Cleavers: Killer Clowns

Several years after a strange abduction, a woman looking into the incidents finds a potential clue from an escaped victim of a serial killer dressed as a clown and sets out to find him, eventually finding he's targeted a family while on vacation across the country and has to save them from the killer.

For the most part, this was a pretty enjoyable effort. One of the stronger aspects of this one comes from the intriguing storyline that has quite a lot to like. The opening abduction and confrontation give a solid enough background on the evil nature of the clown with them tracking him down for the previously-established spree that already took place while also featuring a nice series of clues as to how to spot the potential for a rampage that upsets the new residents in the new town. The overall effect this has not just on setting up the situation around the town but also the treatment she gets while dealing with her mindset of trying to find the killer clown all providing a stellar starting point for getting the hints to the reappearance setup. That provides quite a solid base so that when his intentions are found to be directed at the vacating family it leads to some fine stalking scenes. The initial encounters out on their trip are fun enough to bring them into contact with not just the killer clown and his family but the main detective tracking him with the released victim who's been chasing him down the entire time. That figures into the main part of the film where they find themselves trapped in the house and tortured by the clowns in a series of fantastically brutal confrontations that take place in their house. There's a dark energy that takes place with how they get tortured and brutally chased down throughout the house, requiring the police officer to track down the family to save everyone, bringing about some enjoyable factors here. There are some issues to be had with this one. The main issue with this one is the overall setup in place making for a much more drawn-out story than expected so there's not a whole lot of actual stalking and slashing going on. The overlong start to this one featuring the sheriff determined to track him down, the clues being revealed to lead everyone together, and the family vacation that all leads to such a strong starting point also manages to keep the pacing down as this doesn't lead to a lot of action due to the extended setup. The other big drawback to this one is a series of strange encounters in the finale where so much of this one takes place merely because the characters keep dropping weapons while having the advantage or taking the weapon away only to get jumped again that gets old and hold this one down.

Rated Unrated/R: Graphic Violence and Graphic Language.

It's a sequel, but it is cleverly done so viewing of the first film is not a prerequisite in order for you to get to grips with the premise. The main antagonist genuinely gave me the creeps (in a good way) and I found myself really rooting for the family and everyone else caught up in the clowns madness! Would deffo recommend to others that share my fear of clowns.

'Cleavers: Killer Clowns' is a Welsh production, with the cast putting on decent American accents. Director MJ Dixon's cast also includes a couple of names often associated with fellow countryman Andrew Jones's prolific North Bank Entertainment. The cinematography, either coincidentally or by design, reminds me of the style used on an early Jones' project, 2014's 'Theatre of Fear'. Lots of tight close-us and a sickly colour palette don't just obscure the limits of a low budget, but also give the film a feel all of its own, a claustrophobic atmosphere which is good for horror.

Dixon's writing isn't quite as successful, with some fairly repetitive dialogue. The storyline meanders a little too - but on the whole, I enjoyed this.

There seem to have been a lot of films recently similar to 'Killer Clowns'; names like Jones, Louisa Warren and MJ Dixon can be found behind the growing list, and this is one of the better ones. Of course, it won't impress those who are eager for fast-moving CGI and a few more bangs and whistles, but I've seen a lot worse.

Slow moving it may be, but it's competently made and has a certain queasy atmosphere which is pretty unnerving at times. 7 out of 10.

Caught Cleavers: Killer Clowns at Horror on Sea back in January 2019. I'd seen the original along with a few other "Mycho Universe" films. I have to say that this is by far their best yet - it has a killer premise and really effective scares. But the most impressive thing is this really did have a small budget and was shot in the UK, but the director and his team have done a really good job of making it seem as if its shot in the US.

Its a fun entertaining ride and if you like slashers then you'll love it. Its really nice to see the Mycho films progress film by film. I look forward to Cleavers 3.

I recently watched Cleaver: Killer Clowns (2019) on Tubi. The storyline follows a group of friends on a road trip who pick up the wrong hitchhiker, leading them to a farm run by Cleaver and his demented family. Cleaver has some twisted games in store for the group, but they're not going to enjoy them...

Directed by Mj Dixon (Thorn), the film stars Georgie Smibert (The Girl Who Loves a Girl), Kimberly Lasi (Sober City), Matthew Baunsgard (Freddy's Fridays), and Derek Nelson (I Am Rage).

This is a poorly written, mediocre-acting, low-budget horror film, and it feels like one. However, the kills are surprisingly good, with fun gore, creative blood splatter, and some truly cringeworthy scenes... so I kind of liked it. The costumes and makeup are also decent. The villains, though not the best when they're talking, are fun to root for, and I actually enjoyed their presence. The ending is cheesy but sets up the potential for more in the series.

In conclusion, Cleaver: Killer Clowns is what you'd expect from a low-budget, indie horror movie, but it does have a few redeeming elements for genre enthusiasts. I'd give it a 4.5/10 and only recommend it with the right expectations.