1980s Controversial Slasher With Real Life Behind-The-Scenes Horror
Before the Stephen King clown Pennywise terrified audiences in the 1990 television mini-series IT, the film Clownhouse succeeded in giving us all great reason to be frightened of these circus performers. The film takes these much-beloved big-tent staples and recasts them into something that our nightmares are made from, turning them into maniacal killers. Unlike the King creation, the villains in Clownhouse are quite human, making their sadistic desires all the more horrifying.
Clownhouse And Terrifying Clowns
At the center of the film Clownhouse is 12-year-old Casey (Nathan Forrest Winters), the youngest of three brothers. Casey suffers from an intense case of coulrophobia, the fear of clowns. Though he’s ribbed by older brothers Geoffrey (Brian McHugh) and Randy (Sam Rockwell), the trio seems to be a pretty tightly-knit family.
The boys are left alone in their farmhouse while their parents are out of town and decide to visit a traveling circus that’s coming to their town. Unbeknownst to the brothers, three psychotically violent mental patients have escaped from a nearby mental institution and are also headed toward the big top.
Visiting A Traveling Circus
Clownhouse sees three of the circus clowns brutally murdered in their dressing room by the escaped mental patients. Now disguised as Cheezeo, Bippo, and Dippo, the three begin to wander around the grounds, taking in their new-found freedom. Cheezo notices Casey, and begins to follow him.
Killer Clowns Coming
Once Casey and his brothers arrive at home, they are soon under attack by three killers in clown costumes.
The power to the home is cut off, the police won’t believe Casey’s story when he phones them, and there are no adults in sight to come to the rescue. Clownhouse becomes even more paralyzing when the killers make their way into the homes, giving audiences a scare that they won’t soon forget.
A Forgotten Horror Movie And Terrible Reason
Clownhouse has become a forgotten entry in the horror genre largely due to the actions of its director, Victor Salva.
Before the film was released at Sundance in 1989, Salva was convicted of sexually abusing the film’s star, Nathan Forrest Winters. Salva was sentenced to serve three years in prison, but was released after only 15 months.
The controversy ruined the reception of an otherwise stellar production. While Clownhouse grew a pretty good following in the early 1990s, efforts to bring the film to new audiences in the early 2000s fell flat when MGM’s DVD release was prematurely pulled from the shelves in 2003.
Protests about the film and threats of a boycott forced the distributor’s hand.
Unforgivable Actions
Much of why Clownhouse only holds a 33% score on Rotten Tomatoes is from Salva’s unforgivable actions. When I first watched the film in 1990, the fear I was filled with was the result of the clowns on the screen. Sadly, the lead actor was subjected to horrors at the hand of a real-life human monster that didn’t hide behind a wig and makeup.
Streaming Clownhouse
REVIEW SCORE
All controversy aside, Clownhouse weaves elements of slasher and suspense films into a production that gives great reason to be afraid of what lies behind the painted faces, wigs, and funny costumes.
Solid child acting, eerie cinematography, and a creepy score all make the movie worthy of 4.0/5.0 stars. I’d put these clowns up against Stephen King‘s Pennywise any day in a battle to determine who could frighten children the most.
You can rent Clownhouse on Prime.
