Horror Comedy Fan-Favorite Inspires New Video Game, Stream Without Netflix

While the title offers some powerful hints about what Killer Klowns from Outer Space is all about, let’s do a quick recap of the plot. This is a film about some hapless teens who just want to enjoy pleasures like lover’s lane, but their would-be passion is interrupted by a very unconventional alien invasion. The police are beyond incompetent, meaning that our heroes are mostly on their own as they deal with a close encounter of the balloon kind.

The cast of Killer Klowns from Outer Space isn’t exactly filled with famous faces, but the easy and natural performances of these actors help sell audiences on this outlandish plot. Grant Cramer (who previously starred in New Year’s Evil) does a good job as someone who mostly wants to lock lips with his girlfriend (played by Suzanne Snyder, who memorably starred in Return of the Living Dead Part II). And I simply must shout out the great performance of John Vernon, who infuses his cranky cop with the same curmudgeonly energy that made his Dean Wormer such a great antagonist in Animal House.

With respect to those great performances, though, the primary reason to watch Killer Klowns from Outer Space is the clowns (er, klowns) themselves. The movie is a family affair: the three Chiodo brothers (Charles, Edward, and Stephen) brought this film to life, with all three producing, Charles and Stephen writing, and Stephen directing. Together, they created some wonderful practical effects to help bring the titular villains to life, and these things are so much more captivatingly bizarre than more familiar killer clowns like Pennywise.

Killer Klowns from Outer Space made only $745 dollars (no, that’s not a typo) across its initial theatrical release and later re-release. Fortunately, the movie resonated with critics: on Rotten Tomatoes, it has a critical rating of 78 percent, with critics praising how the film delivers on the “darkly goofy fun” promised by its title. 

The GenreVision podcast generally agrees, with the hosts noting that it’s the ultimate high-concept film, one in which “every single scene serves the idea that it’s clowns that have come from outer space to kill us.” That makes it the polar opposite of the cerebral scares in movies like Longlegs and a welcome relief to anyone sick of the term “elevated horror.”

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As for me, I’ve been a huge fan of Killer Clowns from Outer Space since watching it on late-night TV and then annoying my local video stores by asking if they had a copy to rent (they all thought I was making up a fake movie thanks to the title). It’s a solid adventure for horror fans, and one that makes up for being rough around the edges with great performances, hilarious kills, and unforgettable effects. There’s a reason the movie is currently having a renaissance involving so much new merchandise: like cotton candy, you only need the smallest taste of this film to fall in love with its sugary slaughter.

Of course, cotton candy is too sweet for some, and Killer Klowns from Outer Space isn’t for everyone. Will this be as impressive as a good balloon trick or will you be left with more complaints than you can fit in a clown car? You won’t know until you stream the screams for free on Tubi today.