Clownhouse Movie
Storyline
TAGLINES
...A circus of the mind.
Welcome To A Circus Of Terror!
Just before Halloween, three kid brothers who are alone in a big house are menaced by three escaped mental patients who have murdered some traveling circus clowns and taken their identities.
| Nathan Forrest Winters | Casey Collins |
| Brian McHugh | Geoffrey Collins |
| Sam Rockwell | Randy |
| Michael Jerome West | Lunatic Cheezo |
| Byron Weible | Lunatic Bippo |
| David C. Reinecker | Lunatic Dippo |
| Timothy Enos | Real Cheezo aka Georgie |
| Frank Diamanti | Real Bippo aka Charlie |
| Karl-Heinz Teuber | Real Dippo |
| Viletta Skillman | Mrs. Collins - Mother |
| Gloria Belsky | Fortune Teller |
| Tom Mottram | Ringmaster |
| Erika Young | Ellie - Storekeeper |
| Jasper Watts | Jasper |
| Bobby Salem | Booth Barker |
| Victor Salva |
5.70 out of 10 (1067 votes)
Visitor Reviews
Visit this CLOWNHOUSE, you'll be happy you did.
posted on 15 Mar 2009Early in his career, Writer/Director VICTOR SALVA helmed this creepy & very scary suspense horror film about three brothers all alone by themselves in a big house terrorized by three escaped lunatics dressed as clowns that want to hack the boys to death. Basically that's the entire plot for this movie, however don't let that stop you from seeing this film, like I said it's a very scary movie with plenty edge of your seat stuff & creepy villains. A big help to the film is both Victor's directing & the well written script & a great trio of actors. The film isn't an all out gorefest, but it doesn't need to be, the main focus in the film is in the suspense & character development & on that front, CLOWNHOUSE turns out to be a winner. Still it's a shame that the film hasn't gotten much recognition throughout the years & is almost but forgotten by the majority of slasher fans. Much better than any of the SAW sequels (though don't get me wrong I love those too) If you can ever get a copy, I highly recommend you give it a shot & you should have fun with this small budgeted gem.**** stars
Another review about a movie that does not clown around...
posted on 12 Mar 2009BIG SPOILERS YOU ARE WARNED NOW!This has been reviewed many times, so I will keep it short. 3 kids are home alone for the night: Randy, Jeffry, Casey while their parents are out for the evening. One of the kids, Casey hates and is very fearful of clowns. The oldest boy, Randy sees that the circus is in town and insists that Casey and Jeffry go..against Casey's wishes because there will be clowns! Before the show they visit a fortune teller who gives him(Casey) a frightening prediction of what is to come..Casey and his brothers enter the tent of the big top, and one of the clowns beckons him to come over to him, Casey nodding his head no, ignores him. But during the show, the clowns need a 4th person to help him in their act. The main clown, Cheezo picks the freaked out Casey. He screams and runs out of the tent crying...3 mental patients have escaped the loony bin and go to the circus. They steal the clowns outfits after their performance, and make them their own to wear. They then stalk the 3 kids at their home that night while the parents are out....From then on, it's the kids trying to outwit the clowns, and finding ways to kill them. There are some moments that leave you in suspense sort of, but not big-time scary! There is no blood and no swearing..This might be good watching if you do not know what to watch on any night..or thunderstorm by yourself with lights off on Friday night before bed!Happy viewing!
The most horrifying movie....EVER!!!
posted on 15 Dec 2008Those of us who suffer from fear of clowns will be absolutely and totally frightened by this movie!!! I suffered through IT and thought to myself that this is the reason I am so disturbed by clowns but after seeing this movie I realize now that clowns really are evil... The movie starts out with just three brothers fighting and the youngest is terrified of clowns but as the movie builds the horror grows... After the lunatics escape from the mental institution and don the clown makeup and clothing... I knew that I would not sleep a wink after witnessing the macabre events that follow! Although the acting is somewhat weak I would still classify this movie up with some of my personal scariest. The constant cat and mouse suspense really keeps the viewer alert and the clowns flickering around in the background all the time... watching the boys... will keep even those few who do not see clowns as a threat really disturbed and creeped out!Enjoy :)
one of the scariest movies i have ever seen!
posted on 06 Dec 2008clown house is just too scary. i mean this movie scares the begeveers out of me. it's like halloween with 3 clowns killers instead of one killer with a white rubber mask. it's as creepy as creepy can get. i give it *** out of **** with the entertainment of scream and the scariness of this movie you would have a masterpiece!
