Clown

Let´s go back into the early 90´s. I think i was 13, when i first watch Stephen King´s It. I think this would forever change my view on clowns, for the rest of my life. Back when i was a child, i always thought clowns were made to entertain us, and make us laugh. Maybe they do, but Stephen King´s It changed my view completely. Pennywise The Dancing Clown ( done excellent by actor Tim Reid ), was the worst nightmare you could ever experience. A clown that feast on childrens flesh. My wife is even more terrified of clowns after this film, so i can understand her. If you see a clown, you better be ready with a machete, or a machine gun. Who knows what is underneath the clown suit. There are many horror motion pictures made from a clown subject, i think the most frightening detail of this is that many are based on the real serial killer John Wayne Gacy. If you have read the story of this brutal serial killer, who murdered teenage boys, you know he had an extra job, performing as an clown at childrens birthday parties. Really sick when you think about it. So with this information, there is nothing strange why clowns are hated by people. Well, there are a few clowns that i did enjoy watching. Remember the 80´s classic film Killer Klowns From Outer Space ? That is a fun horror comedy, if yu have not seen it i suggest you do. How many of you heard the name Eli Roth before ? If i mention Cabin Fever and Hostel, maybe that will wake you up ? Eli Roth have been very respected in the horror community, ever since we saw him direct his feature film Cabin Fever in 2002. He continued to deliver horror films, and also being a producer to many horror releases. I hope you all have seen one of the films he produced, The Sacrament, highly recommended. One of the films i am really looking forward to is his new film The Green Inferno, a cannibal film, filmed in the Amazonas. It has been delayed many times for a wide release, but now finally coming out later this year. So until then, we will have to settle ourselves with some other releases where he is the producer. Take this film as an example, named Clown. The combination sounds like fun, knowing that Eli Roth loves classic B Movie horror films. The director of Clown, Jon Watts,  have also directed the forthcoming film Cop Car, with Kevin Bacon, that everyone is talking about since the Sundance Film Festival premiere. Another clown horror film, with a very talented director and producer on board, could this be a film that B movie fans will love, or are we here once again with another lame release ?

Kent ( Andy Powers ) is working as a real estate agent. He gets a phone call from his wife Meg ( Laura Allen ), where she tells him, the clown she hired for their son Jack´s ( Christian Distefano ) birthday party can´t come. Kent decide to be the clown instead, using a clown suit he finds in one of the houses he is about to sell. Kent makes the kids pleased, and makes Jack´s birthday party very special. The next day, as Kent tries to remove his clown hair, red nose and clown clothes, they won´t come off. His wife Meg helps him out, as she manage to pull his red nose off, but it makes a big flesh wound on his nose. This seems very strange, and for each day Kent is transforming. Kent find information on who used to live in the house, and contact a man named Karlsson ( Peter Stormare ), who seems to know where the clown suit is from. Originally a clown is a demon that feed on children´s flesh, taking victims into his cave in a Nordic tale. Karlsson tries to take care of Kent, to make sure the demon does not take over Kent completely, Kent manage to escape though, and is now out on the streets, hungry for children´s flesh. Karlsson helps Meg to try and stop the demon, before it is too late.

Over the years, film makers have tried to make a good clown horror film, and failed too many times. They just could not capture the same feeling of Stephen King´s It, no matter what they tried. Pennywise The Dancing Clown is an icon for that reason in horror films. I do have some good news though. Clown is the most scary clown film, for almost 25 years. Director Jon Watts have found a way to lift this classic genre back on to the screen, and make a horror film, that even i can find myself enjoying. There are some really nice treats here, and i suggest if you are a parent, learn the lesson that never rent a clown to your kids birthday party. The best way to describe Clown, is a tribute to classic horror films of the 80´s. You get plenty of gore, still there are some surprises along the way. One of the best details of Clown, is that the plot is actually surprisingly strong. That is something i did not expect, so that is a great surprise. To even bring in an Nordic folk tale about where clowns really came from, is a really good idea. Director Jon Watts uses a lot of nice details to lift this horror film up, on a completely different level than many other clown horror films. It feels like he knew that there have not been a good clown horror movie for many years, and he wanted to make sure we got something in our taste. Lead actor Andy Powers have really tried to make his character feel desperate, as he tries to get rid off his clown suit and hair, but with no luck. You don´t get to see his clown dance around, and be happy all the time, instead you see a sad clown, hungry for kids flesh. This is another detail that makes Clown so good, this is not a cheesy release just trying to make money. Clown have a serious tone, and you feel frightened at some points, because you don´t really know what he will do next. Peter Stormare makes a good performance, as the worried Karlsson, who knows how to stop the demon clown. I feel so pleased, Clown is actually a good horror film, with a great plot. You can buy it in the UK right now, not sure when the Swedish release is, but make sure and order yourself a copy. This is a feast you don´t want to miss. And if you hate clowns ? Great, you will still love this one.

Rating: DDD