Killer Klowns from Outer Space (1988)

Director:

Stephen Chiodo

Writers:

Charles Chiodo (writer)
Edward Chiodo (writer)

Release Date:

27 May 1988 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Sci-Fi | Comedy

Tagline:

It's Craaazy!

Plot:

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

Plot Keywords:

Clown | Alien | Small Town | Ice Cream | Ice Cream Truck

Awards:

2 nominations

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Grant Cramer	...	Mike Tobacco
Suzanne Snyder	...	Debbie Stone
John Allen Nelson	...	Dave Hanson
John Vernon	...	Curtis Mooney
Michael Siegel	...	Rich Terenzi
Peter Licassi	...	Paul Terenzi
Royal Dano	...	Farmer Gene Green
Christopher Titus	...	Bob McReed
Irene Michaels	...	Stacy
Karla Sue Krull	...	Tracy
Brian Degan Scott	...	Punk #1
Danny Kovacs	...	Punk #2
Adele Proom	...	Mrs. Franco
Howard Malpas	...	Mr. Myers
Karen Raff	...	Mom #1

Also Known As:

Clowns asesinos (Spain) [es]
Killer Klowns (Italy) [it]
Les clowns tueurs venus d'ailleurs (France) [fr]
Space Invaders (West Germany) [de]
Space Invaders (Hungary) [hu]

Runtime:

88 min | Argentina:90 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Canada:G (Quebec) | Argentina:13 | Iceland:16 | Germany:18 | Australia:M | Canada:14A | France:-12 (TV rating) | UK:15 | USA:PG-13

Filming Locations:

Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, Santa Cruz, California, USA

Company:

Chiodo Brothers Productions

Trivia:

The giant "King Klown" from the ending sequence, affectively called "Klownzilla" by the Chiodo brothers, was actually played by one of them (Charles).

Goofs:

Continuity: Before Dave pops the giant clowns nose with his badge, it is clear that his last name is spelled H-A-N-S-E-N on the badge. However, in the credits it is spelled H-A-N-S-O-N

Quotes:

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

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Down the Drain (1990)

Soundtrack:

Killer Klowns (From Outer Space)

Wildly imaginative and quite funny

Some people see Killer Klowns as a great "bad movie," but in spite of its low budget and iffy casting I rate this as a genuine "good movie." Here we have a film that reimagines every aspect of clowning and circuses -- puppet shows, cotton candy, balloon animals -- in terms of homicidal aliens. The level of ingenuity is remarkable, and parts of it are quite funny. This film deserves far more fame that it's gotten and I think it's sad that the Chiodo brothers never made anything else.