Killer Klowns from Outer Space (1988)

Director:

Stephen Chiodo

Writers:

Charles Chiodo (writer)
Stephen Chiodo (writer)
(more)

Release Date:

27 May 1988 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Horror | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

It's Craaazy!

Plot:

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

Plot Keywords:

Alien | Clown | Small Town | Spaceship | Ice Cream Truck

Awards:

2 nominations

Cast

Grant Cramer	...	Mike Tobacco
Suzanne Snyder	...	Debbie Stone
John Allen Nelson	...	Dave Hanson
John Vernon	...	Curtis Mooney
Michael Siegel	...	Rich Terenzi
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
Kathleen Stefano	...	Mom #2
Claire Bartle	...	Little Girl
Sharon O'Mahoney	...	Waitress
Michael Halton	...	Slug
Lucinda Burgess	...	Sheila
Melvin Thompson	...	Black Biker
David Piel	...	Security Guard
Steven A. Jones	...	State Trooper (as Steven Jones)
Armon Stover	...	State Trooper
Jeff Yesko	...	State Trooper
Steve Rockhold	...	Klown Performer
Michael Harrington Burris	...	Klown Performer (as Michael Harington Burris)
Geno Ponza	...	Klown Performer
Scott Beatty	...	Klown Performer
Paul Haley	...	Klown Performer
Dennis C. Walsh	...	Klown Performer
Genie Houdini	...	Klown Performer
Charles Chiodo	...	'Klownzilla' the King Klown
Harrod Blank	...	Klown Performer
Karl Shaeffer	...	Klown Performer
Paul Parsons	...	Klown Performer
Jimmy Locust	...	Klown Performer
Mitch Bryan	...	Klown Performer
Greg Sykes	...	Klown Performer
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Johnny Martin	...	Joe Lombardo (uncredited)
Jesse Grey Walken	...	Co-ed (uncredited)

Directed by
Stephen Chiodo

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Charles Chiodo		writer
Edward Chiodo		uncredited
Stephen Chiodo		writer

Produced by
Charles Chiodo	....	producer
Edward Chiodo	....	producer
Stephen Chiodo	....	producer
Paul Mason	....	executive producer
J.J. Lichauco Pelman	....	associate producer (as J.J. Lichuaco)
Christopher Roth	....	associate producer (as Chris Roth)
Helen Szabo	....	executive producer (as Helen Sarlui-Tucker)

Original Music by
John Massari

Cinematography by
Alfred Taylor		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Christopher Roth		(as Chris Roth)

Casting by
Alana H. Lambros
Ed Mitchell

Production Design by
Charles Chiodo

Art Direction by
Philip Dean Foreman

Set Decoration by
Luana Speelman

Costume Design by
Darcie F. Olson		(as Darcee Olson)

Makeup Department
Jon Thanos	....	key hair stylist
Cheryl Voss	....	assistant makeup artist
Kandace Westmore	....	key makeup artist

Production Management
Mel A. Bishop	....	executive production manager
Fima Noveck	....	post-production supervisor
Fred Wardell	....	unit production manager
Lisa Yesko	....	production supervisor: TWE

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Rocky Capella	....	additional second unit director
Todd Corman	....	second assistant director
Fred Wardell	....	first assistant director

Art Department
Kim Bailey	....	special props: Modelwerke's
Mark Barofsky	....	assistant property master
Mitch Bryan	....	special props: Modelwerke's
Tawny Capricio	....	art department coordinator
Ed Church	....	carpenter
Kevin Constant	....	assistant art director
Ainslee Colt de Wolf	....	property master (as Ainslee Colt Dewolf)
Derek DeVoe	....	sculptor (as Derek Devoe)
Gimel Everett	....	lead man
Gordon Forkert	....	special props: Modelwerke's (as Gordon Forket)
Natti Hefner	....	art department coordinator (as Netti Hefner)
James Kagel	....	sculptor (as Jim Kagel)
Bruce Lau	....	special props: Modelwerke's
Brett Leonard	....	swing
Don Medina	....	carpenter
Tim Reiter	....	carpenter
Eugene P. Rizzardi	....	special props: Modelwerke's (as Eugene Rizzardi)
Theresa Rizzardi	....	special props: Modelwerke's
Karen Thompson	....	special props: Modelwerke's
Anthony Tremblay	....	consultant: set design (as Tony Tremblay)
Katherine G. Vallin	....	additional art director (as Katherine Vallin)
Jack Wiley	....	construction coordinator

Sound Department
Kirk Baily	....	sound coordinator
Kenneth R. Burton	....	sound recordist
Jack Cheap	....	sound editor
Chuck Cirino	....	sound designer
Steve Cohen	....	sound re-recording mixer
Will Santa Cruz	....	sound editor
Craig C. Darian	....	recording director
Dan Harville	....	sound effects editor
John Hays	....	boom operator
Paul Holzborn	....	foley artist
Warren Kleiman	....	adr mixer (as Warren Kleinman)
Patrick Moriarty	....	sound mixer
Nancy Parker	....	foley artist
Christopher Roth	....	supervising sound editor (as Chris Roth)
Jackson Schwartz	....	foley mixer
Garry Ulmer	....	sound re-recording mixer
Don Wolf	....	adr editor
Greg Yeager	....	foley artist

