Clown gets to the business of its plot pretty quickly. It opens on a birthday party. We’re quickly informed that the clown that was hired to be the party’s entertainment has cancelled. Kent (Andy Powers), the father of the celebrants, finds a clown costume in the attic of a house he’s been working on. He puts it on and performs for the children of the party. The trouble starts when he tries to take the costume off. Kent soon realizes that he is trapped, and that the costume is changing him, giving him appetites too sinister to consider.
The film toes a very narrow line between comedy and horror. It clearly recognizes that the very idea of a demonic clown suit is laughable, and it doesn’t back away from that. Instead, it embraces the concept and just piles on the horror to make up for it. The plot loses it way in the back half, as the choices the characters make don’t feel like they matter as much as they ought to. But for fans of genre ridiculousness, Clown is a surprising and often satisfying little romp.
It is the first half of the film that is most compelling. Here, the film concentrates on the gradual transformation of the character, and the creeping realization of what he’s turning into. The lore is laughable, but the film doesn’t back away from how silly it is. It instead doubles down on everything, and constructs scenes with a cartoon-like sensibility. The film mines comedy out of the character’s growing frustration with his predicament, before balancing the laughs with some truly horrifying body horror. This first half is horrifying physical, the film thoroughly enjoying breaking the limits of the human body.
The second half provides an interesting hook as it shifts focus to Kent’s wife, Meg (Laura Allen). With Kent in the throes of transformation, it’s left to her to figure what must be done to save him. The film teases a confounding choice, but ultimately backs away. The film could have taken a more intriguing path towards resolution, but it instead reverts to classic slasher tropes. The choice is understandable, but it is a little disappointing given the wit and verve that has been carrying the film.
This is the kind of film that might build a visual gag out of a suicide scene. It revels in depravity, all the while exploring the relationships adults have with children. While the film is adept at using the genre elements, it feels like a distinct step down from the comedic flair of the earlier scenes. Andy Powers is excellent in the lead role. As Kent, he conveys an everyman aura that makes the visual of him in the clown suit all the more powerful. Laura Allen plays Meg with a straight face all throughout, which is pretty impressive given the context.
Clown is a matter of taste, of course. If you have no appetite for excessive gore or a twisted sense of humor, stay far away. This is a rather depraved film, and it makes no apologies for it. But if you are a fan of those things mentioned, if you bear affection for horror movies of an earlier era, then Clown is for you. It is both silly and scary, often at the same time. It doesn’t hold on to that momentum all the way through, but for a good long time, it’s able to walk that tightrope. And for a certain type of horror movie fan, there’s nothing better.
My Rating:
