Clown

Name: Clown
Genre: Drama, Fantasy, Horror
Released: June 17, 2016
Duration: 100 min
Rating: 42

2016

METASCORE

Mixed or average reviews based on 6 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Mixed or average reviews based on 31 Ratings

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5.0	User Score Mixed or average reviews based on 31 Ratings

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Clown

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Movie Details & Credits

Dimension Films | Release Date: June 17, 2016 | R

Summary: A loving father dons a clown outfit and makeup to perform at his son’s sixth birthday, only to later discover that the costume – red nose and wig included– will not come off and his own personality changes in a horrific fashion. To break the curse of the evil outfit, the father must make grim choices with his own family facing danger.

Director: Jon Watts

Genre(s): Drama, Fantasy, Horror

Rating: R

Runtime: 100 min

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Critic Reviews

Noel Murray

Jun 16, 2016

Refreshingly dark and sick, this is a movie for those who like cinematic monsters that hit so hard they leave a mark. Read full review

A.A. Dowd

Jun 21, 2016

While Watts deserves some credit for treating a totally ridiculous premise with a straight face, his grisly first feature plays very much like what it is: a 90-second joke stretched uncomfortably to full length. Read full review

The Film Stage Mike Mazzanti

Jun 22, 2016

Blending elements from body-horror, slashers, and folklore, Clown has a mean bite and cruelly sharp wit that almost balances some of the less inspired decisions from a first-time director. Read full review

RogerEbert.com Brian Tallerico

Jun 17, 2016

While Clown is far from the disastrous misfire that typically stains VOD horror movies (most range from awful to “I never want to see a movie again”), it comes apart about halfway through, losing a very difficult tonal balance. Having said that, there’s more to like here than the studio burial would have you believe. Read full review

Chuck Bowen

Jun 12, 2016

Jon Watts does nothing with the scarily funny notion of a respectable professional who suddenly refuses to shuck a party costume. Read full review

Glenn Kenny

Jun 21, 2016

[A] glib and repellent exercise in “can you top this” genre opportunism. Read full review

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User Reviews

L2J1986

Aug 16, 2021

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. First saw this on Netflix (not on there now but is on Amazon Prime in the UK). Absolutely refreshing that this killer clown film actually is rather frightening. Best parts would have to be the when the dog eats the clown nose, Kent's attempted suicide and when Kent kills Jack's bully.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

TryASummersault

Jul 17, 2018

At this point everyone is well-versed and familiar with the fears of clowns, and the overall creepy aesthetic that they carry, but the concept shown in this overlooked horror gem is probably the most sinister and frightening. The fascinating spin they put on clown mythology was so depravedAt this point everyone is well-versed and familiar with the fears of clowns, and the overall creepy aesthetic that they carry, but the concept shown in this overlooked horror gem is probably the most sinister and frightening. The fascinating spin they put on clown mythology was so depraved and evil and went in very disturbing territory, but that's what horror to me is about. Alongside just being an overall twisted horrifying film with an interesting story, I found the cinematography to be very well done and the tone and atmosphere was set perfectly through it. If you're into horror in general you should check this out and especially if you're into clowns because it delivers very well on both fronts and really doesn't hold back. You will not look at clowns the same way after seeing this film.… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

TheQuietGamer

Oct 28, 2017

It's a story about a demonic clown with an appetite for human children. Sound familiar? The movie is essentially "IT" with a body-horror twist. As if they were trying to beat that movie to market and were only able to end up with a VOD release. In this movie we watch a father find a clownIt's a story about a demonic clown with an appetite for human children. Sound familiar? The movie is essentially "IT" with a body-horror twist. As if they were trying to beat that movie to market and were only able to end up with a VOD release. In this movie we watch a father find a clown costume for his son's birthday party. After the party he finds that he can't take it off no matter what he does, and to make matters worse it's turning him into a monster. There's some pretty impressive lore here as to what a clown actually is and why wearing this particular clown suit is having this effect. The movie also has a much appreciated sense of humor about itself. There are moments that poke fun at the craziness of the situation. Unfortunately, what it fails to deliver on if any really effective horror.

