''Clown'' is a 2014 American
supernatural horror film
Supernatural horror film is a film genre that combines aspects of horror film and supernatural film. Supernatural occurrences in such films often include ghosts and demons, and many supernatural horror films have elements of religion. Common them ...
directed by
Jon Watts
Jonathan Watts (born June 28, 1981) is an American filmmaker. His credits include directing the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) superhero films '' Spider-Man: Homecoming'', '' Spider-Man: Far From Home'', and '' Spider-Man: No Way Home''. He was ...
in his feature
directorial debut
This is a list of film directorial debuts in chronological order. The films and dates referred to are a director's first commercial cinematic release. Many film makers have directed works which were not commercially released, for example early work ...
, produced by Mac Cappuccino,
Eli Roth
Eli Raphael Roth (born April 18, 1972) is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, and actor. As a director and producer, he is most closely associated with the horror genre, having directed the films '' Cabin Fever'' (2003) and ''Hoste ...
, and Cody Ryder, and written by Watts and
Christopher Ford. It stars Eli Roth,
Laura Allen
Laura Allen (born March 21, 1974) is an American actress. She starred as Lily Tyler during the first two seasons of the USA Network television series ''The 4400''.
Personal life
Allen was born in Portland, Oregon, the daughter of Julie and Da ...
, Andy Powers, and
Peter Stormare. Visual effects for the clown monster were done by Jagdeep Khoza,
Alterian, Inc.
Alterian, Inc is a makeup and special effects company owned by makeup and special effects designer Tony Gardner
Tony Gardner (born 10 January 1964) is an English actor and doctor. He sits on the national governing body of the actors' trade u ...
, and
Tony Gardner
Tony Gardner (born 10 January 1964) is an English actor and doctor. He sits on the national governing body of the actors' trade union Equity.
Career
Gardner qualified as a physician at Guy's Hospital in 1987, then as a general practitioner in ...
. Principal photography began in November 2012, in
Ottawa
Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...
. The film was released in
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
on November 13, 2014, in the United Kingdom on March 2, 2015, and in the United States on June 17, 2016, by
Dimension Films
Dimension Films is an American film production company owned by Lantern Entertainment. It was formerly used as Harvey and Bob Weinstein's label within Miramax, which was acquired by The Walt Disney Company on June 30, 1993, to produce and relea ...
. The film received mixed reviews from critics.
Plot
Kent McCoy, a
real estate agent
A real estate agent or real estate broker is a person who represents sellers or buyers of real estate or real property. While a broker may work independently, an agent usually works under a licensed broker to represent clients. Brokers and agen ...
, is a loving husband and father who hosts a birthday party for his young son Jack. However, the clown hired for their party is unable to make it. Kent discovers an old
clown
A clown is a person who performs comedy and arts in a state of open-mindedness using physical comedy, typically while wearing distinct makeup or costuming and reversing folkway-norms.
History
The most ancient clowns have been found in ...
costume in the basement of a house he is selling and puts it on. After the party, he falls asleep wearing the outfit, and the following day finds he cannot take it off.
He is forced to wear the costume to work, where he again tries to remove it. When he returns home, he complains about the situation to his wife, Meg. She is able to remove the fake nose but unintentionally wounds him in the process. The family dog, Shadow, accidentally eats the fake nose. Meg also realizes the clown's wig has become Kent's natural hair. Kent starts to exhibit strange behavior and experiences a deep sense of hunger, eating all the food in the house.
Kent enlists the help of Herbert Karlsson, the suit's previous owner. Karlsson begs him not to touch the costume, but after learning Kent is already wearing it, insists on meeting him at the old costume warehouse. Kent learns that the outfit is the hair and skin of an
ancient Icelandic demon called the "Clöyne". Karlsson drugs Kent, revealing that
dismemberment
Dismemberment is the act of cutting, ripping, tearing, pulling, wrenching or otherwise disconnecting the limbs from a living or dead being. It has been practiced upon human beings as a form of capital punishment, especially in connection with ...
is the only way to prevent the
metamorphosis
Metamorphosis is a biological process by which an animal physically develops including birth or hatching, involving a conspicuous and relatively abrupt change in the animal's body structure through cell growth and differentiation. Some inse ...
and
possession
Possession may refer to:
Law
* Dependent territory, an area of land over which another country exercises sovereignty, but which does not have the full right of participation in that country's governance
* Drug possession, a crime
* Ownership
* ...
. Kent fights back and subdues Karlsson, and while driving him to the police station to report the assault, his fingers and toes begin to grow excessively, causing him to crash the car.
