Review of Killer Klowns from Outer Space (1988) by Karl G — 20 Aug 2008

Killer Klowns from Outer Space is a great example of not needing a ton of money to make a great movie. The costumes and set design are really well done for the money spent on them. To this day, a number of haunted houses are using similar costumes and designs to frighten people. Letâ??s face it, clowns are scary.

The effects were cheap but surprisingly effective. Some of my favorites were the flying popcorn, the balloon dog that was used to search for people, the space ship shaped like a circus tent, and the cocoons made out of cotton candy, and the pies that melts away skin. Like most great movies there has to be a car chase scene. This one had a guy being chased by a clown in an invisible car with headlights attached to its feet.

Killer Klowns from Outer Space had several memorable scenes that are hard to forget. The ventriloquist dummy, the clown punching the bikers block off, and the shadow puppet scene are the ones that stick out the most. I liked the scene with the clowns slowly walking towards the town at night. The music from John Massari really added to it. There is another one that I forgot about until I recently watched this again. The scene where the clown tries to get the kid to come out of the restaurant really left me uncomfortable. Luckily nothing happens to the kid but since the movie deals with clowns they probably thought it was a good idea to have a scene with a child in it.

The acting was a mixed bag but that isnâ??t surprising for a low budget movie. The late John Vernon was excellent as Curtis Mooney. Not quite the performance he gave as Dean Vernon Wormer in National Lampoon's Animal House but pretty close. The lead actress is Suzanne Snyder does a good job playing Debbie Stone. The highlight for her role is a long shower scene where she teases us then gets attached by several clowns. Comedian Christopher Titus makes a brief appearance.

Killer Klowns from Outer Space isnâ??t that scary or a very gruesome movie but it is highly entertaining. Overall this is one of my favorite horror comedyâ??s that can be enjoyed over and over again. The Chiodo brothers hit a home run with this one. The Midnight Movies DVD from MGM is cheap.