Are You Scared of Clowns?
People can be more than a little dramatic when it comes to expressing their fears. Like being SO terrified that they shart when a measly spider crosses their path. Or run out of the damn theater hooting and hollering because the movie they paid to see is SO scary. SMH. Although I don’t find them particularly scary, I will say that clowns can be fairly creepy. Hell, even a kid-friendly clown can inspire unsettling vibes.
The Horror Movie Clown
Thanks to real-life wack jobs like part-time clown and full-time serial killer John Gacy, the idea of something sinister hiding beneath the paint is inescapable. Creepy aura cemented, one might assume that clowns and horror movies would be a surefire winning formula. Sadly, it’s not.
I’ve seen enough clown-oriented horror movies that it has become difficult to garner any excitement for this sub-genre of film. Things seemed to be looking up when I stumbled upon the Killjoy franchise, which I hadn’t even heard of until recently. The first entry started off with promise. And despite some uninspiring kill scenes, I was intrigued enough to further explore the series. Unfortunately, things went a tumbling downhill in rather agonizing fashion. The sequels tried to flesh out the Killjoy character and lore in the most lackluster way possible. It just didn’t work, for me.
Killer clowns are considerably wacker in flicks like Clown Motel, ClownTown, and the super campy, super crappy, Camp Blood series. These films are barely watchable, which says a lot for a horror movie masochist like myself, who regularly suffers through the most tormenting of C-movie trash.
It’s not all bad, though. After all, we were blessed with 1988's Killer Klowns From Outer Space, the quintessential killer clown flick. While the original still holds up as good cheesy fun, I’d love to see a darker, slightly less goofy version in a modern-day reboot.
As for really solid horror movies, John Watts’ 2014 Clown has to be at the top of the list. I saw this one on Netflix a couple years ago on and absolutely loved it. Thought it delivered a near perfect blend of comedy and tragedy to the table. IMO, the original story is the best thing this movie has going for it. Rather than presenting your typical slasher in a wig and makeup, Clown introduces a mysterious costume that slowly turns the wearer into a blood-thirsty, psychotic monster by literally bonding to his body. Real symbiotic shit that would make a venomous Eddie Brock proud.
As for clowns in general, I dig ‘em. This is due in large part to the contributions of the ICP (Insane Clown Posse) and the original wicket street jester Homey the Clown, AKA Esham. These legends of Detroit rap inspired some of my favorite Halloween costumes. Had a late 30-something year old man feeling no shame going out trick-or-treating. Yeah, I did that many a time. “Gimme all ya candy, foo!”
Contel Bradford is a mystical and complex individual. You can attempt to unravel some of the mystery by visiting his author site at countkrewpublications.com.
