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 Hansen
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
Aeron Macintyre	...	Punk #1 (as Brian Degan Scott)
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:

puppet show | breasts growing | clown | circus tent | ice cream truck | 

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Taglines:

Alien bozos with an appetite for close encounters

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Genres:

Comedy | Horror | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

14A

Did You Know?

Trivia

Horrorcore rap group, the Insane Clown Posse sampled dialogue from this film for "The Staleness" on their 2002 Joker's Card (album) "The Wraith: Shangri-La."

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Goofs

When the Klowns' vessel takes off, you can see a hand pulling it from the ground.

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Quotes

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

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Crazy Credits

Film was released in 1988, but the ending credits claim copyright 1987

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Alternate Versions

The version shown on TV doesn't include the biker's head being "knocked" off by the clown riding the bike and subsequently going into the garbage can. However, the TV version does include an extra scene not in the video that deals with Debbie telling Mike about her fear of clowns while they are in the spaceship for the first time.

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Connections

Featured in WatchMojo: Top 10 Alien Invasion Movies (2011)

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Soundtracks

Sandals in the Sand
Written by John Shakespeare
Courtesy of Associated Production Music
Published by K.P.M. Music Ltd. (ASCAP)

User Reviews

A Creative B-Movie

Killer Klowns from Outer Space is an unusual and inventive sci-fi B-Movie about Killer Klowns who invade a town and start viciously killing people. It's original plot and inventive ideas make this an enjoyable movie which doesn't take itself too seriously. Which genre it belongs in borderlines throughout the film. Soemtimes it is pure indulgent comedy, for example Killer Klowns running around with acidic ice-cream sundaes and popcorn ray guns, and wrapping people up in cotton candy cocoons and slurping their blood through twisty straws. But then it isn't really ideal for children and very sensitive viewers, as the added gore, the effectively scary Klown makeup and costuming, and the horrifying ideas make it hard to find it's target audience and definite genre. Most adults can enjoy this without being too grossed-out and scared. However it does stick in your mind, and the Klowns themselves are unnerving and horrific to look at. The goofiness of the story makes it great popcorn fun though, so just take it lightly and enjoy the combination of gore and comedy. The big colourful bright candylike sets and the fantastic Klown technology and surrealism adds more twist to the already freaky premise. The script and acting is just above average, with some good performance and memorable quotes and fun scenes. Killer Klowns from Outer Space is great popcorn-munchin' fun.

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

27 May 1988 (Canada)

Also Known As:

Killer Klowns from Outer Space

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