Kinda creepy, cute and worth watching
posted on 24 Nov 2008This movie reminds me of one of those short stories on "Tales from the darkside". It had that creepyness to it. The film begind with a boy that has nightmares of clown and goes to a circus with his brothers that tease him about being afraid of clowns and he finds himself followed by the clown from the circus to his house. the clowns terrorize the boys and a chase begins to save themselves from the horroring clowns. This movie is not to the least to be taken seriously but it is different and has somewhat of a suspense to it as the feel of frightening clowns come after the boys.
A tainted 80's gem
posted on 12 Jul 2008The film begins by introducing us to three brothers Casey (Nathan Forrest Winters), Goeffrey (Brian McHugh, and Randy (Rockwell). It seems Casey, the youngest, suffers from a deep-seated fear of clowns, apparently due to a previous visit to the circus a year ago. This fear manifests itself in the form of reoccurring nightmares. We soon learn the boys are going to be alone on this particular night as their father is away on business and their mother will be visiting a distant relative. The boys plan on going to the circus, with a reluctant Casey in tow. We also learn three homicidal inmates from a local insane asylum have escaped. Will the inmates find their way to the circus and assume the roles of clowns, follow the boys and terrorize them in their big, dark, empty house? You betcha...on hearing about some of the elements of the film, it would seem this to be your very run-of-the-mill type 80's horror film, but once you settle in, it becomes much more than that. Salva quickly displays his talent for creating suspense and tension on screen, while avoiding the more visceral elements so prevalent in the genre during that time period. The use of light, shadows, and creepy music really combine well to create an atmospheric chiller that almost leaves you breathless at times. Sure, there's the occasional 'pop out' scare, a scene where something jumps out of the dark to frighten and shock the audience, quite a cheap effect in my opinion, especially when overused, but Salva doesn't rely on this technique throughout. I felt he more or less used it sparingly, priming the fear pump to bring on better, more intricate scares developed by turning things the experienced viewer would expect to see in a film like this around and presenting them in a different way. And this was done in a very subtle manner, as not to really call attention to the subversion of the normal techniques, allowing the audience to experience a squirming sensation as the film progresses.The pacing seems quite slow through the beginning and well into the middle, and I think there's a good twenty minutes between when the clowns enter the dark and creepy house until their presence is actually known by the boys. This seems very deliberate on the director's part, allowing for him to let the pot simmer, letting the viewer get unnerved with the knowledge of the intruders well before the boys know it. The clowns seem intent on playing a game of cat and mouse for whatever reason, but given that they're psychotics recently escaped from a mental hospital, who knows what their methods or motives are? I thought the three actors playing the brothers did quite well, presenting a fairly realistic portrayal of typical siblings, including all the meaningless fighting and rivalries many would be familiar with within their own relationships with their brothers and/or sisters. The house itself was quite odd and maze-like, being so very large yet it felt like so little of the seemingly huge interior was actually utilized within the film. I did feel a few scenes the actions of the characters or dialog didn't seem to fit as well as it should have, but these were minor gripes on my part, and didn't really lessen the overall effect of the film, which was to scare. There is an underlying plot thread throughout the film, one that focuses on the dealing with of one's own fears (actually, it's more of the core of the movie), but it didn't get in the way of this film providing some generally excellent scares.Okay, as some may know or not, there is a much darker side to this film than what's presented on this disc. It's hard to provide a review and not mention it, so here it goes. The director, Salva, got into trouble after some very inappropriate actions with one of the young stars of the film. I'm not going to go into details, but he was convicted of his crimes, and served his time (you can look up the details on the web easily enough if you wish). Do I support what he did? Certainly not...there is a taint on this film, and those who are familiar with the history behind may decide to avoid this based on the actions of the director, and I wouldn't blame them, but I cannot change what happened. Hopefully all parties involved got the help they needed as it's hard to ignore the talent involved. I can't help but think it was this situation that caused me such difficulty in finding an affordable copy of the film.The film is presented in a wide screen format here, and it looks pretty good. Some scenes were a bit dark, and the audio seemed a bit soft at times, but if you are looking for a seriously creepy horror film from the 80's that avoids many of the clichés of the time, then this one is a real gem.
