inbloomis’s review published on Letterboxd:
I don’t know if it was intentional, but it delighted me to realize this movie was going to follow kids, kops, and killer klowns. I love an extra alliterative premise, and this film pulls off its concept so well!
Killer Klowns from Outer Space knows its identity, and it ensures the audience knows too by establishing its story with overtly cheesy dialogue and literal laughter. It has a pretty trope-ish cast of characters, some of whom are particularly likable (Suzanne Snyder — Weird Science! — as Debbie and John Allen Nelson as Dave) and some of whom you will likely root against. But the actors are all charmingly committed to their roles, and each character has nice presence and purpose.
But the main attraction — aside from Dave; I really like this character — are indeed the Klowns themselves. Killer Klowns from Outer Space doesn’t have a big budget, but it joyously commits to exploring all the gimmicks to be had in its concept. The practical effects employed are wonderful, and the set and prop designs are really fun to behold. The film’s galactic and whimsical original soundtrack is also awesome, and the Dickies’ punk rock theme “Killer Klowns” is especially addictive.
Writer-director-and-producer trio the Chiodo Brothers have crafted a real gem with this movie. Killer Klowns from Outer Space is a kampy karnival of kreativity that should be preserved in our culture.
Thanks to this film, I’ve also realized that one of the Chiodo Brothers, Stephen Chiodo, directed Alien Xmas, an adorable 40-minute stop-motion special that I love so much. With that and now Killer Klowns, I am eager to see more from any of the filmmaking siblings!
Also, a couple of things in this film reminded me of Marvel cartoons (X-Men: Evolution and Spider-Man: The Animated Series). I don’t know if these cartoons truly intended to reference this film in their scenes, but I do think it’s cool that John Vernon (R.I.P.), who plays Curtis Mooney in this movie, also provided the voice of Doctor Strange in Spider-Man: The Animated Series.
inbloomis liked this review
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