Movie: 3.5/5 Killer klowns from outer space is one of the great 80's gems, it's pure fun and never takes itself too seriously. It really does show off the possibility of 80's makeup and stand out in the genre as something on its own; it's a mix of horror comedy due to the dark themes and the sadistic nature of the clowns. Our two protagonists Mike and Debbie, are making out and they see a comet hit earth. They approach the comet to discover a carnival tent/spaceship and then the clowns become rampid on the city. For a budget of $2 Million USD, I must say the chiodo's tried every trick in the book to pull off rich matte paintings and practical enviornemnts. Since the methods themselves appear useless, the townspeople don't realize they are in danger until it's too late. The klowns go on a complete rampage in the town and this is when the real fun of the film begins. One Klown invades a drug store, it adds comic relief as he is knocking over everything in sight, and then kills the clerk, while a group of Klowns pretend to deliver a pizza to a girl's house, and a small Klown jumps out of the box and kills her with his cotton candy ray gun. Another Klown in the park puts on a puppet show that lures a guy to his death, as, downtown the little Klown, Shorty, drives up on his tricycle into an alley full of biker thugs, and one of the bikers decides to pick on the little Klown by smashing his tricycle. Another Klown goes to "Big Top Burger" hut and tries to lure a little girl into its trap, but fails infuriating the Klown. A tall Klown (who has the ability to float on the highway) has a demolition derby with a guy on the road, resulting in the Klown ramming right into him and plowing him off the road over a ledge to his death. These murder scenes are extreme dark comedy; as they are after all essentially killing everyone in sight. The police keep getting calls from everyone in town about the Klowns, but the officer on duty, the abrasive Sergeant Mooney, just thinks the whole town is in on the prank. He is played by the legendary John Vernon and gives a brilliant performance as usual. Meanwhile, Mike and Officer Hanson drive to the spot where the spaceship had been, (it had moved to another spot), and discover evidence of Joe Lombardo's death, Mike and Hanson drive back to the town, when Officer Hanson sees a Klown use a Tyrannosaurus rex shadow puppet to capture a group of townspeople waiting for a bus, and is finally convinced of the danger. That scene really does show of the Chiodo Brothers use of stop mention as there are uses of practical effects though out. That's one thing you have to remember is that this is pre CGI days and most of it still looks fantastic and holds up today. The Kloens do have a weekness, adding an element of mythology to the aliens themselves. A horrified Hanson shoots the Klown several times with no effect until he shoots the Klown's nose; at that point, the Klown dramatically spins around until it eventually explodes, becoming the first Klown to be killed by a human. The film has a fantastic finale which I can fault. Overall killer klowns is a really fun film that is completely self aware and doesn't try to be anything else then what it claims to be. Check it out if you love anything 80's, with a rocking soundtrack, plenty of Humour and incredible practical effects. Video: 4.5/5 Cinema Cult presents the film in a stunning 1.85:1 transfer; now for a film over 25 years old and low budgt it looks impressive. There is very little print damage, with a natural layer of grain; missing from the previous DVD. Colours are extremely rich, the scenes inside the klowns spaceship shows of vibrant neon pinks and greens, allowing us to get into the atmosphere. The black levels are well balanced, allowing night scenes to be easily seen. This transfer appears to be the same to the UK version, so this is a great option and will save you money not having import it. Audio: 4/5 Cinema Cult presents the film in its original 2.0 Stereo mix. It sounds clean and crisp. The dialogue comes off clear with no muffling. The soundtrack itself really does rock the sound system when taken to its maximum. Extras:
4.5/5 Cinema Cult present this as a jam packed disc, you get a large amount of extras; some from the older DVD and some new and exclusive to this release. High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) Original Stereo 2.0 audio (uncompressed PCM on the Blu-ray) Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing Audio Commentary with the Chiodo Brothers The Making of Killer Klowns – a 20-minute featurette looking at the film’s production, including an interview with the Chiodo Brothers alongside behind-the-scenes footage Visual Effects with Gene Warren Jr. – an interview with Charles Chiodo and visual effects supervisor Gene Warren Jr. Kreating Klowns – an interview with Charles Chiodo and creature fabricator Dwight Roberts Bringing Life to These Things – A Tour of Chiodo Bros. Productions Chiodo Brothers' Earliest Films – a look back at the Chiodo Brothers’ early homemade productions Tales of Tobacco: A brand new interview with star Grant Cramer Debbie's Big Night: A brand new interview with star Suzanne Snyder Komposing Klowns – interview with composer John Massari Deleted Scenes with Director’s Commentary Bloopers Klown Auditions Image Gallery Original Theatrical Trailer Overall: 4/5 M: 3.5/5 V: 4.5/5 A: 4/5 E: 4.5/5
1 Comment
MAZ
2/21/2015 04:03:24 pm
I can confirm that it's not the ARROW UK transfer as I've asked Cinema Cult previously. However thanks for the positive review as I've been holding off purchasing waiting for any details on picture quality.
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November 2017
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