Circus of the Dead DVD Review (Bell Cow Films)

Circus of the Dead is a 2014 independent horror film directed by “Bloody” Bill Pon (Doll Boy, Mister Fister, & The Stork). He also co-wrote, produced, edited, did visual fx, & the casting for this project! C.O.T.D opens with the clowns getting ready for the circus & the crowd going crazy for them. A quote from the original killer clown John Wayne Gacy is shown. This gives you an idea on what’s to come. You are introduced to the Johnson family which includes Don (played by: Parrish Randall from Chillerama, Jacob, House Call, Slaughter House, & The Quick and the Undead), Tiffany (played by: Chanel Ryan from Hell’s Kitty, Azteq vs the Prowler, Hobgoblins 2, Society, & BASEketball), Alyssa (played by: Jordan Bell), & Hillary (played by: Madi Lane) at their home. Police officer T.C. (played by: Roger Edwards from Freelancers, Captain Phillips, Stop-Loss, & The Guardian) stops in pancake alley # 10 & chats a little with the locals. The charismatic Papa Corn (played by: Bill Oberst Jr from 3 From Hell, Abraham Lincoln vs. Zombies, Dis, The Immortal Wars 1/2, Hell’s Kitty, LG15: The Resistance , Scream Queens, Criminal Minds, & Death House) with his group of demented clowns which includes Noodledome (played by: Ryan Clapp from Doll Boy), Mister Blister (played by: Rusty Edwards from Funnel of Darkness & Cowboys from Hell), Jumbo (played by: Mike Williams), & Pepe the Mime (played by: Kyle Mueller) have three girls & Brandon (played by: Jed Duesler from Doll Boy) to torture. They have various instruments of pain including a staple gun, power tools, & a blow torch! The Johnson family decide on going out for a night of fun. They pick the circus & it was definitely the wrong place for some entertainment. The clowns beat Brandon in front of the audience, The crowd think it’s all fake & just for the show but it’s for real.

Corn notices Tiffany in the crowd & makes sure Don wins a contest for the night. Corn sits back & watches his diabolical crew cause destruction like he’s some crazed cult leader. T.C. & Tiffany are having an affair behind Don’s back. Corn creeps through & watches them through the window as they have sex. He gets off to their live performance while licking the glass. The clowns break in after the excitement is over. Corn tortures Tiffany & does his own interrogation for her wicked ways. The kids come home from school to pure chaos. They get captured in sacks. Don comes home to a disaster! The clowns are waiting on him & knocks him out. The whole environment is surrounded by weird & creepy things. Don notices he’s not the only one in this situation as he sees Brandon captured also. These psychopaths tease Don. The police & the local news consider Don the main suspect. Don says he will do anything to save his children. Corn threatens them with one of his favorite creations Doll Boy (played by: Sergio Gracida from Doll Boy)! Corn forces Don in his own clown make up to keep his word from before. He only wants to protect & save his kids so he does something that will stay with him for the rest of his life. The police are even more convinced that Don is the one on a killing spree. This leads to more random acts of violence with horrible results. Don is a hostage to his own sanity. The mass murder continues as you witness a chainsaw chasing clown. Corn, a known rapist shows his clown dick before he plays with a victim. Don tries to prevent his sadistic ways. He gets knocked out & wakes up in a car to his worst possible nightmare imaginable!!!!

I watched & reviewed Pon’s previous short film Doll Boy (which include a few characters from this film in it) before this & it’s very impressive how much he evolved in only 4 years when it comes to film making. Circus of the Dead makes 31 & the newer IT films look like child’s play (No, I am not referencing Charles Lee Ray) in comparison. I’ve seen a decent amount from the evil clown sub genre over the years & this is honestly the best one I’ve that ever seen. Yes, it’s better than Terrifier but unfortunately it doesn’t get the love & praise that one gets. It even goes past that sub genre because it’s simply one of the highest quality independent films that I’ve watched & reviewed in a long time. I really enjoyed the characters in this. Everything from the script, the acting, the southern rock soundtrack, & the quality special fx by veteran Marcus Koch (100 Tears, Sacrament, American Guinea Pig series, & We Are Still Here) really shine here. I can not wait for the upcoming sequel, Horror fans keep your eyes on Pon because he is one of the bright futures in genre & independent scene today. Bill Oberst Jr as Papa Corn has the potential to be one of the next great horror icons because his performance in this was amazing in this. He was the true highlight for Circus of the Dead. This feature is very under-rated, I hope it gets the attention it deserves someday. The special features on the DVD for this include 5 “Deleted Scenes” that are a little over 7 minutes, Poster Gallery, Photo Gallery with all kinds of pics from the production, & 5 “Teasers/Trailers” for Circus of the Dead. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!!

Circus of the Dead is available on Blu Ray & DVD @ CircusOfTheDeadMovie.com & BloodyBill.com