Killer Klowns from Outer Space (1988)
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Evil extraterrestrials resembling clowns invade a small town to harvest humans for sustenance.
The story
Just outside the small town of Crescent Cove, Mike Tobacco and his girlfriend Debbie Stone witness the arrival of a strange glowing object. Nearby, a farmer discovers a circus tent-like structure where he is captured by clown-based extraterrestrials known as 'Klowns'. Upon investigating, Mike and Debbie find the farmer encased in a cocoon and are pursued by the Klowns using bizarre weapons like a popcorn bazooka. They report the incident to the local police, but their claims are initially dismissed as tall tales until they find evidence of the Klowns' presence and the ongoing abduction of townspeople.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
After witnessing a glowing object and the abduction of a farmer by 'Klowns,' Mike Tobacco and Debbie Stone are pursued by the extraterrestrials. They seek help from Officer Dave Hanson and his partner Curtis Mooney. While the Klowns use rayguns to cocoon townspeople and perform circus-like acts, Mike and Dave find the ship missing from its crater. They eventually find evidence of the cocoons at a lovers' lane. The Klowns use shadow play to shrink people into popcorn-like larvae. A Klown enters the police station, where Mooney is killed and turned into a ventriloquist's dummy before Dave shoots the Klown's nose, causing it to explode. Mike and his friends Rich and Paul Terenzi use an ice cream truck to warn the town. At Debbie's house, larvae evolve into juvenile Klowns and attack her; she is captured in a giant balloon. The group chases them to an amusement park where the ship is located. The Terenzis are separated and witness a Klown drinking blood before they flee. The gargantuan leader, Jojo the Klownzilla, appears and destroys the ice cream truck, seemingly killing the Terenzis. Dave creates a diversion, allowing Mike and Debbie to escape as the ship takes off. Dave shatters Jojo's nose, destroying the ship. The Terenzis survive in the truck's freezer, and the film ends with pies falling on the survivors' faces.
- First release year
- 1988
- Runtime (minutes)
- 88
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Stephen Chiodo
- Writers
- Charles Chiodo · writer; Stephen Chiodo · writer
- Cast and characters
- Grant Cramer · Mike Tobacco; Suzanne Snyder · Debbie Stone; John Allen Nelson · Rich Terenzi; Royal Dano · Paul Terenzi; John Vernon · Officer Dave Hanson
- Genres
- science fiction; comedy; horror
- Themes
- alien invasion; surrealism; horror
- Tone and mood
- darkly goofy; campy; inventive
- Premise and plot tags
- B-movie; sci-fi; horror; comedy
- Content notes
- horror
- Reception
- The film has garnered a cult following despite receiving mixed reviews from critics. It is often cited as a king of '80s B-movies for its inventive visuals and absurd premise.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 79% · review count: 29; Metacritic · score: 43 · scale: 100 · review count: 4
- Awards and nominations
- Best Music · Saturn Awards · 16th · Nomination; Best Costume Design · Saturn Awards · 16th · Nomination
- Production trivia
- The popcorn gun was the most expensive prop, costing $7,000 and taking six weeks to build.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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