I like the clowns but the movie falls mostly flat
posted on 18 Jun 2008OK, I guess this is the film that got Victor Salva in trouble, with young boys in their undies and even a brief buttocks view. So what. If you like that kind of stuff then it may excite you, but it's thankfully brief (no pun intended) and probably more creepy than the rest of the film.The story is, that 3 brothers have gone to the circus, on the night that 3 escaped lunatics invade the circus clown's changing tent & assume their identities. And, since young Casey has a morbid fear of clowns, well, they seem to latch on to him.The oldest brother is played by a very young Sam Rockwell, I wouldn't have known it had it not been in the credits. The role of the "evil" Cheezo the Clown is played by wacko comedian Tree, whose stand-up act I saw on TV once, wow, was he a good choice to play a lunatic clown. Although, of course, he doesn't speak.The creepy clowns are good, and the creepy clowns stalking three kids left on their own in a big house are good, but the kids are so unlikeable that you hope the clowns DO get them. And because the kids are unlikeable, the film fell flat, for me.Anyway, if I'm going to watch a clown movie, "Killer Klowns From Outer Space" would be my choice, this one is rather mediocre. 5 out of 10.
This is hilariously crap
posted on 16 Apr 2008I'm a big fan of Horror films, often taking one with a good-looking cover straight off the shelf for rental, but this is among my 3 worst ever horror films seen, it's not intense, not creepy, just a big chase. Also, the clowns get killed stupidly(Plank of wood, saucepan etc.) AWFUL, rent a real horror instead
Boring crap.
posted on 13 Apr 2008Well it sucks bad. Its about these 3 brothers trapped in their home with escaped mental patients dressed as clowns. The movie has absolutely no balls, no pun intended. But it should have at least knocked off one character to even make it a slasher flick. Its about 90 minutes, but it feels like 90 hours. Salva does nothing with something that alot of people are afraid of. Clowns. In fact the only people this flick would appeal to are those frightened of clowns and still its a long shot. Don't believe the hype and avoid Clownhouse. 1/10.
I've Never been afraid of clowns, but...
posted on 26 Mar 2008I've never been afraid of clowns, But this movie still is one of the scariest and funniest movies of the late 80s, Clownhouse is sure to impress even the most "cynical" horror movie fans, or even just cynical movie fans In general, but considering this movie is as rare as it is and was released at the time it was plays a big part in the fact that this movie really didn't get much attention, film was really starting to change a lot in the late 80s and the summer slasher movies were becoming quite redundant, and predictable. Thankfully, there's nothing really predictable about Clownhouse, its far from a slasher movie and it has a lot of fun elements and the acting is well done, this film im my opinion deserves to be a classic 80s movie just like "Teen wolf" was and "The breakfast club" OK, maybe im setting my sights to high there But Clownhouse is a great movie for what it is...and if you aren't too scared, you should give clownhouse a spin...
THE SCARIEST MOVIE EVER MADE!!!!
posted on 11 Mar 2008Alright guys you want the honest truth?For the People that never saw the film and want to read reviews for clownhouse read mine for the truth...i never get scared of any movies,never did,never will..i mean would.This movie was the only film that scared me and gave me a nightmare and made me afraid to walk around my house and 3 in the morning.So if u wanna get real scared then get this!!!!!!Good Acting too!
Genuinely scary...
posted on 15 Jun 2007...and genuinely stupid. Not a great movie, not even a good one, but it creeped the hell outa me more than anything I have ever seen. I don't like clowns to begin with--which certainly helps--but the movie's lack of technical polish and sophistication make it that much closer to the sheer terrifying simplicity of a sweaty nightmare. Yikes!
