The very first horror movie that I remember watching as a child was KILLER KLOWNS FROM OUTER SPACE. Released in 1988, directed by Stephen Chiodo, written by Charles and Stephen Chiodo—their brother, Edward Chiodo, also helped produce the film and all three were responsible for the special effects. Thirty-some years later, I find myself reveling in how this film has come full circle in my life. If any movie symbolizes my journey with the horror genre, it is this one. These klowns and I have deep lore. Although it was an accident that I watched this movie, I am truly grateful that this was my first horror movie that imprinted on my memory. It is the perfect gateway horror movie for beginners, and it showcases some of the best parts of the horror genre.
If you haven’t seen KILLER KLOWNS FROM OUTER SPACE, the title pretty much sums up the movie. A circus tent spaceship lands in a forest near a small town. A couple teenagers discover it and try to tell the police that an alien circus tent has descended from the heavens. Obviously, the police think it is a prank, and of course, a cacophony of cotton candy chaos ensues as the town succumbs to the deadly giant klown aliens. The townspeople are getting killed and put into cotton candy cocoons which the klowns suck blood from. There are also popcorn monsters and balloon animal tracking dogs. And the Chiodos save the best monster for last. It’s a helluva good time that is gross, creepy, and silly, without leaning too far into graphic violence or sexuality.
My dad was the person who brought horror movies into our home. I wouldn’t realize this until later, but as I reflect on my love of movies and horror, it surprises me how much of it comes back to him. I wasn’t actually supposed to see this movie. My dad and his friend Jim rented it and watched it late at night in our living room. Little did they know that I was behind one of the chairs near the doorway silently watching along. I remember not making it to the end that first time around. I got to the part where one of the klowns using a straw sucks human blood from the cotton candy cocoon, and that was enough for my five-year-old brain. For as camp and goofy as this movie is presented, there is a palpable feeling of doom if you are a kid. I already disliked clowns due to another horrible experience, and this movie threw gasoline on that already present fear. My fear of clowns would grow into a full on phobia a few years later when I got lost for three hours at Circus World in Baraboo, Wisconsin and was babysat by the most bitter and crass clowns you have ever met. So, it’s safe to say that I had no interest in rewatching this movie until my late teens.
It was my younger sister, a film aficionado herself who reintroduced it into the family. She cited that it was hilarious, fun, and a spectacle of special effects. My brave 19-year-old self watched it once again. Boy howdy, did I feel embarrassed that this ridiculous movie had held me hostage with fear for 14 years. What I discovered was that genre horror movies were ripe with looney ideas and fantastical practical effects work. They were a sacred space for films that would never be blockbusters but were full of heart and vision. These kinds of horror movies feel so sincere. Not only can you see the love and care put into it, you can feel it, too.
KILLER KLOWNS FROM OUTER SPACE specifically is a treasure in so many ways. While it hits all the high notes of excellent design, costume, effects, score, and camp, it also feels low stakes and wholesome enough for younger audiences while still being wholly entertaining for adults. I really don’t know anyone who walks away from this movie without smiling or laughing.
Fast forward another 15 years or so and here I was sitting in my living room late at night watching my copy of KILLER KLOWNS. I didn’t know my youngest child, who was six-years-old at the time, was also watching from behind a chair. I realized it only when he squeaked at the popcorn monster. Oh, how the universe makes jokes. But I learned from my own experience and brought my child to my lap so we could finish the movie together. I wanted them to see that it had a happy ending. Well, happy enough. I think the worst kind of fear comes from things that are left undone. It was important that he finished this silly movie with me. To my surprise, it became their favorite movie for many years long after. They decorated their room with the klowns and wanted all the costumes and toys. I had unknowingly produced a third-generation horror kid.
This film went from being a source of my deepest fear to a staple of laughter and joy in my household. It even changed my perspective on clowns to the point that I was supportive of my oldest child considering clown college. Seriously. What a ride this movie has been in my life, and as I have the privilege of sitting here writing about it, I feel the beauty of it all coming full circle.
I wish my dad had known I was behind that chair getting terrified out of my mind and invited me to finish the movie with him. It’s a shame I was so scared, because the reality is that this film is great starter horror! It is goofy, high concept in a low concept way, just the right amount of scary, and introduces you to the kind of sincere horror you would not get mainstream. But maybe, just maybe, you get lucky enough that the universe works in mysterious ways and ends up making KILLER KLOWNS FROM OUTER SPACE symbolism for a life lived, learned, and loved.
