Clown
Director: Jon Watts
Cast: Andy Powers, Laura Allen, Peter Stormare
Reviewed by Brian M. Sammons
Some years back, some people made a very short film and made it look like a theatrical trailer for a horror movie called “Clown.” They even claimed that Eli Roth was directing it. It sort of went viral and eventually found its way to Mr. Roth, who, in reality, had nothing to do with it. After watching it, he enjoyed it so much that he reached out to the filmmakers and asked them if they wanted to make Clown for real as a feature length horror movie. After no doubt picking their jaws up off the floor, they did — and then no one saw it. Or, at least, very few people in North America had the chance to see it. It played at a few film festivals, and then went over to Europe for a bit, but as far as it went over here, Clown was MIA. Was it because it just wasn’t any good? Was it an unfunny joke that only worked for a minute and a half fake trailer? Or was this another case of Hollywood not knowing what to do with something and making a clown-car full of wrong decisions? Well grab your big, floppy shoes and your red nose, and let’s find out.
When I first saw Clown, I had to be dragged to see it. Without hearing a thing about it, I was so sure I knew exactly the kind of movie it was going to be. And then I read the short synopsis for it: a father puts on a clown outfit for his kid’s birthday party and then can’t get it off. Yep, that convinced me that Clown would be a lame horror comedy where splatter and wackiness would be smashed together for yuks and, well, yucks.
Then I begrudgingly watched it and wow, was I wrong. Also, I was blown away.
Clown is a serious horror movie. Full stop. Sure, it starts off with a silly premise, and there are occasional bits of comedy (very, very dark comedy) but it plays everything straight. And dear lord, it is so brutally, wonderfully dark. This story of a very good man becoming some hideous monster and how it affects his truly happy family is pure horror. There is no winking or smirking here, it is honestly heartbreaking. And the fact that this demon, this clown (or as it is known by its true name, the Cloyne), must eat children to survive makes the subject matter as black as it gets. Oh and WARNING, folks, if you don’t like to see bad stuff happen to kids in horror movies, you may want to avoid this one.
Clown is a body horror movie and is as horrific and sick as anything David Cronenberg ever did. Yep, I said it and I stand by that. The fact that this beast exclusively prays on children makes it unsettling as hell, and that the film dares to “go there” on more than one occasion makes it all the more real. It is also deeply tragic, as this is happening to a truly nice family. A lesser film would have made the father this happens to a deadbeat dad, so when bad things starts to happen to him, or when he begins to do bad things himself, it would be easy to see him as only a monster. Clown does not take the easy and predictable way out. The acting is all above board, and the direction is far above capable. The special effects are good and bloody, and the creature effects as the father continues to morph into the killer Cloyne are excellent.
Look, unlike many people, clowns have never scared me and I can’t understand why anyone finds them frightening. That said, this movie still scared me. That is the highest praise I can give a movie called Clown.
On to the extras on this new Blu-ray from Anchor Bay. There is a 6 minute discussion with producer Eli Roth about the movie and…that’s it. Yeah, despite how damn good this movie is, it continues to get no respect by anyone that handles it. I guess I should just be happy that it finally came out on disc at all, and I am, but really, that’s the best they could do for this release? They couldn’t even put the fake trailer that started the whole thing on this disc? Far, far worse movies get far, far more love, respect, and extras on their release, and the fact this this Blu-ray is just six minutes from being completely bare bones is a crying shame.
Clown is a surprisingly good, and dark, horror movie. It deserved to have been treated better, and it deserves a better release than what we get here. However, the chances of it getting another, better release somewhere down the line is slim to none. So for the strength of the film itself, I am recommending this halfhearted and half-assed Blu-ray. Clown, it’s a slice of awesome that shouldn’t be missed.