My thoughts on this movie
posted on 25 May 2007I thought this movie was the best film in the late eighties. The makeup and costumes were great for the clowns. The actors did really well, especially the clowns. The director was awesome filming this movie. I think the location in this film was for the movie.
Victor Salva's supremely creepy and effective debut horror feature
posted on 05 Mar 2007A trio of dangerous psychopaths escape from a nearby asylum and murder three circus clowns. The deranged fruitcakes dress up in the clowns' garish costumes and make-up. They proceed to besiege a large mansion where three brothers -- jittery Casey (the solid Nathan Forrest Winters), friendly Geoffrey (winningly played by Brian McHugh) and mean overbearing bully Randy (a marvelously hateful turn by a then unknown Sam Rockwell) -- live. Tautly directed by Victor Salva (who later gave us the excellent road thriller pip "The Nature of the Beast" and the deliciously perverse "Jeepers Creepers" pictures), with surprisingly strong performances by the three capable youthful leads, plenty of creepy atmosphere, a pleasingly concise 81 minute running time, and a respectable corpse count of eight, "Clownhouse" makes the grade as a gripping and well-made edge-of-your-seat nail-biter. The clever subversion of the naturally unsettling aura about clowns (what's actually behind the cheery smiling facade?) is an especially smart and inspired touch. Moreover, Salva wisely downplays graphic gore and excessive violence in favor of deftly creating and sustaining a supremely eerie and unnerving tone. It's the film's potently spooky and nightmarish mood which really clinches its sterling status as an extremely scary and harrowing horror sleeper.
A good clown horror movie unlike others
posted on 21 Feb 2007this movie is not all blood and guts like killjoy 1 & 2, and s.i.c.k., but it has explicit sequences of surprising terror. a lot of people have a phobia of clowns and this film shows the phobia through a young boy, (casey) and shows how scared he is and his reactions,it also shows teamwork- how they work together to fight back, and it has a very wise quote that fits casey well which is in the end stating " A man cannot hide from his fears as they are a part of him, they will always know where he is hiding" i think this means you will always see the scariest but to rise up to your fears you must find courage inside you as the boys do, it also shows the psychotic mind of the mental patients dressed as clowns and how they commit evil acts in cold blood, when ever someone crosses them they kill Great horror movie Rated R for Terror/Violence,brief nudity,and for some language
**** out of ****.
posted on 04 Jan 2007"Clownhouse" is a frightfully scary film. The film sets itself up with a great atmosphere that's effective and nightmarishly scary. The movie plays like a nightmare, being vividly real and dark and murky. This film works very well. I haven't seen it in such a long time though and would love to see it again.
Classic 80's Horror Flick
posted on 08 Dec 2006Really good movie! Excellent cinematography - a real work of art! Superb acting by the cast. Directing and attention to detail were exceptional. A good movie for the whole family -the suspense builds right to the very end. So pop up a batch of popcorn, turn out the lights, and enjoy!
Scary memories
posted on 26 Nov 2006"Clownhouse" is an instant favorite in everyone's slasher collection. The movie is scary for the simple fact that there are three killer clowns. This may not be scary for some veteran horror fans, but surely it is for those who watched it on their childhood. "Clownhouse" delivers some good scares, and a chasing scene a la "Friday the 13th".
Effective slasher, filled with creepy settings, a scary score, and decent acting. The fear factor is present as the set is perfect for a chilling scary movie. Not much gore, but still this film worths your bucks. Watch for "Clownhouse" in the forgotten horror section in your video store.4/10 -Mediocre fun!
Great Horror Flick
posted on 13 Jul 2009This movie is one of the better horror movies I have ever seen. I was lucky enough to get a copy of the DVD that MGM canceled this year. I got if off of Ebay. The video quality is excellent and the audio (for being mono) was very effective. If you can buy the DVD on Ebay, go for it. Turn the lights off, and crank up the volume, I guarantee you will be scared. Also, watch it on the biggest screen possible. I have a projector and an 8 foot by 4 foot screen. That really helped the impact of the movie. All around terrific scary movie. This is what horror movies are all about.