Killer Klowns from Outer Space (1988)

Aliens who look like clowns come from outer space and terrorize a small town.

Director:

Stephen Chiodo

Writers:

Charles Chiodo, Stephen Chiodo,

Stars:

Grant Cramer, Suzanne Snyder, John Allen Nelson

2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Grant Cramer	...	Mike Tobacco
Suzanne Snyder	...	Debbie Stone
John Allen Nelson	...	Dave Hanson
John Vernon	...	Curtis Mooney
Michael S. Siegel	...	Rich Terenzi (as Michael Siegel)
Peter Licassi	...	Paul Terenzi
Royal Dano	...	Farmer Gene Green
Christopher Titus	...	Bob McReed (as Chris Titus)
Irene Michaels	...	Stacy
Karla Sue Krull	...	Tracy
Brian Degan Scott	...	Punk #1
Danny Kovacs	...	Punk #2
Adele Proom	...	Mrs. Franco
Howard Malpas	...	Mr. Myers
Karen Raff	...	Mom #1

Storyline

When a small town is invaded by aliens from outer space who are capturing and killing the townspeople, no one takes them seriously. Why? The aliens all look like circus clowns, use weapons that look clown like, and all have painted on smiles. Only a few of the young people in the town realize the danger and of course no one believes them. Armed with an ice cream truck they try and rescue their friends.

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Plot Keywords:

clown | alien | small town | spaceship | circus tent | 

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Taglines:

In Space No One Can Eat Ice Cream!

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Genres:

Comedy | Horror | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

14A

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

27 May 1988 (USA)

Also Known As:

Clowns asesinos

Filming Locations:

Santa Cruz County, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$2,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Sarlui / Diamant, Chiodo Brothers Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

88 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The $2 million budget went primarily on production costs. The clowns and visual effects were created almost entirely by the filmmakers at very little cost.

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Goofs

When Joe first looks out of the car window to see the Klown-without-a-car, the clown has no headlights on his feet, but does in all other shots.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Curtis Mooney: Look at this son of a bitch.

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Connections

References I tre volti della paura (1963)

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Soundtracks

Pop Goes the Weasel
Traditional

User Reviews

A bunch of aliens clowning around

When it comes to silly movies, they don't get much sillier than this one. The title says it all, and its clear going into a movie called 'Killer Klowns from Outer Space' that you're not exactly going to be in for a serious ride. To be honest, I can't say I was overly enthused with this Sci-Fi spoof, but it's not hard to see why it's got a cult following. The film takes in the idea of clowns being eerie and frightening, and fuses it with the common theme of aliens coming down from space; thus giving us aliens that look like clowns. For what it is, the film is actually quite inventive; and while much of the action is clichéd and/or samey, it's the little things that ensure it doesn't get boring. As mentioned, the plot follows aliens from space that look like clowns. When their spaceship (a tent) lands in the forest, two kids rush to the police headquarters to tell the law that their town is being invaded. If someone gave me that story, I'd definitely believe it; but the law in this town is slightly more sceptical, and while the kids aren't being believed; the clown population is growing.

One thing I do like about this movie is the special effects. Rather than simply having the clowns being played by men in make-up and baggy clothes, director Stephen Chiodo has opted to make actual suits for the villains. The special effects are a lot like those seen in Tim Burton's Beetlejuice in the same year, and bode well with this absurd plot line. The style of the movie is consistently clown themed, and parts of the film such as the climax on the alien spaceship look great. The acting is typical B-movie, but the movie does benefit from several good performers. The young cast perform well enough with energetic performances that, like the rest of the movie, aren't delivered too seriously; but the standout is veteran actor John Vernon, who is great in the role of the sceptic police officer. The 'horror' in this movie is hardly potent, as much of it is sapped out because of the fact that it's all a big joke - but ideas such as people being cocooned in candy floss or eaten up by a shadow puppet are surreally frightening. Overall, this isn't a favourite of mine; but it offers ninety minutes of good fun and there's no real reason to hate it.