I'm not going to act like you guys haven't heard of this one nor as if the title doesn't explain it all.

I will however say that I went into this not knowing whether this was supposed to be so-bad-it's-good or just one of those cult films that's not bad but that no one outside the cult seems to have any interest in (e.g. Rocky Horror). People who've seen the film, while emphasizing its goofiness, always seem to refer to it with affection, not the kind of dumbstruck awe associated with the likes of Troll 2 or Plan 9 From Outer Space.

As it turns out, Killer Klowns falls in the latter category. Fortunately, it happened to win me over.

Aside from the concept, nothing about the film seems "so-bad-it's-good." The characters aren't great and inhabit that really cheesy 80s interpretation of what teenagers are like (apparently, the ladies' men back then are the nerds of today). However they could just easily have been lifted from this one and inserted into any given 80s slasher. Same goes for the acting, dialogue, etc.

The silliness is inherent in the concept alone. First off, these are hands down the ugliest clowns I've ever seen in any movie (yes, even Heath Ledger takes second place after these freaks). They're lardy, wrinkled and just generally misshapen/deformed, complete with permanent smiles of rotten razor sharp teeth and hands that look like they just played football with a hornet's nest. The bright costumes and face paint only make them look more hideous. At the same time, they're super goofy. They're freakishly tall, hulking and communicate through a mix of chipmunk squeaks and a warped version of Golem-speak.

The means by which they dispatch people make them even goofier: they fire guns that turn people into cotton candy cocoons (which the Klowns later drink with crazy straws). They also fire popcorn guns, acid pies and hunt with balloon animal hounds. Very cartoonish and cheesy. At the same time, the people inside the cocoons look like they've been boiled alive. A man pelted to death with pies leaves only a greasy skeleton behind. One Klown literally punches a man's head off while another forces a car off the road with a giant tricycle. As silly as it all is in theory, it seems like getting killed by a Killer Klown from Outer Space... hurts.

That is what they're here to do, after all. Kill. They're not like Gremlins or Critters whose general goal seems just to cause mischief. As much in the vein of those flicks as Killer Klowns is... these Klowns are mean.

Still, this makes the whole thing seem even more goofy. You can never take it seriously for a second. The spaceship is a giant electrified circus tent, the finale features a giant Klownasaurus Rex (I don't know what else to call it) and somehow when a hot chick in a nightie answers the door and sees one of these things, she doesn't think anything of it.

In fact, no one seems to think any of these abominations are even slightly out of the ordinary (except for the main characters, I suppose).

I did spend a good amount of the film laughing. Not even at gags, necessarily, although I did laugh at most of them. I had to laugh almost every time I saw one of the Klowns. I laughed even more when I saw them in groups.

^^

That's entertainment.

There you have it. Killer Klowns from Outer Space. Not much to say about it other than it's a lot of fun, whether for the right or wrong reasons. Check it out.

I dig Killer Klowns.  Been a long time since I've watched it.  Maybe it's time to check it out again.  

This one's in the collection for sure.  Tends not to make it into the DVD player before 3 AM, if it does at all.  

The "we must travel many moons" bit is probably the most epic flirtation scene ever.  

i'm constantly debating if the filmmakers were self aware when making this film or not. many people say they werent, but i say they had to of been.

i too just saw this movie approximately 2 months ago, and it totally embodies the cheesy horror fiasco that was the 80's.

the gags in this movie are awesome. a hand puppet eating people? sign me up.

this one really reminded me of Mars Attacks (which is still one of my favorites to this very day).

btw i hear there are plans for a sequel...

Ah. I have fond memories of renting this when I was just 11 or 12 years old (gotta love big sister babysitting!).

Been loving this since I first saw it. Over the top? Yup. Like the posters above, I've always wondered if the filmmakers were self aware. One would think so - it's so goofy at times, that it stands aside from other classics like Ghoulies (yeah, I said classic. 80's b-horror classic).

Love it. It's been awhile, actually. Might have to dig it out.

Mmmm. Never really got this one. Looked forwards to it loads when I was a kid and it was a bit of a disappointment from what I remember. Bit like Rawhead Rex which I looked forwards to as well.

They were fun days those..seeing a trailer on a DVD and excitedly waiting till it was on the shelves in the video store.

Not the same anymore.