Kent decides to try to kill himself and goes to one of his properties. He shoots himself in the mouth, spattering the wall with rainbow blood, but quickly regenerates and survives. He then meets a child who attempts to befriend him. Kent tries to behead himself with a pair of buzz saws, but a fluke accident causes the saw blades to shatter apart, killing the boy. Kent realizes he wants to eat the child and does so before Meg finds him. Once at home, Kent tells Meg to chain him up in the basement, telling her not to let him out. He learns from Jack that one of his classmates had bullied him at school. Kent finds the bully and eats him.
Karlsson tells Meg that the wearer can remove the suit
only after eating five children. She also learns that Karlsson put on the costume to entertain the children at a hospital where his brother Martin worked many years ago. Martin smuggled five terminally ill children to feed the demon to free his brother. When Karlsson was released from the costume, the brothers tried and failed to destroy it.
Kent fully succumbs to the demon and sneaks into a local
Chuck E. Cheese
Chuck E. Cheese (formerly known as Chuck E. Cheese's Pizza Time Theatre, Chuck E. Cheese's Pizza and simply Chuck E. Cheese's) is an American family entertainment center and pizza restaurant chain founded in 1977 by Atari's co-founder Nolan Bu ...
, where he devours one child in the
ball pit
A ball pit (originally called a ball crawl, also known as a ball pool or ball pond) is a padded box or pool filled with small colorful hollow plastic balls generally no larger than in diameter. They are typically marketed as recreation and exe ...
and another in the tube slides. Blood and a severed arm flow down the slide, causing a panic, and the play zone and restaurant are evacuated. Meg finds Kent as Karlsson attempts to decapitate him with an ax. Before Kent can kill Karlsson, Meg tries to communicate with him. Instead, the demon orders her to find and feed him one more child in return for Kent's release. She must bring the fifth child to their "special place." Otherwise, the Clöyne will find and kill Jack. However, Meg refuses.
The Clöyne sneaks into the house and kills Meg's father Walt. Meg fights against him, but the demon attempts to devour their unborn baby from her womb. After cutting the demon's neck, Meg knocks his head off with a hammer and apologizes to Jack for everything. However, due to a muscle still attached to the body, the Clöyne revives. Meg finally rips off the demon's head, killing the monster and her husband. While embracing her son, she watches in horror as the Clöyne's skin melts away, revealing the decapitated Kent. The film ends with the costume and Kent's possession being packed away by the police as evidence.
Cast
*
Eli Roth
Eli Raphael Roth (born April 18, 1972) is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, and actor. As a director and producer, he is most closely associated with the horror genre, having directed the films '' Cabin Fever'' (2003) and ''Hoste ...
as Frowny the Clown/Clöyne
*
Laura Allen
Laura Allen (born March 21, 1974) is an American actress. She starred as Lily Tyler during the first two seasons of the USA Network television series ''The 4400''.
Personal life
Allen was born in Portland, Oregon, the daughter of Julie and Da ...
as Meg McCoy
* Andy Powers as Kent McCoy
*
Peter Stormare as Herbert Karlsson
*
Elizabeth Whitmere
Elizabeth Whitmere is a Canadian actress working in the United States and Canada. Born and raised in northern Canada, she draws on her experiences there in the development of her characters and her stand-up comedy.
Whitmere appeared in her first ...
as Denise
* Christian Distefano as Jack McCoy
*
Chuck Shamata
Charles "Chuck" Shamata (born 1942) is a Canadian actor.
Early life and education
Born and raised in Toronto, he worked at Honest Ed's,"Shamata's riding out acting's ups and downs". ''The Globe and Mail'', October 12, 1974. and studied acting ...
as Walt
* Robert Reynolds as Dr. Martin Karlsson
* Lucas Kelly as Colton
* Michael Riendeau as Robbie
* Matthew Stefiuk as Detective
* Miller Timlin as Camper
Production
![Eli Roth 2007](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e6/Eli_Roth_2007.jpg)
In November 2010, Jon Watts and
Christopher D. Ford uploaded a fake trailer to
YouTube
YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...
that announced
Eli Roth
Eli Raphael Roth (born April 18, 1972) is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, and actor. As a director and producer, he is most closely associated with the horror genre, having directed the films '' Cabin Fever'' (2003) and ''Hoste ...
would produce the film; Roth was not involved at the time. Roth spoke about the film, saying: "I loved how ballsy they were, issuing a trailer that said, 'From the Master of Horror, Eli Roth.' Some people thought I'd made the movie, or that it was another fake ''
Grindhouse
A grindhouse or action house is an American term for a theatre that mainly shows low-budget horror, splatter and exploitation films for adults. According to historian David Church, this theater type was named after the "grind policy", a film ...
'' trailer... I really felt these guys deserved a shot, and that people are truly freaked out by evil clowns. It's new territory to make this a version of ''
The Fly'', where this guy can feel himself changing, blacking out only to find blood all over his clown suit. You're sympathetic toward a monster until the monster actually takes over."
Principal photography
Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production.
Personnel
Besides the main film personnel, such as actor ...
began in November 2012 in
Ottawa
Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...
