Certain movies, no matter how well made, were made to be appreciated by the select few instead of mass audiences. Not every cult movie sets out to be a cult movie, but there are some, those bizarre passion projects with a voice of their own, that somehow just get made, and while never becoming a huge smash at the box office, just get a loyal, devoted fan base that just loves the hell out of whatever that weird movie happens to be.
I mean, did anyone expect anything better from Killer Klowns from Outer Space?
The small college town of Crescent Cove is in for a surprise: an alien circus tent just descended on the outskirts of town, and the passengers are a group of alien clowns. These clowns are hostile, zapping people with rays that spin them into cotton candy cocoons, a lethal attack, or fire off popcorn blasts at anyone they see. They use balloon animals as bloodhounds, pull tricks with puppet shows, and have a wide range of clown-based attacks. Of course, despite their grotesque appearance, these guys are clowns, so most people don’t really suspect they’re dangerous until it’s too late.
The exceptions are young couple Mike (Grant Cramer) and Debbie (Suzanne Snyder). They managed to find the circus tent and barely escape the clowns, but the clowns, or perhaps klowns, were already beginning their rampage in town. Debbie’s ex-boyfriend Dave (John Allen Nelson) is a cop, and Mike’s pals Rich (Michael S. Siegel) and Paul Terenzi (Peter Licassi) sell ice cream but somehow always seem to turn up alive. That may be it for allies, and it isn’t helped when the town’s other authority figure, Officer Mooney (John Vernon), thinks all those clown complaint calls coming in are part of some elaborate prank being pulled by those no-good college kids. The klowns seem to be indestructible on top of everything else. Can Mike, Debbie, Dave, and the Terenzi brothers find a way to stop them, and will there be anyone left alive in town when they’re through?
This one was a lot of fun. The movie was written, directed, and produced by Chiodo brothers, and those three had a vision and they saw it through. The klowns are the right combination of off-putting and amusing, dangerous without ever seeming to be too scary. Their powers are creative, and their one weakness fits in with the overall tone of the movie. Yeah, they kill a lot of people and seem to enjoy doing it, but they do it in a comedic manner, making this more of a dark comedy than a horror movie. I wouldn’t call this movie all that scary. It’s just fun.
That creativity extends to the other characters. Most movies would have cast Dave as a more antagonistic figure since he’s also Debbie’s ex, but he actually becomes quite helpful and is arguably the real hero here. And let’s face it: John Vernon could play a guy who disapproves of a bunch of college kids in his sleep. He gets the movie’s one f-bomb, and he slings it around well. Sure, Mike and Debbie are rather rote and the Terenzis are more annoying than funny, but overall, you probably want to watch this one for the klowns. Those guys by themselves are worth it.
Grade: B+
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