This Blu-ray release from Arrow Video will be available for purchase (www.arrowvideo.com – www.facebook.com/ArrowVideo/) on April 24th.
Killer Klowns from Outer Space is pretty much the definition of a cult flick. A fun little independent monster movie with a unique concept, filled to the brim with memorable creatures and a sense of visual panache that more than compensates for its budgetary restrictions. Back in the day, the movie only received a limited theatrical run. However, it took off the moment it arrived on VHS rental store shelves. No self-respecting genre movie fan could pass by that box and title. Over the years, its popularity continues to grow. Arrow Video have delivered an impressive new Blu-ray of the film with an improved picture and have loaded the disc with great bonus material.
As for the story, it involves the sudden appearance of a meteorite flashing through the sky in the community of Cresent Cove, California. When dating couple Mike (Grant Cramer) and Debbie (Suzanne Snyder) decide to locate the fallen rock, they come upon something truly odd… a circus tent in the middle of the forest. They soon discover that what they witnessed was a spaceship and that alien beings who bear resemblance to our clowns are up to no good. Mike and Debbie try to alert the authorities, but Sgt. Mooney (John Vernon) believes that all the community’s college students are drunken thugs and dismisses them. Thankfully, the pair do manage to convince Debbie’s ex and young police Captain Hanson (John Allen Nelson) that the town is under attack.
The plot is simple, but simply provides a set-up that allows the eerie-looking villains to wander into town and cause comedic chaos. Viewers get to see the Killer Klowns use balloon animals to hunt down humans and entice victims with shadow puppets before striking. They also use clown bikes (and even invisible vehicles) to chase down and wipe out locals. Additionally, these Klowns carry weapons that fire harmful popcorn at targets. It’s all ridiculous, but inventively handled with impressive effects and production design.
Particular attention is paid to the sets, which are striking. The interior of the spaceship is particularly impressive, with many elements not out of place in a Big Top, but filtered through a metallic spaceship from a 50s monster movie. Colors are incredibly bright and eye-popping. This includes the colorful yellow and red ship controls to a foggy cotton candy holding area; this area in particular is wonderful to behold and really adds production value to the film.
The kids are goofy and some of their banter is groan-worthy, but they’re likable and charismatic enough to keep one watching. John Vernon is the movie’s comic highlight. He’s hilarious as the gruff and biased cop, delivering nasty comments to the kids and Klowns in an entertainingly vigorous, over-the-top manner. A scene late in the movie of the actor barking at an oversized mute alien while locking him up is bizarrely hilarious. Even some of the extra work is solid. A young girl being drawn out of a restaurant towards one of the creatures may be the movie’s eeriest moment.
One can’t help but also mention the infectious title theme performed by The Dickies. It’s one of the catchiest numbers to ever grace a film of its era and perfectly sets the monster movie/comedy tone for the events to follow. The song will still be playing in viewers heads long after the film is over.
At the end of the day, the result is an eccentric and extremely enjoyable feature that impresses at every turn. Arrow Video have given the original negative of the film a 4K scan. While this is a low-budget film shot mostly at night, there’s still a dramatic improvement in image quality, with the neon lights and spaceship interiors all look particularly great. The detail on the faces of the Klowns really makes an impression as well.
The numerous extras include a commentary track with the brothers responsible for the feature. Stephen, Edward and Charles Chiodo all divvied up responsibilities for the movie and talk about their experiences shooting it. Their comments are entertaining and insightful as they detail putting together an independent feature and difficulties that were involved. There are comments about how things were accomplished on a technical level (sections of the circus spacecraft set were built so that they could be disassembled and recreated in different configurations for other rooms within the ship), as well as their frustration at some of the more unexpectedly expensive elements (a popcorn air gun that actually fired popcorn cost them thousands of dollars). The guys also relate how their cotton candy dressing did serious damage to a rental car. They even speak of how much fun John Vernon was to work with. It’s all very amusing to listen to.
There are also interviews with leads Grant Cramer and Suzanne Snyder who reminisce fondly about the production, as do various crew members, including the film’s score composer, John Massari. The Chiodos recorded a lot of video before and during production on how the rubber monster suits were created and auditioned the Klown performers on camera, as well as shooting location scouts and behind-the-scenes video. It’s all included in this release. There are also deleted scenes with commentary and bloopers.
Additionally, the disc includes an all new interview with the band The Dickies on the catchy song. Another brand new feature interviews the Chiodos talking about their childhood and the various Super 8 monster movies they made in their backyard growing up. The disc includes a huge selection of the shorts, which are enlightening and show their progression behind the camera. Viewers see them experimenting with creating in-camera special effects and developing stop-motion animation techniques. Some of the film are really incredible and its all the more remarkable that they were done by, essentially, kids.
Arrow Video’s release of Killer Klowns from Outer Space will certainly please anyone who fondly remembers the film. In fact, it will likely draw even more new fans after they witness the surreal, hilarious and occasionally creepy antics of these bizarre creatures. This Blu-ray comes highly recommended.