Is it a comedy or a horror film? A good mix of both.
In 1988, The Chiodo Brothers wrote and directed what is now considered a cult classic. The film tells the tale of a small town that has to band together to fight a race of aliens that resemble clowns. The aliens capture humans inside cotton candy-shaped cocoons and harvest them by drinking their blood.
Beyond that, the film is filled with great make up effects and a nice sense of dark humor. Just about every cliche about clowns that you can think of is thrown into this film. From the aforementioned cotton candy cocoons to a circus tent space ship to balloon animals. All those gags are here and used to (somewhat) gruesome effect for a PG-13 film.
The humans are your stereotypical bunch including the town lovebirds who stumble upon the clowns. You got the local sheriff and the police officer who does not believe a word about these homicidal clowns. You even have an ice cream truck driver. All the wacky characters and stock archetypes of a cheesy b-movie film are here.
The standouts in the film, though, are the clowns and their accessories used within the film. The designs of the clowns themselves are impressive, especially considering the low budget of the film. This film is a perfect type of a fun, low budget horror film. Even with the shoddy acting, this film has plenty of charm. The tone of the film straddles goofy comedy and obscure horror.
The Chiodo Brothers make a loving, low budget film that never feels forced. With an interesting idea and some great practical effects, this is a really fun film that needs to keep finding more of an audience.
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