Killer Klowns from Outer Space

MGM | minutes | | | Standard DVD reviewed by: Fusion3600

It seems aliens have landed in a small, rural town, but these aliens aren't like the usual depictions, to be sure. In the midst of a make-out session, a young couple sees a massive circus tent fall from the skies above, but have no clue as to what to think about it. But with this tent comes some fierce aliens who look a lot like circus clowns, down to the colorful outfits and painted on smiles. As these evil clowns invade the town and kill various locals, no one tries to stop them, as only some teens know the truth. The law in the town thinks the teens are playing jokes and as such, refuse to waste manpower on the issue. After the clowns take a victim, they use a special device to turn them into cotton candy, which sounds cool, but is lethal, I assure you. But the clowns won't have a cakewalk in taking this small town, as the teens have decided to fight back and with an ice cream truck & some ambition, they plan to thwart the clowns. It won't be that simple however, as the clowns begin to multiply and they have powerful, but humorous weapons, which means the kids will have to work double tough to overtake them.

This special edition release has been craved by fans for a long while now, so it is a real treat to finally have it my hands. I think it would be awesome just to have this movie on DVD, but with all these supplements and a very low price (14.99 MSRP), this becomes a top shelf release. I have to say I consider this to be one of the true holy grails of this format, as fans have waited and waited, now MGM has delivered the goods and then some. Killer Klowns was made in 1988 on a pretty slim budget, but the Chiodo brothers made it all work out, with terrific results. This movie has some wicked clowns and very cool special effects, most of which could rival any films from this time, I think. The clowns look very detailed & effective and while there's quite a few of them, each has a unique look and set of mannerisms, very impressive. Yes, the acting is weak and hilariously bad, but that's how it should be here, I think. As the years have passed, Killer Klowns has amassed a massive cult fanbase and with good reason, it is a terrific picture. This release is one of the true masterpieces of the format, one which fills a space in many collectors' shelves, to be sure. MGM, I commend you for giving this cult movie the treatment it deserves and of course, I hope to see more releases of this caliber, for other cult films.

Killer Klowns from Outer Space is presented in a 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer. I knew this would be an improvement over prior releases, but man, this is one awesome looking visual presentation. The colors are so rich and vibrant, but never err at all, while flesh tones look natural as well. Just as sharp is the contrast, so black levels look razor sharp and detail is high, with no visible loss present. This transfer uses an almost pristine print and is also free from compression errors, which leaves me to score this one high, very high indeed.

The included 2.0 surround option won't knock the walls down, but it handles the tasks at hand, which is what counts. I heard no problems with the materials at all, no distortion or harshness in the least to report. The music sounds terrific and since the music here is very cool, that's great news, to be sure. The wacky sound effects also seem in order, with some good overall dynamic range, though not an explosive mix, by any means. The vocals are clean and never falter at all, so all the dialogue is in upstanding form. This disc also includes subtitles in French and Spanish, should you decide you'll need to use those.

This is what I call a special edition and while the wait was extensive for this disc, MGM has made sure it was well worth it. It all kicks off with an audio commentary from the Chiodo brothers, who were the masterminds behind this film, in terms of storyline, direction, producing, special effects, and even more, I'm sure. This session is pretty serious in tone, but never becomes dull, as the three discuss various details about the film's production. The guys talk about the effects at length and that is cool, as I find the visuals to be one of the film's best elements. A series of featurettes have been tacked on also and while some are brief, if you combine them, you have about an hour of behind the scenes coverage. The Making of Killer Klowns (21 minutes) offers a look back at the film's production by the Chiodo brothers, as well as some behind the scenes shots, while Komposing Klowns (13 minutes) focuses on John Massari, the film's composer. Kreating Klowns (12 minutes) looks at how the clowns were brought to life, while Visual Effects with Gene Warren, Jr. (16 minutes) offers a glimpse into how some of the visual effects work was done. The final piece is a compilation of early (and they mean early) works from the Chiodo brothers, very cool stuff. Next is a pair of deleted scenes, which come complete with optional commentary from director Stephen Chiodo. These were sometimes shown in the television version of Killer Klowns and make a most welcome inclusion, I think. This disc also includes some storyboards, a massive selection of still photos & publicity materials, a blooper reel, and the film's theatrical trailer.