Special Effects by
Tassilo Baur	....	special effects coordinator
Charles Belardinelli	....	special effects technician (as Charlie Belardinelli)
Lou Carlucci	....	special effects foreman
Nancy Deturo	....	fabricator: Klowns
Ans Ellis	....	fabricator: Klowns
Deborah Galvez	....	fabricator: Klowns
Bob McKee	....	fabricator: Klowns
Ralph Miller	....	fabricator: Klowns
Bart Mixon	....	fabricator: giant Klown hand
Gilbert A. Mosko	....	foam latex technician (as Gill Mosko)
Bradford Plows	....	fabricator: Klowns
Mark Rappaport	....	fabricator: Klowns
Dwight Roberts	....	fabricator: Klowns
Sharon Roberts	....	fabricator: Klowns
Robert Scott	....	special effects technician (as Robert M. Scott)
Bill Sturgeon	....	fabricator: Klowns
Joe Viskocil	....	pyrotechnician (as Joseph Viskocil)
Gene Warren Jr.	....	special effects supervisor: Fantasy II Film Effects
Mike Warren	....	miniature special effects assistant
Greg R. Stone	....	special effects technician (uncredited)

Visual Effects by
Tony Alderson	....	optical effects
Robert D. Bailey	....	matte camera operator (as Robert Bailey)
Betzy Bromberg	....	optical effects
David Emerson	....	optical effects
Michael Griffin	....	assistant visual effects camera operator
Linda Henry	....	optical effects
John Huneck	....	visual effects camera operator
Leslie Huntley	....	production supervisor: Fantasy II Film Effects
Frank H. Isaacs	....	rotoscoping (as Frank Isaacs)
Mark Joyce	....	model maker (as Mark W. Joyce)
Michael Joyce	....	model shop foreman
Justin Kohn	....	stop motion animator: additional effects
Candace Lewis	....	rotoscoping (as Candy Lewis)
Bret Mixon	....	rotoscoping
Gary Rhodaback	....	model maker (as Gary Rhodback)
Mark Sullivan	....	matte painter
Donna Tracy	....	rotoscoping

Stunts
Rocky Capella	....	stunt coordinator
Greg Ferrando	....	stunts
Tama Hutchison	....	stunts
Kevin Larson	....	stunts
Chuck Lyons	....	stunts
Johnny Martin	....	stunts
Mike Martinez	....	stunts
Tim Meredith	....	stunts (as Tim Merideth)

Camera and Electrical Department
Miles Anderson	....	gaffer
William D. Barber	....	camera operator (as Bill Barber)
Randall Bishop	....	second assistant camera
James W. Brewer	....	still photographer (as James Brewer)
Bill Brocias	....	key grip (as Bill Brocious)
Jeff Buchanan	....	best boy electric (as Jeff D. Buchanan)
Chris Chomyn	....	electrician (as Christopher Comyn)
Sandra England	....	electrician
Kelly Flood	....	grip
Jarn Heil	....	rigger: Klown Hand and Klown Kar
Fran Hughes	....	best boy grip
John Huneck	....	additional photographer
Jerry Lane	....	first assistant camera
Andy Rosen	....	still photographer
MacKenzie Waggaman	....	additional photographer (as Mackenzie Waggaman)
Robert A. Williamson	....	electrician
David Yule	....	dolly grip
Aaron Zajac	....	electrician (as Aaron J. Zajac)

Casting Department
Judith Bouley	....	casting: Santa Cruz (as Judy Bouley)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Lori Avalos	....	set costumer
C. Cracko	....	costume construction
Monique Dautzenberg	....	costume construction
Sonja Finch	....	costume construction
Barbara Kennedy	....	costume construction
Mari-Aala Muelas	....	costume construction
Donalee Nelson	....	wardrobe supervisor

Editorial Department
Will Santa Cruz	....	assistant editor
Robert Fong	....	assistant editor
Dale E. Grahn	....	color timer
Jeanne Robinson	....	second assistant editor

Music Department
Mark Coffin	....	scoring engineer
Bob Hunka	....	music supervisor
A. David Marshall	....	music editor

Transportation Department
Michael Carpenter	....	driver
Bob Green	....	driver: production van
Paul Hegg	....	driver
Jay Kennedy	....	transportation coordinator
Cliff Martin	....	driver: honeywagon
John Ramirez	....	driver
Ron Stafford	....	transportation captain

