Stephen Chiodo

(In French, On Cable TV, July 2022) Show me a cinephile who’s not at least tempted to watch a film titled Killer Klowns from Outer Space and I will show you someone I just can’t understand. I mean—the repeated Ks alone are fun enough, and adding ”from outer space” to anything just makes it automatically better. The title does at least clarify that this will not be a serious experience: clearly aiming for the comedy/horror segment (especially the way comedy/horror was done in the late 1980s, seldom replicated since), the film joyfully uses whatever pretext it can to deliver a film with scary clowns as antagonists. Never mind the thin pretense of extraterrestrials invading earth—the point of writer-director Stephen Chiodo’s film is to do as many funny variations on clowns and circus paraphernalia as “horror” tools. The scares are incidental, although I suppose that anyone with a latent fear of clown won’t be happy with the result. Tons of practical latex effects give the film a unique look, especially when combined with the colourful palette of clown costuming. But while the distinctive atmosphere of the film combines well with an absurd take on circus motifs used in a horror context, it’s not a given that Killer Klowns from Outer Space is a success: while I can appreciate the high-imagination of the film and its unserious intentions, I found much of the execution to be duller than expected. “Not meant to be horrific” on the comedy/horror scale does not mean “actually funny.” The flourishes of the set design are not matched by rather pedestrian acting, plotting and dialogue, for instance, and those are the elements that ultimately give the edge to other similar comedy/horror films of the same era. Killer Klowns from Outer Space is worth a look, but don’t be sure that you’ll like it even if you’re predisposed to similar films.