Killer Klowns from Outer Space (1988)

These days B movies take themselves way too seriously. I love the 80s where movies could just revel in their own terribleness, no excuses, and intentionally try to be as ridiculous as possible. Horror films have always been a perfect choice for this type of treatment, allowing for equal parts scares and laughs. I picked up a copy of Killer Klowns from Outer Space in the Walmart bargain bin many many years ago and finally gave it a go, and boy I'm glad I did because it might just be the ultimate experience in B movie horror.

It opens with a cheesy rock theme song that samples the famous "Entrance of the Gladiators," or what I call the "creepy clown song" that you can hear at any circus. It's a great way to set the tone for what's to follow as it leaves you with no doubt that you are about to watch something absurd.

A group of teenagers hanging out at make out mountain (or whatever the usual lover's location was called in this movie) see a comet land in a nearby field. When they go to investigate they see a big circus tent instead of a crater. Naturally they go in to explore and find bodies wrapped in cotton candy cocoon and clowns that shoot little popcorn creatures that want to eat your face. These are alien clowns, they surmise, and they have no interest in making us laugh.

But they do make us laugh, after you get past the gigantic and genuinely creepy clown faces with huge mouths and rows of razor sharp teeth. I would have loved to be at the writers table when they were coming up with the different ways for the clowns to dispatch of us humans, from a ravenous animal balloon tracking dog to a shadow puppet that will eat you. I imagine this was all as much fun to create as it was for me to watch it.

Unless you suffer from coulrophobia (yep, the fear of clowns) or b-moviephobia (fear of awesomely stupid movies) you should give Killer Klowns from Outer Space a try.