by TheWeevilDead reviews ClownTown, Southern Ohio gets a bad rap.
Clowntown (2016) – Synopsis
The movie starts out like many horror films, babysitter, unnecessary boobs, and a killing. I got the feeling that Clowntown was trying to pay homage to some ultimate horror films such as, Halloween and The Exorcist through the use of some pretty iconic names. After that scene ends we lead into four friends who are road-tripping to a concert. Sarah and Brad are dating, and Brad is about to propose, and Jill and Mike are dating, and Mike is an asshole. They stop at a diner and run into two creepy “trailer trash” men who are giving off a pervy vibe. By talking to some locals, the four friends find a decent way to get to Columbus.
Along the way, Jill realizes her phone is lost, with all her info on it. They call it, and it is picked up by a guy who tells them to meet him in town. They wait at the gazebo for HOURS while Jill smokes weed and cries about her phone. At this point they should have common sense and leave, but this is a horror movie so of course not! When they finally decide to leave, the cables in their Jeep have been cut, as they see a man in clown paint back away into the darkness of an alley. Spoooooooky.
Billy and Dylan are two workers who are heading home after a long day, and are being followed by clowns. The two groups eventually run into each other, and clowns begin to come out of the woodwork and terrorize them.
Clowntown – Review
This was a fun film, and definitely had a Rob Zombie influence, which I really liked. It was campy, with some good acting and some very….not good acting. I enjoyed the visuals and lighting because it gave the movie that odd fun-housey feel. This movie also made some good connections between all the characters in the movie, and that really helped to tie some things together for me. A few things I did not enjoy were the repetitive soundtrack, and the over acting by many of the actors. But I have to give props to Lauren Elise, and Andrew Stanton because they played their characters well, with just the right amount of emotion.
Although, there were some loose ends for me. Such as, what concert were they going to see? Why the obsession with clowns? Who cares that much about a cell phone to wait for hours on end to receive it? If the babysitter scene was supposed to take place thirty some years prior, why were the children and babysitter dressed like this time era? Ultimately, the setting was good and I will not be planning a trip to Southern Ohio any time soon…..although Pittsburgh isn’t too far away…
Lesson Learned: Never lose your phone. And REALLY never lose your phone in a town with no signal. Finally, get the hell out of Dodge when no one shows up to give it to you!
Clowntown IN THEATERS: September 30, 2016 – VIDEO ON DEMAND: October 4, 2016
- DIRECTOR: Tom Nagel
- WRITER: Jeff Miller
- CAST: Brian Nagel, Lauren Elise, Andrew Staton, Katie Keene, Jeff Denton
- DISTRIBUTOR: ITN Distribution
