Clowns are often used in horror movies, but the clowns in Killer Klowns from Outer Space are truly unique. Killer Klowns from Outer Space is a comedy horror movie that was released in 1988. The film depicts a group of alien clowns coming from space to terrorize a small rural town.
Over the years, Killer Klowns from Outer Space has become a cult classic, with many people tending to give it another viewing around Halloween. The movie may have been out for over 30 years, but there are still some things that you might not know about it. Here are 10 interesting facts that you didn’t know about Killer Klowns From Outer Space.
Three Brothers Created The Film
People might not be aware, but Killer Klowns from Outer Space was actually a family affair. Charles, Edward, and Stephen Chiodo were the three men who created the film, each contributing in a different way to the movie. The film was first conceived when Stephen tried to think of the scariest thing he could.
He thought about driving at night and seeing a clown in a car passing him. Charles and Stephen wrote the film, while Edward was one of the producers. Stephen also directed the film.
One Of The Brothers Played Klownzilla
Stephen Chiodo directed Killer Klowns from Outer Space, but his brother appears in the film. Charles appears near the end of the movie when the gang is attacked by the giant Klownzilla. Klownzilla is the biggest Klown seen in the movie, who nearly kills Deputy Dave Hanson and Rich and Paul Terenzi.
While Klownzilla is huge compared to the human characters, the effect was pulled off using forced perspective. While the Klown is supposed to be the aliens’ biggest weapon, it is ultimately their downfall after Dave stabs it in the nose with his badge.
It Originally Had A Different Opening
The film opens with a title sequence and the introduction of the klown tent, but the film almost got a much more exciting opening. Originally the film was supposed to open with two people making out before a guy shoves his date out of his car and drives off. As he was driving, he would have looked next to him and seen a klown driving an invisible car next to him.
This second part happens in the film, but it was supposed to be much more climactic. The guy’s car sort of just rolls off the bridge, but it was supposed to go much further than it did. Unfortunately, the cable snapped that was holding the car before the crew could remove the sandbags holding the car in place.
Some of Their Favorite Films Inspired The Movie
Killer Klowns from Outer Space is a prime example of a B-movie, but the film itself was inspired by several other more famous movies. In the DVD special features for Killer Klowns from Outer Space, Stephen Chiodo revealed that the power chamber on the Klowns ship was a reference to the chamber set in Forbidden Planet.
The cotton candy cocoons are also reminiscent of the traps from cocoons in Invasion of the Body Snatchers. While the Forbidden Planet reference was intentional, Stephen Chiodo has said that the Invasion of the Body Snatchers reference must have been a subconscious decision, since he loves that film.
The Actors And Crew Were Friends Of The Filmmakers
Actors are usually one of the most expensive parts of any film, but the Chiodo brothers used their friends and other people the knew to make the movie happen. In the featurette “Making Killer Klowns” the brothers explained how they tried to use people they knew to keep costs down.
Grant Cramer (Mike Tobacco), Michael S. Siegel (Rich Terenzi), Peter Licassi (Paul Terenzi), and Johnny Martin (Joe Lombardo) were just some of the people they knew in the cast. The brothers also recruited their next-door neighbor, Gene Warren Jr. to work on the special effects for the film.
They Used Basic Special Effects
Horror films today have the luxury of using CGI to create horrifying creatures, but most of the effects in Killer Klowns from Outer Space were used with basic practical effects. When the klowns die by getting their noses broken, they spin around and explode in a green haze. In order to great the effect of the spinning lights, they attached glass shards onto a rotating rig to create shadows on the walls.
They also used simple visual effects, like cross dissolves, when the Klowns trap people inside of balloons. The special effects guys also coated the balloon animal dog with latex so that it wouldn’t pop while they were running with it on the ground.
The Composer Beat Out 30-40 Other Musicians
When it came to the music for Killer Klowns from Outer Space, John Massari was chosen to compose the score. In the late ‘80s, Massari was still a relatively new composer, so he had to apply for the job, going up against 30 to 40 other musicians.
When he went to a screening with all of the other people who wanted to score the movie, the Chiodo brothers told everyone to pick a scene that connected with them and create a score for it. Massari chose the scene with the balloon dog and beat out all of the other composers for the gig.
They Used Real Pies
One of the oldest gags in the book is when a pie is thrown in someone’s face. This often happens at the circus, so of course the klowns had to use pies as a murder weapon. In one scene, a security guard tries to stop a group of klowns and has acidic pies thrown at him.
The crew discovered that getting hit with real pies actually hurts at close range and that the effect didn’t look as good if they threw the pie tins at actor David Piel. Charles Chiodo created a wristband to attach to the back of the pie tins so that the pies would fly at the actor, but the tins would stay attached to their hands.
The Killer Klowns Are In Ernest Scared Stupid
Ernest Scared Stupid is one of the many Ernest movies starring Jim Varney. In his 1991 film, Ernest accidentally unleashes a killer troll that goes after the children in his town. The Chiodo brothers worked on the creature effects for the movie, which resulted in terrifying trolls for the kid’s movie.
Instead of creating brand new sculpts for the trolls, the Chiodo brothers opted to reuse two of the Klown sculpts from Killer Klowns from Outer Space. The trolls are obviously painted differently and have different prosthetics, but the sculpt is clearly from the famous cult classic.
A Sequel Is In Development Hell
Despite Killer Klowns from Outer Space becoming a cult classic, the film has still not received a sequel after 31 years. A sequel called The Return of the Killer Klowns from Outer Space in 3D has been stuck in development hell for years. The Chiodo Brothers have explained that they have a lot of ideas for a sequel, but haven’t been able to move forward on it.
When the film got a DVD re-release a few years ago, the Chiodo brothers were hoping to spark new interest for a sequel but it is officially not happening now. When Disney acquired 20th Century Fox, The Return of the Killer Klowns from Outer Space in 3D was one of the many films that Fox was planning on making that Disney canceled.
Next: 10 Horror Movies To Watch Featuring Clowns If You Loved IT