. Roth joined as a producer, and Watts directed the film based on a screenplay co-written with Ford.
Music
Matt Veligdan composed the film's score, which also featured eight songs.
* Benjamin Dickinson – "Frowny the Clown"
* Brian McKenna – "Mexican Lindo"
*
Jared Gutstadt – "Taste of Mexico"
* Gods of Fire – "The Long Walk"
* Matt Veligdan – "Sonata La Squarzona"
*
Neil Sedaka
Neil Sedaka (; born March 13, 1939) is an American singer-songwriter and pianist. Since his music career began in 1957, he has sold millions of records worldwide and has written or co-written over 500 songs for himself and other artists, collabo ...
– "King of Clowns"
* Matt Veligdan – "Hardship"
*
Nirvana
( , , ; sa, निर्वाण} ''nirvāṇa'' ; Pali: ''nibbāna''; Prakrit: ''ṇivvāṇa''; literally, "blown out", as in an oil lampRichard Gombrich, ''Theravada Buddhism: A Social History from Ancient Benāres to Modern Colombo.' ...
– "Everybody Loves a Clown"
Release
In September 2012,
Dimension Films
Dimension Films is an American film production company owned by Lantern Entertainment. It was formerly used as Harvey and Bob Weinstein's label within Miramax, which was acquired by The Walt Disney Company on June 30, 1993, to produce and relea ...
and
FilmNation Entertainment
FilmNation Entertainment, LLC is an American film production, co-financing and international sales company, founded by film executive Glen Basner in 2008.
History
2008: Founding
FilmNation Entertainment is an independent film production and d ...
acquired distribution rights to the film. The film was released on November 13, 2014 in Italy. The UK premiere was February 27, 2015, in
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...
at FrightFest Glasgow 2015, followed by the DVD and Blu-ray release March 2, 2015. The film was also released in the
Philippines
The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no),
* bik, Republika kan Filipinas
* ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas
* cbk, República de Filipinas
* hil, Republ ...
on March 25, 2015 and in Mexico on May 22, 2015. After being delayed, the film was released in the United States on June 17, 2016.
Reception
On the
review aggregator
A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews of products and services (such as films, books, video games, software, hardware, and cars). This system stores the reviews and uses them for purposes such as supporting a website where users ...
website
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...
, ''Clown'' holds an approval rating of 46% based on 25 reviews, and an average rating of 4.6/10.
Dominic Cuthbert of ''
Starburst'' rated it 7/10 stars and wrote, "''Clown'' may be formulaic and filled up to the guts with familiar tropes, but it is tremendous fun and an effective
body horror
Body horror or biological horror is a subgenre of horror that intentionally showcases grotesque or psychologically disturbing violations of the human body. These violations may manifest through aberrant sex, mutations, mutilation, zombification, ...
." Howard Gorman of ''Scream'' magazine rated it 5/5 stars and wrote, "With ''Clown'' the filmmakers have created an all-new monster of demonic proportions and it's a concept that certainly deserves to spawn a sequel or two as the sky really is the limit." Jeremy Aspinall of the ''
Radio Times
''Radio Times'' (currently styled as ''RadioTimes'') is a British weekly listings magazine devoted to television and radio programme schedules, with other features such as interviews, film reviews and lifestyle items. Founded in May 1923 by J ...
'' rated it 2/5 stars and described it as "efficiently put together if a little sedate in pace". Anton Bitel of ''
Little White Lies'' wrote that the film doubles as an equally harrowing story of "a family man's losing struggle with his own paedophiliac impulses". Brad Miska of
Bloody Disgusting
Bloody Disgusting is an American multi-media company, which began as a horror genre-focused news site/website specializing in information services that covered various horror medias, including: film, television, video games, comics, and music. ...
rated it 3/5 stars and wrote, "Even though it's mostly a bore, there's still some really cool and fun stuff scattered throughout." Keri O'Shea of Brutal as Hell wrote, "Neither frightening nor funny, here's another lesson to prove that fake trailers are often fine just as they are." Joel Harley of HorrorTalk rated it 2/5 stars and wrote, "What could have been one of the few great killer clown movies winds up as yet another disappointment, being too uneven in tone and pace to be considered a success."
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Clown
2010s American films
2010s English-language films
2010s monster movies
2010s serial killer films
2010s supernatural horror films
2014 directorial debut films
2014 films
2014 horror films
2014 horror thriller films
2014 independent films
American body horror films
American horror thriller films
American independent films
American monster movies
American serial killer films
American supernatural horror films
Cross Creek Pictures films
Dimension Films films
Films about cannibalism
Films about curses
Films about spirit possession
Films directed by Jon Watts
Films produced by Eli Roth
Films shot in Ottawa
Films with screenplays by Christopher Ford (screenwriter)
Horror films about clowns