The Film (5/5)

    Killer Klowns from Outer Space is one of the first horror films that I can remember loving, and obsessing over as a young horror fan. The absurd blend of comedy, colorful, and campy visuals, plus monsters that are exaggerated versions of a simple childhood fear sucked me in, and to this day hasn't let go. It's a film that I keep going back to year after year, and have owned it on every available format since VHS, and now with Arrow Video's recent 4K scanned Blu-ray of the film 2 two times on Blu-ray.

   The film is simple enough as far as narrative is concerned. It pretty much takes its entire premise from the Blob. A young couple Mike and Debbie are up at "The End of the World" making out when they and everyone else are interrupted by ice cream salesmen the Terenzi Brothers. No matter though, because the interruption allows them to see a strange object they think is a meteor flying through space. Debbie convinces Mike to search for the object, and instead of a meteor, they find an extraterrestrial circus tent, populated by "Killer Klowns from Outer Space" whose aim is to cocoon the townspeople in cotton candy, and take them back into space as a food source. It is up to Mike, Debbie, police captain Dave Hanson, and the Terenzi Brothers to stop this alien menace before they kidnap the whole town.

    Killer Klowns from Outer Space is one of the most perfect of 80's comedy horrors. It's not overly violent and splattery, and its clowns are actually not too scary, so this one could be watched with kids. The performances across the board fit the cult film quality of the presentation, but every time I watch Killer Klowns from Outer Space, the one thing that jumps out at me is the excellence of the Chiodo's design aesthetic as it pops off the screen.  It can be described as extremely colorful, bizarre looking, and completely mesmerizing and unforgettable.

    The film like the best chunks of oddball cult cinema also never overstays its welcome. It sets the story in motion almost immediately, and keeps things going at a reasonable pace throughout its running time, never allowing things to slow down or get dull. If the horror or comedy comes to a lull, we have memorable character moments to really stick with viewers, and it all wraps up before anyone could possibly get bored with any aspect of the film.

Audio/Video (4/5)

    Arrow Video presents Killer Klowns from Outer Space in a spectacular 1:85:1 1080p AVC encoded transfer preserving the OAR of the original film.  The colors of this film simply POP here, black levels are inky and deep and detail is excellent though out the presentation.   There is light grain that looks quite organic and natural.

   Audio is handed with 2 separate options. We have a PCM 2.0 track and a DTS-HD MA 5.1 track both in English, and both sound fantastic. Dialogue and score comes through crisp and clear, with no issues.

Extras (5/5)

      Arrow has put together an amazing mix of archival and new extras for their Blu-ray release of Killer Klowns from Outer Space, so much so that this release is the most stacked ever for ths film, and should leave no fan wanting more. We have the classic Chiodo commentary kicking things off. An interview with the Dickies regarding their theme music, a documentary about the Chiodo’s childhood films, and their early films uncut and with commentary.  There are also tours of the Chiodo Brothers facilities, interviews with members of the cast and crew, deleted scenes, audition footage, trailers, and so much more.

Overall

     Killer Klowns from Outer Space is one of the great camp classics of 80's horror cinema, and is a film that still works very well 3 decades after its initial release. The Blu-ray from Arrow Video is a true beauty from  an audio, video, and extra features  perspective, and of course, comes highly recommended.