There are so many reasons why certain horror-obsessed nerds born in the late-70’s (like me) are so screwed up that they won’t fit in one article, but 1988’s Killer Klowns From Outer Space is one item that can be explored. And God help us, it’s getting a sequel.
Written and directed by the puppeteer team the Chiodo Brothers, (Charles, Edward and Stephen, and whose other work includes Elf, Team America: World Police, Critters and, well, Critters 2), Killer Klowns is a campy, gory horror flick about an alien invasion whose forces happen to look like grotesque, mutated clowns. Rumors have been floating around for awhile, but First Showing reports that a new film by the same filmmakers is in the late stages of development.
It’s hard to say anything about “official” details, but this next installment – dubbed a “requel” by the Chiodos and supposedly to be titled The Return of the Killer Klowns From Outer Space 3-D – does have its own Facebook page, which features snapshots, nostalgia and a YouTube video of pole dancers at a Killer Klowns-themed Halloween party. According to Grant Cramer, who played the character Mike Tobacco and is evidently appearing in the “requel,” [via GeekTyrant, from June 2011]:
“We have a script and a commitment for all our funding but the money can’t be spent until we have a distribution deal in place so that’s where we are – talking to distributors. As soon as that final piece comes into place we should be pretty much good to go,”/blockquote>
And here’s what Stephen Chiodo had to say in the same GT article:“Well, I don’t want to say too much about the story at this early juncture but I will say that it is connected to the first movie and my character will be the mentor to the two new young leads that have to try save the world from the Klowns when they return. They’re also trying to save themselves because the bad stuff the Klowns do at first gets blamed on them.”
With 1980’s sequels/reboots/prequels (and now we can add “requel” to the canon of “other terms for remake because we hate using the word remake when trying to sell this shit,”) ready to ooze from every Hollywood orifice available, I’d like to see more like this. I’m not saying we need a sequel/reboot/remake of Howard The Duck… but I’m also NOT not saying that.
Have you seen the original Killer Klowns From Outer Space? Do vivid images of exploding clown heads still sometimes haunt your nightmares?