Clown

This hurts to say – Eli Roth is no longer a 'go-to' name for me in horror. Ouch. Go back a decade ago and I didn't think that possible. I was present when he brought Cabin Fever (2002) to Toronto and again in 2005 when he introduced his Canadian audience to Hostel. I met Eli a few times since and I think his knowledge and enthusiasm for horror is outstanding.

But since 2007, Eli has focused himself more on acting (Inglorious Basterds) and producing (The Last Exorcism). Since then, the quality of the projects that bear his name on the film's one sheet has been sub-par. The Man With the Iron Fists (2012), The Last Exorcism II (2013) and The Sacrament (2013) were all throwaway entries on an ever expanding filmography. And don't even get us started on Netflix's timewaster series Hemlock Grove.

So when I saw the DVD cover for Clown with Eli Roth's name above the title, it was hardly the seven letters in the actor/producer's name that had me walking out of the market with the disc under my forearm.

Clown has an intriguing premise. A demon possesses a clown suit and morphs anyone who dons the outfit into killer that preys particularly, yet not exclusively, on children. Andy Powers plays Kent, the unlucky son-of-a-bitch that adorns the found garment to appease his son Jack who is awaiting a cancelled clown at his backyard birthday party. But after applying the suit and make-up, Kent finds the outfit impossible to remove. He also finds an increasing appetite that is appeased when a child is devoured while straying from his campgrounds.

Kent attempts to remove himself from his family life and seclude himself to where he may be a lesser threat to those around him. But as the demon begins to take hold, Kent's cravings for violence extended outside his given will and even the help of someone who has history with the suit, Karlsson played by the always reliable Peter Stormare, might not be enough to help stop the demon's rampage on the youth of his stalked community.

I was intrigued by the idea behind Christopher D. Ford and Jon Watts' screenplay and the idea did feel fresh and at times inspired. Jon Watts does double duty behind the camera and executes the fine line of dealing with a serial killer of children with diplomacy. But it's the diplomacy that grounds the film from really taking flight. Unfortunately, the kills are largely off-screen with only the bloody after affects represented after the deed is completed. I am sure this was done to keep censors edit happy but if the gore was to match say, Eli Roth's Hostel II, in this format, we might be talking about Clown being the horror movie to see if 2015. A particular chapter where our morphing demon ends up at a ChuckeCheese was a particular waste of a fantastic opportunity to showcase unmuted violence in an extraordinary setting.

Still, Clown was an above average horror film for its ilk. It follows some of the horror film handbook 'To Do's' that are as aggravating as they are accepted, but there is enough freshness and commitment to the overall goal to keep Clown's head above the recommendation waters.

And now back to Mr. Roth. Although Clown is hardly Silence of the Lambs it does provide a definite upswing on the Roth career chart that was beginning to resemble my investments circa 2009. Let's hope the momentum continues and I can update the first sentence of this review in short time.

www.killerreviews.com

Never again would I look at Clowns in the same way after seeing this movie but that get's me thinking, when did I like them in the first place.

The story to Clown is about a father discovers the clown suit and decides to wear it for his son's birthday party. However, he soon discovers that the suit turns the wearer into a killing machine.

Clowns never scared me because I always know it's somebody else in cheap looking make-up trying to make you laugh but really they creeping us out. I have seen many movies and TV shows with scary looking clowns in it and yes I can see why people are scared of them but they never took a big effect on me, until I sawed this and for now on I will stay far way from clowns if possible.

You can hate or like the film Clown if your a horror fan or not, for me I like my horror movies best served cold and freaky, and Clown to me isn't a bad flick. I can see a lot of effort went into the make- up and the design of the monster clown.

To those who have seen the movie did you think for a second that Eli Roth directed this movie, yes I know he stars in the movie but the movie has that style look to it that Eli Roth himself would use and I'm saying that has a positive.

The acting in the movie was surprisingly pretty good from Andy Powers and Laura Allen. The directing as well was pretty good from other horror movies today.

Normally I don't like over the top gore in movies as I think it's a cheap way to get 18 rating or if your American Rated R, and to be honest I didn't get that in this movie for most of the time you don't really see much of guts flying everywhere but most of the after math of what happened.

For problems with the movie I have some like: The characters in the movie are mostly forgettable and I'm not talking about Laura Allen or Andy Powers characters, I mean the other supporting or the background characters that always seem to get screen time which they shouldn't because they stupid and dull to watch.

The movie dose have some clichés that really stick out and I thought we are already pass some of the clichés when it comes to horror movies today, but luckily after a while the movie forgotten the clichés as it went on. Oh remember when I said some of the acting was good well the kid actor was a bit noticeable that he's trying to be scared but I didn't buy it not for one bit.

Besides that Clown overall isn't a bad flick, now some people may not agree with me and that's fine you got a opinion and that's awesome I'm not going to be like those dick heads that start yelling at you for nothing. Well I enjoyed this messed up movie.

An interesting film about a man slowly turning into John C. Reilly.

Why when the man was in A&E for his clown nose did he not think to ask the doctor to try and remove his outfit? He would've become a medical marvel.

There was an awful lot of children approaching adults. Like the small boy rapping at the door with a bag of lucky charms.

I enjoyed it.

The world's greatest dad does not want to disappoint his kid on his birthday, so when the b-day clown cancels, he goes through the closets of a home whose owner just past and finds a clown costume to wear. Only now he can't take it off.

The movie kind of reminds me of Kevin Smith's Tusk (not as good, however). It's the same odd disturb feeling. This guy has to live his life in a clown costume. It's seems funny at first with his fellow co workers laughing at him and his father-in-law now having the best visual reason as to why he's not good enough for his little girl, but then you don't know how to feel as he attempts to take it off and the only thing that's happening is that he's hurting himself.

Than it takes a turn for the more disturbing with this whole back story how evil real clowns are and what it will take to get out of the costume, and how far this clown's wife will go to get him out. It does mess with your head.

Eli Roth produced or executive produced the move and it does have his style all over it. Clown, tends to poke fun at the cheesy horror clichés, almost banging us over the head with the Stereotypes and Archetypes of the horror genre, but I have to admit those moments do make the movie more fun during slow paces when you realized that some one made a feature length movie about a guy stuck in a clown suit.

It's not scary, but a little distributing, and it works just enough to leave a bad taste in your mouth that makes you feel that you did not waste your time watching it

No Spoiler alerts here! This movie was a good horror movie and playing on a character that a lot of people have phobias about makes it that much better. At the start, I was honestly feeling a cheesy, B movie type with a possible special appearance by the Dwight Johnson or Dolph Lundren :) The gore in the movie was top shelf and watching it with my wife and daughter (who are both scared of clowns) made it that much better and they absolutely loved it! And my daughter still slept in her own bed. I honestly don't know if there has been a horror movie with the main character of a clown that has been this good in the last 5-10 years, if I'm wrong please let me know of such movie. It was awesome how the story jumped feet first into the plot. Would love to see a prequel if it's done right .....Loved the gore!