Other crew
Loretta Abata	....	production auditor
Jeff Barnes	....	production assistant
Suzy Beugen	....	production coordinator (as Suzy L. Beugen)
Linda Chiodo	....	secretary to producers
Skip Clarke	....	set production assistant
Craig Comstock	....	stand-in
Bill Davis	....	caterer (as Chef Bill Davis)
Archer Goodman	....	location consultant
Kirk Gray	....	stand-in
Brian Hutchison	....	stand-in
John Joyce	....	production assistant: effects unit (as Johnny Joyce)
Kenny Kaplan	....	craft service
Brandee Lane	....	stand-in
Ellen Lent	....	location manager (as Ellen Winchell)
Gary Moyer	....	office production assistant
Jere Newton	....	production secretary
David Nichols	....	dialogue developer: Klown dialect
Bonnie Piccolo	....	assistant auditor
Dana Pink	....	stand-in (as Dayna Pink)
Bradford Plows	....	set production assistant
Heather Pumphrey	....	production assistant: effects unit
John Ross	....	programmer: fairlights
Steve Shibuya	....	production assistant: effects unit (as Steven Shibuya)
Christopher Warren	....	production assistant: effects unit (as Christopher Lee Warren)
Jon Warren	....	production assistant: effects unit
Michael Warren	....	production assistant: effects unit
Sharon 'Mae' West	....	script supervisor (as S. Mae West)
Rik Converse	....	production assistant (uncredited)

Thanks
Curtis Beck	....	special thanks
Fred Fuchs	....	special thanks
Karen Ludwig	....	special thanks: Allied Product Placement Company

Production Companies

• Sarlui / Diamant (as Sarlui/Diamant) (presents)
• Chiodo Brothers Productions (as Chiodo Bros.)

Distributors

• Trans World Entertainment (TWE) (1988) (USA) (theatrical)
• MGM Home Entertainment (2001) (USA) (DVD)
• MGM Home Entertainment (2001) (USA) (VHS)
• MGM Home Entertainment (2007) (USA) (DVD) (on "College Essentals: Astronomy 101")
• MGM Home Entertainment (2008) (USA) (DVD) (on "Triple Feature - Dying of Laughter")
• Future Film (2010) (Finland) (DVD)
• KSM Film (2012) (Germany) (DVD)
• Hoyts Distribution (198?) (Australia) (theatrical)
• MGM Home Entertainment (2012) (USA) (DVD) (Blu-Ray)
• Media Home Entertainment (USA) (VHS)
• Media Home Entertainment (USA) (laserdisc)

Special Effects

• Fantasy II Film Effects (special visual effects)
• Image Engineering (additional special effects)

Other Companies

• The Caterers Inc.  catering (as 'The Caterers')
• Central Coast Production Services  extras casting
• Modelwerke's  special props
• Roberts Studio Design  Klowns built by
• B & B Sound Studios  adr and foley recording (as B&B Sound Studios, Inc.)
• Wildcat Studios  music mixing
• Loop Therapy  adr group
• Republic Sound Studios Inc.  sound re-recording (as Republic Sound Studios)
• Optical Cinema Service Inc.  titles and opticals (as Optical Cinema Services, Inc.)
• Magic Film Works  negative cutting
• County of Santa Cruz  special thanks
• City of Santa Cruz  special thanks
• Santa Cruz Police Department  special thanks (as Santa Cruz Police Dept.)
• City of Watsonville  special thanks
• Watsonville Police Department  special thanks (as Watsonville Police Dept.)
• Vista Group  special thanks
• Allied Product Placement Company  special thanks: Karen Luwdig (as Allied Product Placement Co.)
• Panavision  cameras and lenses (as Panavision®)
• Filmtrucks  production vehicles
• Percepto Records  score album released by (uncredited)

Also Known As:

Runtime:

88 min | Argentina:90 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Stereo

Certification:

Australia:M | Canada:14A | France:-12 (TV rating) | UK:15 | USA:PG-13 (certificate #28817) | Canada:G (Quebec) | Argentina:13 | Iceland:16 | Germany:18 | Finland:K-18 (2010) (self applied) | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, Santa Cruz, California, USA

Company:

Sarlui / Diamant

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.

Goofs:

Continuity: 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.

Quotes:

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

Movie Connections:

References Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree (1966)

Soundtrack:

Killer Klowns (From Outer Space)

Vastly entertaining horror comedy.

"Killer Klowns from Outer Space"(1988)by Stephen Chiodo is a horror movie so ridiculous that it's hard to dislike it.What makes it work so well is that it successfully toys with our expectations.Some people just hate clowns,and this movie exaggerates everything that makes them scary.The plot involves some really creepy aliens who look like clowns.They have come to our planet to turn people into food.The clowns capture their victims in cocoons made of cotton candy,their guns look like colorful toy pistols,their pies are acidic,their popcorns turn into snake-like creatures and their ship is a circus tent.Anyway,this crazy film is extremely entertaining.The make-up is beyond grotesque and the clowns look very creepy.The film received a cult status many years ago and it's easy to see why.So if you are a fan of twisted and bizarre horror films give this one a chance.8 out of 10.