Killer Klowns from Outer Space Reviews

In KILLER KLOWNS FROM OUTER SPACE a potentially interesting genre-warping concept is turned into a merely dull and repetitive one by the Chiodo brothers, who created CRITTERS. Set in a small town, the movie begins on lover's lane, where Cramer and Snyder witness what appears to be a shooting star crashing nearby. They postpone their necking and comb the area where the supposed meteorite fell. Instead of finding an astral object, they discover a giant circus tent with many colorful passageways inside it, as well as a huge storage room full of giant pink cotton candy cocoons that house dead bodies. To their horror, Cramer and Snyder learn they have encountered killer Klowns from outer space, aliens resembling maniacal circus clowns. Certainly one of the most colorful films of the year, KILLER KLOWNS FROM OUTER SPACE has its moments, but it suffers from a lack of development beyond the concept stage. The film is haphazardly shot and poorly paced, making its brief running time seem longer than it actually is. What do work are the sets and the Klowns. Klown-makers Charlie Chiodo, Derrick De Voe, and Dwight Roberts; art director Philip Dean Foreman; and especially prop-maker Gene Rizzardi create a clever alien universe in which brightly colored circus costumes and candy-striped toys become menacing instruments of death and destruction. KILLER KLOWNS might have been an interesting and enjoyable, but it doesn't live up to its promise.