Review: Killer Klowns from Outer Space

#132 - Killer Klowns from Outer Space

Killer Klowns from Outer Space takes place in a small little town called Crescent Cove. One night, a mysterious burst of light shoots across the sky and lands in the forest just outside of the town. Mike and Debbie, curious as to what the light was, go in search of it. They come upon a circus tent in the middle of nowhere. They discover that the circus tent isn't just a regular circus tent, but it's a spaceship harboring killer klowns! They run for their lives and seek help from the police department. By the time the police take Mike and Debbie seriously, it's too late. The klowns have attacked Crescent Cove. They are trapping people inside giant balloons and cotton candy cocoons. When Mike, Debbie, Officer Dave Hanson, and the Terenzi brothers set out to follow the klowns back to their ship and destroy them, they come face to face with Klownzilla, the leader of the klowns. Dave puts his life on the line to save his friends and the world. He defeats Klownzilla and saves the day.

Killer Klowns is an 80s horror masterpiece. Yeah sure, at first glance it is extremely cheesy and some of the acting is just plain awful; however, it's truly a diamond in the rough. A gem. For this being a film made in the 80s, it had limited resources when it came to technology. For those clowns to look as real as they did, that is some major kudos to the make-up department. I really do feel like this film is the first of its kind. They tackled things that other films hadn't dreamed of yet. I like to compare the Chiodo brothers to Jim Henson. They can do things with puppetry, make-up, and costumes that other people cannot. The clowns are so awesome that it distracts from the 80s(ness) of the film.

That's genuinely where my love for the film stems from is the creation of the killer klowns. A few years ago I attended the Spooky Empire Horror Convention in Orlando, and I had the privilege to meet the Chiodo brothers and sit in on their Q&A session. The little tricks and behind the scenes tidbits that were shared were phenomenal. I had no idea that Charles Chiodo was inside the Klownzilla suit. He couldn't see anything that was going on, and the suit was overly large and heavy; however, he made it work, and it looked spectacular.

So, overall, most people laugh at me when I preach about my love for this film, but they're really missing out. If they could look at it through my eyes, I truly do feel it would change their mind. I don't want the Chiodo brothers to remake this film, but I would love to see a 3D sequel released (they talked about this happening during their Q&A). I think at this point they're just looking for funding because I know for a fact they have a strong enough fan-base for the film to be a success.


I give Killer Klowns from Outer Space 4 out of 5 stars.

If you have not seen this movie, GO WATCH IT NOW. It will change your life.