Killer Klowns From Outer Space (1988)

Anybody who says all the best B-movies came from the fifties obviously hasn't seen this little gem. It really is an admirable piece of film making which is actually very clever and inventive. It is reminiscent in someways of The Blob (50s version)in that a teenage couple witness a "comet" fall from the sky and then spend the movie running around trying to get people to believe them. However, this is far more "tongue in cheek" than most movies in its genre and could almost be passed as a black comedy rather than a horror.

The movie isn't particularly scary, although I do remeber finding it very freaky when I was younger. People who have a phobia of clowns should probably stay away from this movie though, because as the title suggests thay are the stars of the show. It is worth watching for the inventive and amusing ways in which the "Klowns" Kill and cocoon their victims alone. But as it happens the film also has a lot more to offer as well. Try as hard as you can to get hold of this movie because it really is a classic. It took me a couple of years of searching but now i've got it and it was definately worth the effort.

Released at the tale end of the 80s slasher movie smothered era, the direct to video monster movie Killer Klowns from Outer Space was a breath of fresh air for the stagnating horror genre. Alternating between unashamed goofiness and actual creepiness, this seemingly unworkable concept of having a race of silly yet very dangerous alien 'clowns' who drop out of the sky one night to scoop up a small town's populace for a quick snack. As one of the Chiodo brothers says, "It's The Blob, but with clowns."

And that it is. Killer Klowns from Outer Space plays the classic 50s monster movie scenario with a sure hand. The Killer Klowns seem overly goofy when first introduced in their Circus Tent Spaceship they use a balloon animal bloodhound to track the escaping teens, shoot popcorn guns instead of ray guns, throw pies, and cocoon their victims in Cotton Candy pods or storage balloons for later cooking. But once they get to work the laughter gets a bit nervous, for these Klowns love to play with their food.

MGM/UA has done a wonderful job on the disc, jamming it with tons of behind the scenes footage, interviews, bloopers, and commentary. We even get to see the Chiodo Brothers first attempt at home movies, which is a treat. The only oversight is the music video of the theme song, performed by The Dickies so don't throw out those old videos or laserdiscs just yet. Still, this release is a must have for any monster movie enthusiast. I give it my highest recommendation.

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In the endless effort to expand my vast array of cult/trash-cinema "classics", I decided to give the Killer Klowns™ a whirl. What I saw was one of the most bizarre and absurd flicks I've ever laid eyes on! Needless to say, this one's definitely a "keeper" for my DVD shelf, filed right next to Flash Gordon™ and The Thing With Two Heads™! The whole flick is so unbelievably ridiculous, you just can't help but be entertained by it!

Indeed, it has it all: A preposterous premise that somehow got approved by the studio suits. Less-than-stellar acting by a few of the principals, and the "hero" playing his part a little too straight-laced. The perversion of various implements of klownery into weapons of annihilation. Silly klown antics gone horribly wrong. It's ludicrously fun to watch on those days when some pretentious bit of "serious" avant-garde celluloid simply ain't gonna cut it.

The special features included with the movie are of the standard type you'd expect to see on a Collector's Edition DVD. There's behind-the-scenes featurettes, a theatrical trailer, deleted scenes, and a commentary track by the movie's creators. In the secondary track, the Chiodo brothers go over the usual stuff you'd expect to hear in a commentary track, including their childhood dreams of becoming to be movie-makers, discussions about how many of the characters were based on childhood friends, memories of the actors that played the various roles, and certain scenes that were particularly difficult to film. Throw in a few quasi-tangential anecdotes, and (voila) you have the Killer Klowns™ Kommentary Trakk in a nutshell.

Then there's the "Easter Egg" materials, which pop up when you let the main menu display run for a couple of minutes. Sadly, these "extra" extras aren't all that impressive. The only items here is a re-dub of a line from the movie, and a few video snippets of people auditioning for the roles of the Klowns in full costume. No offense to all you Klown-o-philes out there, but I think I'd get more excited watchin' paint dry than look at these not-so-special "treats"...

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Being afraid of clowns is a very common occurrence. This movie gives new reasons to be afraid. The entire idea of clowns is explored and twisted into a wonderful story of alien clowns invading a small town.

Balloons, popcorn, cotton candy, shadow puppets, pies in the face, and even the big top are all twisted into sinister ideals. One character makes a statement wondering if the Ancient Astronaut idea could be applied and these aliens are the basis for our whole idea of clowns.

In a typical B-movie move, a pair of teens at a make-out location are the first to encounter the aliens. They are not believed by the local police (one older officer who hates college kids and the other who dated one of the first witnesses). But the truth soon comes out as the aliens step up their invasion.

The DVD has a clear picture and a couple of interesting deleted scenes (just leave the main menu on your screen for a few minutes and the Easter Egg menu will pop up), making of features, other short animated films and other stuff. The one this I was disappointed about was it did not include the music video for the title song (available on one of the VHS editions). The video has some further scenes of "Big Top Burgers" and the clown with the big hammer (and we get to see just what it does).

A wonderful film that is pretty seamless and follows its internal logic well. Funny and creepy. A real must-see.

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The blu-ray of "Killer Klowns from Outer Space" represents a highly noticeable visual improvement over the 2001 special edition DVD. Some people are grumbling that the blu-ray looks like an upconverted DVD and that is absolutely not the case. Either these people expect all blu-rays to look like "Inception" or they don't have the DVD on hand for a direct comparison as I do.

Detail takes a dramatic leap over the DVD and this is most apparent during the numerous closeups of the various clowns. Black levels are vastly improved and the colors really pop in comparison to the DVD. There is a very nice level of film grain throughout and it doesn't appear that any DNR (digital noise reduction) was used at all. The film will always have a bit of a soft look to it at times but that's due to way it was shot and the type of film stock being used during the late 80's. As a huge fan of this film, I was very pleased with the blu-ray visually. The film has never looked better!

The audio is presented in 2 channel DTS-HD master audio that packs a lot more punch than the DVD did. While some might not like that MGM didn't do a 5.1 mix for the blu-ray, I don't think that it needed it.

All of the extras from the 2001 special edition DVD were ported over and there are unfortunately no new goodies for the blu-ray. Since the DVD was loaded though, at least nothing was left out. I would have liked to have seen the music video for The Dickies be finally added for the blu-ray but that didn't occur. The commentary track is one of the best ever featuring the Chiodo brothers and the featurettes are highly informative too.

As for the film itself, I still love this film as much as I did when I first saw it in 1988. They don't make them like this anymore and it's a great blend of laughs, scares and lots of cotton candy.

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