BLU-RAY REVIEW: KILLER KLOWNS FROM OUTER SPACE / CERT: 15 / DIRECTOR: STEPHEN CHIODO / SCREENPLAY: STEPHEN CHIODO, EDWARD CHIODO, CHARLIE CHIODO / STARRING: GRANT CRAMER, SUZANNE SNYDER, JOHN ALLEN NELSON, JOHN VERNON / RELEASE DATE: SEPTEMBER 15TH
For fans of Killer Klowns From Outer Space, this Blu-ray release has been a long time coming. Safe to say, it’s most definitely worth the wait, complete with a new transfer of the main feature and bursting at the seams with additional content that is both informative and enjoyable.
As for the premise, this humorous horror centres on some aliens who land in the small town of Crescent Cove. Don’t be expecting the usual bug-eyed, E.T.-style aliens, for these beings from a galaxy far, far away are clowns. Complete with their circus-shaped spaceship, these homicidal harlequins set out to terrorise the local neighbourhood, turning all in their path into cotton candy cocoons. Whilst Mike (Cramer) and Debbie (Snyder) are well aware of this menace, the local cops naturally don’t believe them and so the clowns are given time to amass quite the list of Crescent Cove victims before the threat is taken seriously. Once Officer Dave Hanson (Nelson) becomes convinced, he teams up with Mike in a mission to rescue Debbie, hunt down these smiling killers and send them back off into space.
The film itself, a bona fide cult classic, holds up remarkably well and is given a fantastic HD digital transfer as part of this release. Never before have we seen popcorn-firing guns, balloon puppets, death by pie, gnarly puppet shows and the like look so impressive, giving a freshness to this 1988 movie. And whilst the movie plays better than it ever has before, it’s with the special features that this latest Killer Klowns release really shines.
In one of the most jam-packed releases we’ve seen in many a year, this Blu-ray consists of enough content to keep the most ardent of Killer Klowns fans occupied for hours on end. From the various featurettes and the audio commentary, it truly is engaging and enthralling to see the trio of Chiodo brothers enthuse about their finest hour and how the whole experience came to be. As much fun as they seem to be having, aficionados of this long-standing fan favourite will similarly find themselves grinning from ear to ear with a release that truly fits the cult classic status of Killer Klowns.
Those unfamiliar with the film may struggle to enjoy Killer Klowns From Outer Space, but this long-awaited Blu-ray release is truly something special for genre fans or for those with a love of fun, imaginative films with a ridiculous premise, classic soundtrack, and a blackly humorous edge. And in fairness, if you’ve never seen Killer Klowns From Outer Space, this release is a perfect starting block to give you all of the information you could possibly need to know about the Chiodo brothers’ sole directorial feature.
Extras: Audio commentary with the Chiodo Brothers / Five featurettes / Cast and crew interviews / Deleted scenes / Killer bloopers / Storyboard and image galleries / Original theatrical trailer / Collector’s booklet
