Killer Klowns from Outer Space 35th Anniversary 4K Review (Scream Factory)

Killer Klowns from Outer Space is a 1988 horror comedy co-written, produced, and directed by Stephen Chiodo (Callalilly and Felt). It was co-written, production designed, special fx, and produced by Charles Chiodo (Critters 3 and Night of the Little Dead). It was produced by Edward Chiodo (Land of the Lost and The Simpsons). Crescent Cove is invaded by aliens from outer space that are capturing and killing all their locals. The mysterious aliens look like circus clowns to their victims so they don’t take them seriously until it’s too late. Some of the younger towns people which includes Mike Tobacco (played by: Grant Cramer from Willy’s Wonderland, Hardbodies, and New Year’s Evil), Debbie Stone (played by: Suzanne Snyder from Weird Science, Return of the Living Dead Part II, and Night of the Creeps), Rich Terenzi (played by: Michael S. Siegel from Monsternado), and Paul Terenzi (played by: Peter Licassi from Santa Barbara). They go to Deputy John Hansen (played by: John Allen Nelson from Baywatch and Feast III) for help but no one really believes them especially his boss Curtis Mooney (played by: John Vernon from Animal House, Dirty Harry, and Savage Streets). They must fight these Killer Klowns from Outer Space to save their community. Will they survive these silly monsters? or Will they end up like all the rest???? Killer Klowns from Outer Space is one of the most unique horror films of the 80’s. This horror comedy did something different when using clowns as the villains. They took aliens and completely changed what you were used to seeing when it comes to them. The Chiodo Brothers did a little bit of everything on this production. They all have their own original style and you see that on all the projects that they have worked on over the years. They show their appreciation for 50’s science fiction films with this one. I’ve always loved the script for Killer Klowns from Outer Space, it’s a great combination of silly slapstick and it has some nasty suggestive horror that pushes it’s limits. It’s so over the top and hilarious that sometimes you can forget some of the moments would be considered more brutal without all the humor included. The Chiodo Brothers were very smart with their execution here, they could gotten away with anything. It just all blends in this wacky atmosphere. Grant Cramer as Mike Tobacco is really good as the unlikely hero in such a strange situation. Scream Queen Suzanne Snyder as Debbie Stone is excellent as the smart mouth girl that won’t give up on saving her small community Crescent Cove. John Allen Nelson as Deputy John Hansen is your typical hero but he’s really only doing at first because Debbie is his ex-girlfriend. Michael S. Siegel and Peter Licassi as the Terenzi brothers are the real comedy relief in this. They try to use their ice cream truck to pick up girls and they get involved with all this insanity. They are nothing but goofballs. John Vernon as Curtis Mooney is basically the real villain for most of this. He makes everything much worse and harder for the actual people that are desperately trying to save the town. He’s just a very unlikable person and Vernon always did that type of bad guy role with ease. The rest of the supporting cast includes Royal Dano (Ghoulies II), Christopher Titus (Titus), Brett Leonard (Man-Thing), Charles Chiodo (Hell’s Kitty), Johnny Martin (The Iceman), Irene Michaels (General Hospital), Karla Sue Krull, and Scott Beatty (The Dead Pit). The Klowns look amazing for being such a low budget production. The special fx is very impressive, it really made Killer Klowns from Outer Space stand out. They took your typical friendly circus items and turned them into some disgusting things. Killer Klowns from Outer Space is visually top notch, this independent feature always looks bigger than what it actually is. The soundtrack and score fit perfect with it’s vibe. Killer Klowns from Outer Space is never gory or violent but it has all kinds of hidden stuff that’s darker. So it’s something that you can watch with anyone but it doesn’t ever feel watered down. It’s so much fun and always entertaining, the replay value is excellent. I revisit this horror comedy every year and it never gets old. It’s crazy to think how bad this movie flopped back when it hit theaters. This cult classic continues to get a bigger following and I hope this brand new 4K home video release helps it even more, HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!! Let’s discuss this high definition presentation and special features from Scream Factory! This 2160p (1.85:1) transfer with Dolby Vision and HDR10 is a brand new 4K restoration from the original camera negative. I own so many different versions of Killer Klowns from Outer Space over the years and Scream Factory has put together the best looking home video release so far for the cult classic. That’s very impressive considering Arrow Video is the last one to put it out before them. Killer Klowns from Outer Space has stunning cinematography, high quality production design, innovative special fx, and some fun locations that really shine here. It has a few different audio options which includes English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 tracks on the UHD. The soundtrack and score has always stood out when it comes to the audio for this 80’s horror comedy. All of the dialogue is crystal clear, the wacky adventure is elevated, and the music has a killer boost to it. It has English SDH subtitles. It has an “Audio Commentary” with the Chiodo brothers. They chat about this low budget production that originally flew under the radar and it became a cult classic later on thanks to the home video market back in the day. They talk about the technical aspects, special fx, the cast, the characters, story, break down the scenes, and everything else that you would covered here. They drop so much knowledge and behind the scenes stories from Killer Klowns from Outer Space. The brothers always keep it entertaining by adding humor to it all. They have a blast revisiting their film and their chemistry is fun to listen to. It has the almost 22 minute archive “The Making of ‘Killer Klowns’”. It has interviews with the creative team behind the film, the Chiodo brothers. It has some of the same stories and information from the commentary here. It mixes behind the scene footage from 1987 with conversations from 2001. I still think it’s something different since that was audio and this is visual so it’s definitely worth checking out. “Komposing Klowns” is a little over 13 minute archive extra. It’s an interview with composer John Massari. He chats about his involvement with the project. He brings up his influences and he shares his overall experience on the low budget horror comedy. “Visual Effects with Gene Warren Jr.” is an almost 15 minute archive look at the visual fx from the movie. This is a fascinating inside look into that department that’s always been shining moment for the horror comedy. It shows off a few of the more creative and ambitious moments from it. “Kreating Klowns” is an almost 13 minute archive feature. It has interviews with Charles Chiodo and creature fx artist Dwight Roberts. They take you through their struggles and achievements in this. This is a very entertaining behind the scenes look at putting together the Klowns and working with them on here. I just love the fact that they were so ahead of their time, they filmed all this bonus material while producing this very small film. Not that many people were doing this back in the day, not even really on the bigger productions. “Chiodo Brothers Earliest Films” is a little over 7 minutes. The brothers sit down and revisit their early work here. It has almost 5 minutes of “Deleted Scenes” with optional commentary with the Chiodo Brothers. I always thought some of these scenes could have been in the final cut. It has almost 3 minutes of “Killer Bloopers” from VHS footage. Lots of silly and funny outtakes from the set. It has some hidden “Easter Eggs” to find on this home video release. As you probably noticed reading this coverage, all of the special features are from the original MGM discs from back in the day. So don’t expect anything new when it comes to the bonus material but it’s still has lots of entertaining extras. It comes with a slipcover and a blu ray copy of the release. This is a must own for any horror fan. There’s an additional limited edition steelbook version of this same release. This is a must own and it should be in every collection. It’s available everywhere right now, CHECK IT OUT!!!!