Review: Killer Klowns from Outer Space (1988)

Killer Klowns from Outer Space

Rating

Director

Stephen Chiodo

Screenplay

Charles Chiodo, Stephen Chiodo

Length

1h 28m

Starring

Grant Cramer, Suzanne Snyder, John Allen Nelson, John Vernon, Michael Siegel, Peter Licassi, Royal Dano, Chris Titus, Irene Michals, Karla Sue Krull

MPAA Rating

PG-13

Review

For some, the 1980s were the pinnacle of horror, not from a quality standpoint but from a pure, unadulterated fun perspective. Killer Klowns from Outer Space is certainly one of the pinnacles of the period in terms of cult celebrity.

The concept was easy to understand, an alien race of carnivorous clowns who want to conquer and consume the humans of planet earth arrive in a sleepy little town where they hope their innocent looking appearances will lure in the unsuspecting to their cotton candy cocoons. Unfortunately for them, a group of young men and women recognize the danger and step up to combat it but can they do so in time?

While a small number of horror films in the period saw stars go on to great fandom, the two best recognized players in the film aren’t the kids but character actors Royal Dano and John Vernon. Vernon makes his antagonistic sheriff the best performance in the film, though that isn’t saying much when you have the likes of Grant Cramer, Suzanne Snyder, and John Allen Nelson leading the cast. It’s an uneven acting showcase but if you’re going into a film like this for the acting, you’re probably not going to be a fan.

Special effects artist Stephen Chiodo directs with a script he co-wrote with one of his brothers, Charles. There is little flare to Chiodo’s filmmaking and that hurts the film a great deal. It’s a simple, paint-by-numbers affair that could have used some more sizzling creativity to overcome the thick cheesiness of the material. In spite of all this, the film is incredibly fun. The ideas are simple to follow but the twists are sometimes unexpected much like with most of the 80s horror output. There’s no suspense but it’s not entirely unpredictable and that keeps the fun quotient ramped up for most of the film.

A solid script and a killer score by John Massari prevent Killer Klowns from fading into obscurity like a lot of 80s horror. Anyone remember Mountaintop Motel Massacre? If you trolled the Blockbuster shelves, perhaps. It seemed to always be checked in. Regardless, this film manages to escape being forgotten and that’s because it’s immensely enjoyable.

Killer Klowns from Outer Space was unique in its timeframe, a sci-fi horror film that went for laughs over scares but was pretty terrifying in its own right. They don’t make schlock like this anymore, it’s a pity. Sometimes it’s nice just to turn your brain off and enjoy pulp excess and this film delivers it in abundance.