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Killer Klowns from Outer Space (1988)

PG-13  |   |  Comedy, Horror, Sci-Fi  |  27 May 1988 (USA)
6.1
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Ratings: 6.1/10 from 21,370 users  
Reviews: 217 user | 134 critic

Aliens who look like clowns come from outer space and terrorize a small town.

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After almost 30 years since their last invasion, the clowns once again try to take over earth. The humans must stop them.

Director: Stephen Chiodo
Stars: Grant Cramer
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Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
...
...
...
...
Michael S. Siegel ...
Rich Terenzi (as Michael Siegel)
Peter Licassi ...
...
...
Bob McReed (as Chris Titus)
Irene Michaels ...
Karla Sue Krull ...
...
Punk #1
Danny Kovacs ...
Punk #2
Adele Proom ...
Howard Malpas ...
Karen Raff ...
Mom #1
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Storyline

When a small town is invaded by aliens from outer space who are capturing and killing the townspeople, no one takes them seriously. Why? The aliens all look like circus clowns, use weapons that look clown like, and all have painted on smiles. Only a few of the young people in the town realize the danger and of course no one believes them. Armed with an ice cream truck they try and rescue their friends. Written by John Vogel <jlvogel@comcast.net>

Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis

Taglines:

In Space No One Can Eat Ice Cream! See more »

Genres:

Comedy | Horror | Sci-Fi

Certificate:

PG-13 | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

 »
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Details

Country:

Language:

Release Date:

27 May 1988 (USA)  »

Also Known As:

Clowns asesinos  »

Box Office

Budget:

$2,000,000 (estimated)
 »

Company Credits

Show detailed on  »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

Color:

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1
See  »
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Did You Know?

Trivia

Horrorcore rap group, the Insane Clown Posse often sample quotes from this film in their music, most notably on their "The Wraith: Shangri-La" album. See more »

Goofs

When Debbie is attacked in her bathroom, the little clowns bite holes in her shirt. Later, when Mike and Dave rescue her, the holes are gone. See more »

Quotes

[first lines]
Curtis Mooney: Look at this son of a bitch.
See more »

Connections

Referenced in WCW Monday Nitro: Episode #1.204 (1999) See more »

Soundtracks

Sandals in the Sand
Written by John Shakespeare
Courtesy of Associated Production Music
Published by K.P.M. Music Ltd. (ASCAP)
See more »

Frequently Asked Questions

See more (Spoiler Alert!) »

User Reviews

Intentional camp that works
5 March 2007 | by (The Dutch Mountains) – See all my reviews

Seriously deranged stuff with a ridiculous premise of alien clowns setting up camp near a small town, abducting the local inhabitants and turning them into cotton candy and snacks. Any film with a title like this deserves this amount of attention and it's still a stellar cult favorite in the Midnight- and Bad Movie circuits. Most of the films intentionally made as bad movies or camp usually blow it (like most of Troma's disasters), but this is a surprisingly fun and good-natured homage to some silly sci-fi and horror classics of the fifties like FORBIDDEN PLANET (1956), INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS (1956) and THE BLOB (1958).

Our heroes are Debbie and Dave, two of your typical annoying eighties' youngsters with bad hairdos and less than impressive acting skills, trying to persuade the locals something's seriously wrong here. "Nobody stores Cotton Candy like this", observes Debbie when they enter the alien Klowns' circus tent. Smart girl, but how to get rid of these cosmic bozos. Now, clowns are plain creepy and evil. We all know that. Although the tone is generally tongue-in-cheek, the film does manage to throw in some genuine scares. The make-up fx are very impressive and when these Klowns are on the rampage, they are a seriously scary bunch. Undeniably a campy affair, with its truly off-the-wall premise, cheezy acting and predictable storyline, the whole film is laden with an irresistible charm, nicely complemented with a catchy theme song by cult punk band The Dickies, so eighties and so dated, it was already seriously out of fashion by the time the film was released. Cheezy fun all the way.

Camera Obscura --- 7/10


18 of 26 people found this review helpful.  Was this review helpful to you?

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