Clown is a 2014 American supernatural horror film directed by Jon Watts in his feature directorial debut, produced by Mac Cappuccino, Eli Roth, and Cody Ryder, and written by Watts and Christopher Ford. It stars Eli Roth, Laura Allen, Andy Powers, and Peter Stormare. Visual effects for the clown monster were done by Jagdeep Khoza, Alterian, Inc., and Tony Gardner. Principal photography began in November 2012, in Ottawa. The film was released in Italy on November 13, 2014,[5] in the United Kingdom on March 2, 2015, and in the United States on June 17, 2016, by Dimension Films.[6] The film received mixed reviews from critics.
Kent McCoy, a real estate agent, steps in to entertain at his son Jack’s birthday party after the hired clown cancels. He discovers an old clown costume in the basement of a house he is renovating and wears it to the party. Afterward, Kent is unable to remove the costume. The fabric adheres to his body, the nose fuses to his face, and attempts to take it off cause injury.
Over the next several days, Kent undergoes disturbing physical and behavioral changes, including an insatiable hunger. He contacts Herbert Karlsson, the former owner of the house, who reveals that the costume is made from the skin and hair of an ancient Icelandic demon called the Clöyne. The demon possesses the wearer and feeds on five children for every month of winter. Over the centuries, the Clöyne was forgotten and became the inspiration for clowns. Karlsson warns Kent that the only way to stop the transformation is suicide or decapitation.
Kent’s attempts to end his life fail, and the Clöyne’s influence grows stronger. He hides in an abandoned property, but when a child encounters him, Kent loses control and kills the boy. Realizing the danger he poses, Kent begs his wife, Meg, to chain him in the basement. After Jack confides that he is being bullied, Kent persuades his son to release him and then murders the bully to satisfy the demon’s hunger.
Meg learns from Karlsson that the only way to free Kent is for the demon to consume five children. Karlsson admits that he and his brother once tried to destroy the suit after feeding it five terminally ill children, but failed. Kent, now fully possessed, kills more children at a local Chuck E. Cheese. Meg nearly sacrifices another child to save Jack but changes her mind upon realizing the demon is now hunting her son.
In the final confrontation, Kent—now the Clöyne—attacks Meg and Jack. Meg manages to injure the demon and temporarily subdue it. When it lunges for Jack, she decapitates it, killing both the Clöyne and Kent. As she embraces her son, Kent's severed head is revealed inside the melting costume. The film ends with the cursed costume being packed away in an evidence locker by police.
Eli Roth was the film's producer and had a brief cameo as Frowny the Clown
In November 2010, Jon Watts and Christopher Ford uploaded a fake trailer to YouTube that announced Eli Roth would produce the film; Roth was not involved at the time. Roth spoke about the film, saying: "I loved how ballsy they were, issuing a trailer that said, 'From the Master of Horror, Eli Roth.' Some people thought I'd made the movie, or that it was another fake Grindhouse trailer... I really felt these guys deserved a shot, and that people are truly freaked out by evil clowns. It's new territory to make this a version of The Fly, where this guy can feel himself changing, blacking out only to find blood all over his clown suit. You're sympathetic toward a monster until the monster actually takes over."[7]
Principal photography began in November 2012 in Ottawa. Roth joined as a producer, and Watts directed the film based on a screenplay co-written with Ford.[8]
Music
Matt Veligdan composed the film's score, which also featured eight songs.
The UK premiere was February 27, 2015, in Scotland at FrightFest Glasgow 2015, followed by the DVD and Blu-ray release March 2, 2015.[11] The film was also released in the Philippines on March 25, 2015 and in Mexico on May 22, 2015. After being delayed, the film was released in the United States on June 17, 2016.[12]
Reception
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, Clown holds an approval rating of 46% based on 28 reviews, and an average rating of 4.8/10. The website's consensus reads, "Clown tries to bag a stylish, gory thrill, but good practical effects can't save this circus of mediocrity."[13]
Dominic Cuthbert of Starburst rated it 7/10 stars and wrote, "Clown may be formulaic and filled up to the guts with familiar tropes, but it is tremendous fun and an effective body horror."[14] Howard Gorman of Scream magazine rated it 5/5 stars and wrote, "With Clown the filmmakers have created an all-new monster of demonic proportions and it's a concept that certainly deserves to spawn a sequel or two as the sky really is the limit."[15] Jeremy Aspinall of the Radio Times rated it 2/5 stars and described it as "efficiently put together if a little sedate in pace".[16] Anton Bitel of Little White Lies wrote that the film doubles as an equally harrowing story of "a family man's losing struggle with his own paedophiliac impulses".[17] Brad Miska of Bloody Disgusting rated it 3/5 stars and wrote, "Even though it's mostly a bore, there's still some really cool and fun stuff scattered throughout."[18] Keri O'Shea of Brutal as Hell wrote, "Neither frightening nor funny, here's another lesson to prove that fake trailers are often fine just as they are."[19] Joel Harley of HorrorTalk rated it 2/5 stars and wrote, "What could have been one of the few great killer clown movies winds up as yet another disappointment, being too uneven in tone and pace to be considered a success."[20]
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