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Cast: Andy Powers, Peter Stormare, Laura Allen, Elizabeth Witmere
The story of a loving father who dons a clown outfit and makeup to perform at his son’s sixth birthday, only to later discover that the costume – red nose and wig included– will not come off and his own personality changing in a horrific fashion. To break the curse of the evil outfit, the father must make grim choices with his own family facing danger.
Kent and Meg are throwing a party for their son Jack's 7th birthday. They hired a clown to come and entertain the kids but when the company calls and says there was a mess up and the clown will not be coming Meg calls Kent who is at a home he is the real estate agent for and tells him about their problem. Kent tells her he will figure it out and by chance he finds an old clown costume the deceased owner left behind so he shows up at home dressed for the job. But the trouble starts after the party when Kent goes to take the suit off and can't. A day later and he still can't figure out what is going on but after contacting a man who had the suit he finds out the terrifying truth behind it and the evil it brings with it.
"Clown" was produced by Eli Roth and directed by Jon Watts. It tells the story of an old clown suit that was made from the skin and hair of a demon. Anyone that puts the suit on gets turned into the demon who eats children, five to be exact for everyone month of winter. Kent is the latest victim of the suit and he desperately tries to find a way to break the curse before the killing begins. He even tries to off himself but fails at every attempt. His wife Meg also tries to find a way to break the curse but in the end she has to decide to either do what is best for her family or do the right thing.
The film relies on its cast and the suit's origin story. The origin story is very interested and the twist makes the film an original take on the scary clown fare. The film takes its time telling the story but it is always engaging and even though a lot of the killings happen off screen which I guess is because of the subject matter of the clown killing little kids the film makes up for it with atmosphere and a terrific job at creating a frightening looking clown especially toward the end of the movie when the demon really takes over. This is some very impressive make-up work, if you are already afraid of clowns then I recommend staying clear of this film.
Acting wise everyone in the film did a great job including Andy Powers and Laura Allen who play Kent and Meg. Andy Powers is especially strong as the film moves along and he begins to get taken over by the suit. By then he is terrifying but you still manage to have feelings for him because you know he doesn't want to do the evil things he is doing. The film also stars Peter Stormare, the man who knows all too well about the suit and the one person that knows what must be done in order to stop the carnage. Stormare is a terrific actor and he makes everything he is in better which he does here as well.
"Clown" is a great idea on paper but I thought it could have used more on screen killings and a bit more blood but it made up for a lot of what it was lacking with a loads of suspense, tension and atmosphere. I really enjoyed the film and if you are a fan of horror then I highly recommend checking it out. I think the film deserved a bit more of a theatrical push but again I think it didn't get it because of the subject matter but those that like their horror rated R and with a nasty streak this is one for you.
Available on Blu-ray and DVD with Special Features that include:
Making Clown Featuring Producer Eli Roth
You can order the Blu-ray HERE and the DVD HERE.
Released by Anchor Bay Entertainment
*** 3/4 Out Of *****