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Long
out of circulation, Klown fanatics can rejoice,
for their object of affection has landed once again
as part of MGM's Midnite Movies series. The
Chiodo brothers' Killer Klowns
from Outer Space is certainly one of the
most unusual science fiction offerings of the last
20 years; while somewhat light-hearted in tone at
the outset, with many well-placed visual homages
to sci-fi and horror pics of the past (The
Blob, Invasion of the
Body Snatchers, and Forbidden
Planet among them), it quickly shifts into
a straight-laced, often dark little film which truly
deserves its cult reputation.
Borrowing
the opening from 1958's The
Blob, a young couple (Grant Cramer and Suzanne
Snyder) at the local make-out point spots a shooting
star race across the sky and decide to follow it.
To their horror they discover, instead of a shooting
star, a rather ominous circus tent brimming with
homicidal bozos from beyond who soon descend upon
the small town of Crescent Cove. Using perverted
circus motifs — killer popcorn, hunting dogs fashioned
from balloons, cotton candy cocoons, etc. — the
Klowns set out to turn the citizens into snack food.
Teaming up with a cop (John Allen Nelson), it's
up to our young heroes to yank the ring out from
under the red-nosed raiders.
Utterly
bizarre, Killer Klowns
defies its unavoidably campy set-up and is instead
an often satisfying, not to mention downright creepy,
sci-fi/horror hybrid. Conceived, written, produced,
and directed by the talented Chiodo brothers, whose
effects work has graced everything from the Critters
films to the short-lived Land of the Lost
revival series, Killer Klowns
works because it takes itself so seriously. Despite
the absurdity of much of the proceedings, and some
painful dialog ("This place looks like it was decorated
by Clowns-R-Us!"), the film is played incredibly
straight.
The Klowns
themselves are truly scary creations. With big,
yellow-toothed grins filled with sharp teeth, beady
yellow eyes, tufts of brightly colored hair, and
large, three-fingered hands, the Chiodos and their
effects team have extraordinarily realized these
unusual monsters. Clowns are spooky to begin with
(frankly, I hate' em); what the Chiodos have done
is tap into that lingering fear of clowns sported
by many of us and exaggerated it to a frightful
extreme. The circus gags, converted into lethal
set-pieces, are often clever: Lon Chaney's oft-quoted
remark that the most frightening thing one can see
is a lone clown driving the car next to you is visually
represented here; there's also the infamous shadow
puppet scene (a high-point of the film) and a well-done
confrontation between a Klown and the disgruntled
Officer Mooney (John Vernon, effectively grumbling
his way through the film), who gets a severe comeuppance,
among others. Killer Klowns
also sports a terrific, catchy theme song courtesy
of The Dickies.
The film
is not perfect, of course, and its low-budget often
shows in the minimalist décor of the Klowns' space
ship and a few poorly executed effects shots (though
the majority of the matte-work looks terrific).
It's also fortunate that once the Klowns begin their
rampage the focus is almost entirely on them and
their antics, as the young leads fail to impress
in their limited roles. Veteran film actor Royal
Dano has an embarrassing cameo as a backwoods farmer
who becomes the Klowns' first victim; but John Vernon
clearly relishes his part as Officer Mooney and
chews the scenery with glee.
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This
DVD is, arguably, the best so far in the Midnite
Movies line. The print of the film is flawless,
with nary a speckle or scratch to be seen. The Klowns'
bright colors are positively brilliant.
Notorious
for their lack of bonus material, MGM has pulled out
all the stops here. For under 10 bucks (at retail
stores), you get a fun audio commentary from the three
Chiodos, whose unadulterated love and affection for
their film is positively infectious; four making-of
featurettes and a look at two of the Chiodo's earliest
works, one of which is an amusing homage to Ray Harryhausen's
20
Million Miles To Earth; two deleted scenes
with optional commentary, bloopers, a storyboard gallery,
photo gallery, and the original, cheesy theatrical
trailer. The only extra lacking is the Dickies' Killer
Klowns music video, but why complain? Phew! This budget
disc is an incredible bargain for Klown fans and a
must-own. 9/16/01 |
