150 Movies You Should Die Before You See - Miller Steve [72]
KILLER KLOWNS FROM OUTER SPACE
Chiodo Brothers Productions/MGM, 1988
PRODUCERS Paul Mason and Helen Sarlui-Tucker (executive producers), Charles Chiodo, Edward Chiodo, and Stephen Chiodo (producers)
WRITERS Charles Chiodo, Edward Chiodo, and Stephen Chiodo
DIRECTOR Stephen Chiodo
STARS Grant Cramer (Mike Tobacco), John Allen Nelson (Dave Hanson), Suzanne Snyder (Debbie Stone), John Vernon (Officer Curtis Mooney), Michael Siegel (Rich Terenzi), and Peter Licassi (Paul Terenzi)
Aliens who look and behave like circus clowns invade a small town … and turn the citizens into klown kibble.
Why It Sucks
Face it: clowns are just creepy! Killer Klowns from Outer Space is a nightmare if you have clownophobia. For the rest of us, it's a supremely goofy movie — albeit with some pacing problems — and a great theme song.
Thumbs Down Rating:
The Crappies
The Special Recognition in Underachievement in the Area of Stunt Work Award goes to … A weakly done car crash that illustrates what can happen when producers/writers/directors overreach the reality of a meager budget. (According to the Stephen Chiodi, the stunt went wrong, but there was no money in the budget to try it again.)
And the Worst Director Award goes to … Stephen Chiodo for the lame, forced happy ending that undermines an emotionally powerful bit of self-sacrifice.
They Really Said It!
Officer Curtis Mooney: I got through Korea; I can get through this bullshit.
Betcha Didn't Know
Killer Klowns From Outer Space features homages to the films of Alfred Hitchcock. The easiest to spot is a shot of water swirling down a drain, with a toilet bowl standing in for a shower drain.
Have fun and see if you can spot others!
In the original cut, Dave perished heroically in order to save everyone else from a giant klown, but an executive at distributor Trans World Entertainment thought the movie needed a happy ending. As a result, Dave survives, thus proving that executives shouldn't have creative input on movies.
Trivia Quiz
What singer and musician starred in a movie where a clown may or may not be a serial killer?
A: Weird Al Yankovic
B: Tiny Tim
C: Madonna
D: Danny Elfman
Answer: B. In Bill Rebane's 1987 slasher flick Blood Harvest, Tiny Tim played Marvelous Mervo.
PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE
Reynolds Pictures, 1959
PRODUCER J. Edward Arnolds (executive producer) and Edward D. Wood Jr. (producer)
WRITER Edward D. Wood Jr.
DIRECTOR Edward D. Wood Jr.
STARS Gregory Walcott (Jeff Trent), Mona McKinnon (Paula Trent), John Breckinridge (the Ruler), Dudley Manlove (Eros), Joanna Lee (Tanna), Tom Keene (Col. Tom Edwards), Criswell (himself), Tor Johnson (Inspector Daniel Clay), and Lyle Talbot (General Roberts)
Aliens from some unnamed planet come to Earth to animate the dead — because that's what Plan 9 calls for. Will a dashing airline pilot and verbose military officers save the world from the aliens and their horde of three zombies?
Why It Sucks
Plan 9 From Outer Space has been called the worst movie ever made, but it is also strangely entertaining. Through its absurd dialogue and technical gaffes, it draws you in. You'll wonder if this movie can possibly get any worse. The answer is invariably “yes,” right up to the big showdown between our hero and the dastardly Master of Plan, Eros (played by a fellow named Manlove).
Thumbs Down Rating:
The Crappies
The Worst Auteur Award goes to … Edward D. Wood Jr. for making a movie that's unevenly paced, with dialogue so full of non sequiturs you have to wonder if he's doing it on purpose. The alien civilization is so idiotic and unintentionally hilarious that the movie has become the poster child for an entire genre of bad films.
And the Special Made for Change Found Between the Cushions and Looks Like It Award goes to … Edward D. Wood Jr. for a movie with the worst sets you're likely to see outside a grade school stage production, combined with special