Horror Movie Review: Killer Klowns From Outer Space (1988)
A young couple out at local make-out point see a shooting star appear to land nearby & decide to go investigate it. They don’t find a shooting star but they do find a huge circus tent in the woods. As they explore it they realise that it’s not a circus tent but a spaceship & it’s inhabited by aliens that look like clowns. Not just any clowns though…killer klowns!
As the clowns go on a rampage through the local town the young couple try to warn people but no-one believes them leaving it up to them & the local ice-cream selling brothers to save the day.
Where do I begin with this movie? Calling it wacky is an understatement…it is one of the more unique horror movies that I have seen combining silliness, scares & some down-right brilliant death scenes.
The clown costumes & make-up is (excuse the pun) out of this world. My favourite thing in the movie is how unique & creepy the clowns look. They are treated by the townspeople as a source of comedy even though they look monstrous & the way they play up to the crowd, lulling them into a false sense of security is brilliant.
This is not a movie filled with gore but the deaths are very inventive. From a bit of shadow play resulting in a crowd getting eaten by a dinosaur to my favourite…death by pie! It’s wonderful to watch & I found myself excited to see what would happen next. Everything the alien clowns use relates in some way to the circus & the way clowns act. Custard pies, squirting flowers, popcorn & puppet shows. Everything they pull out kills in some way!
There are a couple of moments where the film does remind you that you’re watching a horror…
The clowns are collecting the townspeople & cocooning them in candy floss. They store them in the spaceship & drink them. There is a great scene where a clown takes a nice long drink using a very curly straw.
It goes on for ages & is really tense as the heroes are hidden nearby watching.
Sadly some of the acting is pretty poor, the main stars are irritating at times & the whole heroic cop thing annoyed me. However there are some standouts, particularly the older cop who thinks he is being made a fool of & won’t believe a single word even when it’s right in his face!
The film culminates in an amazingly over the top scene involving ‘clownzilla’ & the power of an ice-cream truck. It’s so much fun & while some may dislike the upbeat ending I thought it was fitting.
My favourite thing in horror is being surprised, expecting something poor but getting something great. Killer Klowns From Outer Space was great to watch & it was easy to overlook the negatives as there is so much to enjoy. A movie befitting of its cult status…
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Killer Klowns From Outer Space
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The Final Score - 8/10
8/10
And the theme song by The Dickies is great!
And the theme song by The Dickies is great!