Definitely one for the horror connoisseur who invests time in obscure sub-genres
Director:Â Jon Watts
Starring: Eli Roth,  Andy Powers,  Peter Stormare,  Laura Allen, Elizabeth Whitmere,  Christian Distefano,  John MacDonald
Running time:Â 95 mins
Rating: 18
Availability:Â DVD and Digital Download
With Eli Roth’s CANNIBAL HOLOCAUST homage GREEN INFERNO in distribution limbo, he’s recently turned his attention to producing. A polarising figure in horror circles, Roth’s work oscillates in both quality and frequency. When his films work they hold up a mirror to contemporary concerns, tapping into the rage and anxiety ofour present. CLOWN, his most recent offering, resurrects the retro clown horror of the 80s and 90s.
In CLOWN, Kent (Andy Powers), after donning a clown suit for his son’s birthday party, becomes tied to a demonic spirit that slowly invades his personality. Following this common trope of comic transformation the film piles on the dark humour. Kent becomes an increasingly frustrated and misunderstood husband as his physiognomy and personality are warped beyond all recognition.
As the film progresses, the mysterious Karlsson (Peter Stomare) is introduced. Karlsson provides Kent with a grave history lesson on the demonic background of the clown suit. Karlson is a throwback character of the sagacious elder variety, often found in campy b-movie fares (FRIGHT NIGHT, the recent series THE STRAIN).
The fear of clowns is based on a paradox: their extravagant appearance and familiarity are at odds with one another. CLOWN doesn’t play on this, descending into a monster feature. Much of the dread and suspense in films with clowns (IT) is due to the antagonist’s limited screen presence, and the amount of time divested in establishing the story’s characters. Neither is present in CLOWN.
There is something grimly satisfying about the way in which the audience isn’t sheltered from the murder of Kent’s young victims. Too often children are treated as sacrosanct in horror films, usually dying off screen or implausibly escaping death. In CLOWN, children are bitten and bodies splatter – with the bully who torments Kent’s son facing a particularly sticky comeuppance.
It’s only with the final scenes of the film, where Kent is stalking his own wife and son, that genuine tension and fear of loss builds. Meg plays the ‘final girl’ in a confrontation against a demonised husband-turned-clown-turned-demon, but this dramatic surge comes too little, too late.
CLOWN is neither a pure horror nor comedy. It sits somewhere in the middle, reminiscent of a trend started by Sam Raimi with his EVIL DEAD franchise in the 80s. While not entirely satisfying overall, it’s a reasonably well directed film, even if the plot does tend to lose steam during its mid-sections. Definitely one for the horror connoisseur who invests time in obscure sub-genres, but for the majority this might be a little too rough around the edges to elicit interest.
Verdict
