Directed by Steve Sessions
Distributed by Lionsgate
… Send in the clowns. There ought to be clowns …
I agree. Especially when said clowns are bloodthirsty zombies armed with sharp implements. Do I have your attention yet? Good! This little film courtesy of the fine folks at B-Horror.com deserves some spotlight because as it stands, Dead Clowns is one of the most surprisingly good indie efforts to come along in quite some time.
Some people are scared shitless of the normally happy-go-lucky jesters with the painted faces and floppy shoes. Coulrophobia is the technical term for this fear, and Dead Clowns hits the mark more than it misses in terms of exploiting this phobia to the tenth power. Before we get into the particulars, let’s get into the story.
In truth, Dead Clowns feels very much like an indie update to the John Carpenter classic The Fog, and that is not a bad thing. It shares plenty of common themes and even some quick homages to the goodness that was the horror that befell the folks at Spivey Point. There is one thing that kept bothering me a bit though: The people in the film who encounter these undead creatures barely react. Don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying that anyone in the flick should go all screamy, but hardly any characters react beyond a wide-eyed glance at the horrific sight that stands before them. I mean, come on, a simple “Holy shit!” would have sufficed.
Yet, this silence also lends itself to one of Dead Clowns‘ strongest points — its usage of eerie silence and ambient sound design. This flick is all atmosphere and very light on dialogue. Director Sessions does an amazing job given what he has by creating a truly cut-off from the rest of the world playground for his characters to exist in. One whose main accompaniment is the sound of howling wind and the non-stop beating of torrential rains. Every now and again some circus music will softly play in the distance during the storm to create a ghostly landscape, and to say it is effective is without question an understatement.
Sadly, this DVD kind of gets the shaft in terms of extras. All we get is a trailer. Come on, Lionsgate! You throw stuff on DVD’s for some of the worst films ever. We could have at least gotten a commentary! Sheesh!
Dead Clowns is a film made with passion and reverence for this genre. While certainly not an amazing movie by any stretch of the imagination, it cuts a clear path through others crowding the indie film zombie scene by delivering a taut and effective little fright-fest that’s built purely on heart and soul.
Bravo.
Special Features
**Crickets**
3 1/2 out of 5
Special Features:
1/2 out of 5
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