Send in the clowns!
Killer Klowns from Outer Space (1988)
Directed By: Stephen Chiodo
The Prologue
Sooo, Killer Klowns from Outer Space huh? I’ll admit this was a movie I’ve always heard about, mainly to the fact it is a cult classic of sorts. I also recall always seeing it on the $5 rack at Wal*Mart, yet I never until now decided it was time to finally check out this movie. Okay, I won’t lie, I only watched it because I had to for a podcast, but it still isn’t terrible! Is it really that good? No, but it’s not horrible..thankfully.
The Movie
So a race of aliens that just so happen to look like clowns touch down in a small town and then they proceed to turn folks into cotton candy cocoons and terrorize them with balloon dogs that really bark and popcorn that turns into monsters. They also bust out hand puppets that can really eat you if you are keeping score. None the less, it’s up to a girl, her current boyfriend, and her ex boyfriend (who just so happens to be a cop) to shut this circus down!
Well lets just start this out with a talk about characters shall we? We have three main leads here in Debbie, her boyfriend Mike, and her ex Dave. Dave is a cop and probably the most likable person in the film. Debbie is just passable as hot, and Mike sounds like he’s hitting puberty as the movie progresses with his high pitched voice. There’s also Mike’s two best friends who are ice cream men, the Terenzi brothers, but they are only entertaining if you’re perhaps five years of age. Besides that, we have a hardass cop in Curtis Mooney, played to the tee as an asshole by John Vernon. Oh! And we also have a whole cast of clowns…Yep.
While I’ll admit at times the movie is some brainless fun, I think had they just pushed things a little more at times we could have something great on our hands. There’s a scene where a biker gets his for messing with one clown’s bike. I think had more scenes been of that nature we’d have a classic on our hands. I recall one scene where they tease the clown taking a giant mallet to a little girl. Not to spoil it, but it’s just teased. How awesome would if have been had they went through with that? Now don’t get me wrong, there’s good stuff here, but it could have been better.
Also, just how small is this town again? I know it’s small enough that everyone knows each other, yet there’s a college in the town so it can’t be THAT small can it? The police force is apparently made up of two cops and a chief who just so happens to be out of town. When backup is called there’s a ton of cops that run to the rescue from the neighboring town. I wonder if they ever had the idea that having more cops IN their own town might have helped them out a lot here?? Two cops, with one being a nice guy, and the other being a rotten asshole just won’t cut it with a race of clown people from outer space.
But still, it’s fun. It’s nothing too special but it’s the later part of the 80′s and it packs that 80′s charm and cheese. I can see where a lot of people could love it more than I did, but as for me it just needed more of a mean streak than it has. I’m sure the film will be fun for group watching and parties but as for stand alone viewings it’s worth a watch once, but who knows when I’d want to sit alone and watch it again. Still, I’ll admit I did enjoy some of it. Even with an ending that could have been taken out of a Disney movie.
The Conclusion
It is what it is. It’s kinda fun but it kinda just holds back a little much for my personal taste, you may indeed like it more. I’d still say it’s worth watching but you may want to watch it in a group or with a date. I’m sure women would love this sorta thing, especially if they are terrified of clown.
The Rating (6/10)
Chucks website