Most of what the movie has to offer is just having viewers look at pictures of clowns that have been overly creepified. It plays a lot off of how unnerving clowns can look in the first place. As the father's transformation continues on, he does start to look more and more terrifying. Even if it's mostly just due to the fact that he bares a striking resemblance to old Pennywise. As the more monstrous qualities of the change come into play, the clown starts to look a little overdone. Kind of robbing it's appearance of the more subtle creepiness by moving into full-blown monster flick territory. The real problem is that director and co-writer Jon Watts is unable to instill any kind of fear or tension into his scenes. For example, my favorite scene in the movie takes place in one of those jungle gym playgrounds that used to be at every McDonald's back in the day. It's a pretty cool, playful, and creepy setting for a kid to run into a killer clown. Unfortunately, the only payoff was another one of the movie's dull jump scares. Watts never capitalizes on the film's potential. The result is a movie that feels flat and lifeless in comparison to other horror flicks.

Clown is good at having some fun with itself and coming up with an interesting take on clown lore. The transformation has some interesting qualities before becoming too overblown in the final act. I also have to give the movie credit for having the guts (pun intended) to show kids getting killed in violent and gory ways. So ultimately there is some value here, it's just that the execution falls short so we end up with something that lacks effectiveness in inspiring fear or genuine interest. In fact I found that the most compelling part of the movie is just how many comparisons I was able to draw between it and the two adaptations of the classic Stephen King story. Jon Watts just doesn't prove himself as a director who is good at horror. Maybe it was just the budget, but who knows. As it stands Clown isn't without some merits and is ultimately watchable. I just think it's one of those movies you should only watch if you've exhausted all your other options, and that includes the ones in other genres.… Expand

0 of 2 users found this helpful02

TVJerry

Jun 22, 2016

Director John Watts made a strong impression with first film ("Cop Car") and he's helming the upcoming Spider-Man, so he's a director to watch. I "watched" this new one and was moderately impressed. It's about a man who dons a clown costume for his son's birthday party, then discovers thatDirector John Watts made a strong impression with first film ("Cop Car") and he's helming the upcoming Spider-Man, so he's a director to watch. I "watched" this new one and was moderately impressed. It's about a man who dons a clown costume for his son's birthday party, then discovers that it's turning him into a blood-thirsty monster. The interesting concept becomes even more diabolical when he determines his prey. The entire film has an ominous sense that something horrible is going to happen (the heavy-handed music contributes). Unfortunately, the payoffs are always off camera, which can engender horrible imaginings, but they just don’t deliver. Some of the plot borders on absurd, but there's a confidence to the filmmaking. Still, it falls short of his earlier promise.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

BrianMcCritic

Aug 31, 2016

Clown has its fair share of scares but the lack of character development makes the film middle of the road. I was surprised to see this was John Watts next film (just a little different from Cop Car or Spiderman). C

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

DirigiblePulp

May 26, 2018

A one-note one-joke premise ad nauseum. Killing kids has never looked so banal. Needed more humor, more insanity, more creativity, more anything.

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

chesklonerowe

Jun 3, 2017

Screw this movie, it's crap. Screw this movie, it's crap.Screw this movie, it's crap.Screw this movie, it's crap.Screw this movie, it's crap.Screw this movie, it's crap.Screw this movie, it's crap.Screw this movie, it's crap.Screw this movie, it's crap.Screw this movie, it's crap.Screw thisScrew this movie, it's crap. Screw this movie, it's crap.Screw this movie, it's crap.Screw this movie, it's crap.Screw this movie, it's crap.Screw this movie, it's crap.Screw this movie, it's crap.Screw this movie, it's crap.Screw this movie, it's crap.Screw this movie, it's crap.Screw this movie, it's crap.Screw this movie, it's crap.Screw this movie, it's crap.… Expand

0 of 2 users found this helpful02

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