The Story

Synopsis: They came from outer space,in a spaceship that looks like... a circus tent! They're aliens who look like circus klowns, and they're here to kill. They dispatch their victims with imagination, style, and circus magic! An imaginative, offbeat, black comedy; a very good midnight movie. A shooting star blazes across the sky above a lover's lane, landing nearby. A young couple investigates, only to find what appears to be a circus tent. They discover that it is a spaceship, run by aliens that look like circus klowns. By good luck (and running very fast) the couple escape the clutches of the killer klowns, and go to town to report their discovery to the police. The klowns follow them into the town, and begin a night of terror and murder. Will the killer klowns take over the earth? Will the young couple triumph? Can humanity be saved? See the film & find out.
Some pictures taken from the movie.
Despite the ridiculous premise, or perhaps because of it, this is a very funny film, albeit with a savage sense of humor. The stars of the film are a bunch of unknowns. And the klowns are very well done. It is clear that the Director chose to spend his budget on make-up and special effects. Because it is the klowns that make this movie so great! The klowns are very large and look like ordinary clowns, except for their sharp, fanged teeth and large ears. There are a dwarf klown also, and there is a savagely funny scene where a dwarf killer klown on a clown bicycle terrorizes an entire motorcyclegang! Given that the humor here concerns murders, the film is definitely a black comedy. If it is a parody or take-off on anything, it is more a parody of slasher films than science-fiction. Rather than someone in a hockey mask (FRIDAY THE 13TH series) or Freddie Krueger, we have a bunch of clowns committing the murders. However, the methods the klowns use to dispatch their victims are imaginative, inventive, and outrageously funny! I won't say anymore on this point to avoid spoiling anything. The Chiodo brothers (writers, producers, and director) deserve high marks for the originality and imagination shown in this film. Despite the limitations of the film, it is really worth watching (assuming you have the properly warped sense of humor) just to see the klowns and their antics. If you like "midnight movies," this is definitely worth seeing! If you don't like "midnight movies" then perhaps you shouldn't see it. Overall evaluation: very good movie, 5 points of 5. Reviewer: Thomas E. Billings, Fidde L. Holm.