Clownhouse (1989)

Just before Halloween, three young brothers alone in a big house are menaced by three escaped mental patients who have murdered some traveling circus clowns and taken their identities.

Director:

Victor Salva

Writer:

Victor Salva

Stars:

Nathan Forrest Winters, Brian McHugh, Sam Rockwell

2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Nathan Forrest Winters	...	Casey Collins
Brian McHugh	...	Geoffrey Collins
Sam Rockwell	...	Randy
Michael Jerome West	...	Lunatic Cheezo (as Tree)
Byron Weible	...	Lunatic Bippo
David C. Reinecker	...	Lunatic Dippo
Timothy Enos	...	Real Cheezo / Georgie
Frank Diamanti	...	Real Bippo / Charlie
Karl-Heinz Teuber	...	Real Dippo (as Karl Heinz Teuber)
Viletta Skillman	...	Mrs. Collins - Mother
Gloria Belsky	...	Fortune Teller
Tom Mottram	...	Ringmaster
Erika Young	...	Ellie - Storekeeper
Jasper Watts	...	Jasper
Bobby Salem	...	Booth Barker

Storyline

Just before Halloween, three kid brothers who are alone in a big house are menaced by three escaped mental patients who have murdered some traveling circus clowns and taken their identities.

---

Plot Keywords:

circus | halloween | escaped mental patient | clown | brother | 

---

Taglines:

Welcome To A Circus Of Terror!

---

Genres:

Horror

---

Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

21 April 1990 (Japan)

Also Known As:

Clown dolofonoi

Filming Locations:

3033 Bonifacio Street, Concord, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$200,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Commercial Pictures (I)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

81 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

On the door to one of the older brothers bedroom is a poster for Something in the Basement, the first film/short by Victor Salva, which also starred Nathan Forrest Winters and Brian McHugh.

---

Goofs

While at the Clown Show, the spotlight shines just on Casey's face even before they shine it on him.

---

Quotes

Geoffrey: Trouble at that mad house
Casey: [Worried] Where the crazy people live
Randy: Why would any of them want to break out?
Geoffrey: [Comically] Maybe to go to the circus!

---

Crazy Credits

Before the credits role: No man can hide from his fears; as they are a part of him, they will always know where he is hiding.

---

Connections

References The Outsiders (1983)

User Reviews

Effective and creepy

When I watched this I knew about the actions of the director but chose to not let it spoil the film for me. I'm glad I did because this is a very effective and creepy film. There are plenty of tense moments and the clowns are scary. There is also some great camera-work on display, and clever shots of the clowns that are in sync with the music. It's a while since I watched Clownhouse so I can't say much more, but from what I remember it was a very creepy horror film and one I will watch again one day.

Try not to let the actions of the director put you off, Clownhouse is a creepy little horror flick and succeeds in its intent.