its ilk. The film has, of course, become a cult classic over the years since its release in 1988, which is a combination of factors including a great number of people having coulrophobia, aka the fear of clowns.

A comet, or so the townsfolk think, hits the woods of their small town Crescent Cove, California, and the first person to investigate it is a local farmer who finds a huge circus tent and he and his dog is soon captured by Clown-like aliens. Mike Tobacco (Grant Cramer) and his girlfriend Debbie Stone (Suzanne Snyder) also investigate and are nearly captured; they ultimately escape and report it to the police, but as you might expect, they don’t believe them. They soon get numerous calls claiming killer clowns are on the loose and very soon the town is terrorized by the killer clowns.

The film was made on a relatively small budget of two million and it was mostly spent on the production. The quite impressive special effects actually cost relatively little due to the Chiodo’s background in special effects. The script, also by Chiodo’s brothers is surprisingly witty and the film is laugh out loud funny throughout. John Vernon as the cop Mooney has some of the best lines. The film wears its cinematic influences on the sleeve it takes liberally from Invasion of the Body Snatchers and The Blob but it also puts a unique spin on a old cinematic idea.

Arrow has done the film justice with the transfer, which brings out the vibrant colours of film’s aesthetic look. It’s stacked to the gills with bonus material with tons of featurettes, interviews, a commentary with Chidos, deleted scenes and bloopers. It’s available in a dual format with blu-ray and DVD and as usual it has lengthy booklets with new writings by critic Joel Harley. Killer Klowns from Outer Space… Holy Shit!

[rating=4]
Ian Schultz

Genre: Sci-fi, Comedy, Horror Distributor: Arrow Video BD Release Date: 15th September 2014 (UK) Rating: 18 Director:Stephen Chiodo Cast:Grant Cramer, Suzanne Snyder, John Allen Nelson Buy:Killer Klowns From Outer Space [Dual Format Blu-ray]