KILLER KLOWNS FROM OUTER SPACE Has Landed

Starring Grant Cramer, Suzanne Snyder, John Allen Nelson, John Vernon, Michael S. Siegel, Peter Licassi, Royal Dano. Directed by Stephen Chiodo. (1988/88min).

Available on Blu-Ray from

ARROW VIDEO

Review by Josey Jumpscare🙀

Watching this cult classic for the first time in at-least 20 years, a few things crossed my mind...

• With the possible exception of John Vernon, none of the cast have done much else anyone remembers. How do they feel today, knowing this film has more-or-less become their legacy? 
• Speaking of Vernon...since his character is similar to his role as Dean Wormer in Animal House, it's fun to imagine they're actually the same character and this is where Wormer ended up after losing his position at Faber.
• Despite the ridiculous premise, almost everyone I've ever met who's seen the movie has laughed with it, not at it. The few who actually did the latter were idiots anyway.
• Relatively speaking, Killer Klowns from Outer Space has aged remarkably well for a 30-year-old film.

I should probably qualify that last takeaway by saying Killer Klowns was already an 80's artifact before the decade was even over, from the big hair & acid-washed jeans down to the The Dickies' corny title tune. But for a horror film from that era, it remains aesthetically & conceptually amusing. Visually, it's still more impressive than 90% of the cheap-ass horror filler on Netflix (of course, long-time fans would likely agree Killer Klowns was never really a "horror" film).

Sure, the dialogue is eye-rollingly clunky and - again, with the possible exception of Vernon - the performances range from perfunctory to amateurish. But I think the Chiodo Brothers already knew screenwriting was never their strength, that much of the humor would be found in their monstrous-but-amusing titular characters, colorful production design and the exploitation of every trope we've ever associated with clowns.

Insane Clown Posse: The Retirement Home Years

Killer Klowns' appeal - not-to-mention most of its laughs - has always come from its creative visuals and individual set-pieces featuring the alien clowns, their "weapons" and methods of bagging human prey. 30 years after the film's inauspicious premiere, those scenes still hold up and - most importantly - are still funny. And unlike the Sharknados of today, which rub our faces in smug self-awareness, Killer Klowns never insults the audience's intelligence with a nudge-and-a-wink, nor does it ever descend into pure camp. There's a sincerity about its ridiculousness that's endearing. The movie makes us laugh - a lot - but never at its own expense.

In addition to being a giddy nostalgia trip for anyone who fondly remembers it, Killer Klowns from Outer Space still belies its budget with visuals and gags that should even amuse newcomers. Arrow has nicely restored the picture to its colorful glory and thrown in a slew of entertaining & informative bonus features (both old and new), making this disc a must-own for fans.

EXTRA KIBBLES:

NEW: "LET THE SHOW BEGIN" - A new interview with two members of The Dickies, who wrote and performed the title song.

NEW: "THE CHIODOS WALK AMONG US" - Retrospective of the Chiodo Brothers' humble beginnings

NEW: "CHIODO BROTHERS' EARLY FILMS" - Six of their early shorts shown in their entirety, running 7-20 minutes each.

FEATURETTES - "Bringing These Things to Life"; "Behind the Screams with the Chiodos"; "Klown Auditions"

FIVE INDIVIDUAL INTERVIEWS - "Tales of Tobacco" (w/ Grant Cramer); "Debbie's Big Night" (w/ Suzanne Snyder); "Visual Effects with Gene Warren Jr."; "The Making of Killer Klowns" (w/ the Chiodo Bros); "Kreating Klowns" (w/ Charles Chiodo & Dwight Roberts); "Composing Klowns" (w/ composer John Massan).

AUDIO COMMENTARY - By the Chiodo Brothers

2 DELETED SCENES

BLOOPER REEL

IMAGE GALLERIES

TRAILER

INFORMATIONAL BOOKLET (not included for review)

REVERSIBLE COVER (not included for review)

KITTY CONSENSUS:

PUR-R-R...LIKE A GOOD SCRATCH BEHIND THE EARS