Clown (2014)

Clown: Directed by Jon Watts. With Andy Powers, Laura Allen, Peter Stormare, Christian Distefano. A loving father finds a clown suit for his son’s birthday party, only to realize that it’s cursed.

“This hurts to say – Eli Roth is no longer a u0026#39;go-tou0026#39; name for me in horror. Ouch. Go back a decade ago and I didnu0026#39;t think that possible. I was present when he brought Cabin Fever (2002) to Toronto and again in 2005 when he introduced his Canadian audience to Hostel. I met Eli a few times since and I think his knowledge and enthusiasm for horror is outstanding.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eBut since 2007, Eli has focused himself more on acting (Inglorious Basterds) and producing (The Last Exorcism). Since then, the quality of the projects that bear his name on the filmu0026#39;s one sheet has been sub-par. The Man With the Iron Fists (2012), The Last Exorcism II (2013) and The Sacrament (2013) were all throwaway entries on an ever expanding filmography. And donu0026#39;t even get us started on Netflixu0026#39;s timewaster series Hemlock Grove.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eSo when I saw the DVD cover for Clown with Eli Rothu0026#39;s name above the title, it was hardly the seven letters in the actor/produceru0026#39;s name that had me walking out of the market with the disc under my forearm.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eClown has an intriguing premise. A demon possesses a clown suit and morphs anyone who dons the outfit into killer that preys particularly, yet not exclusively, on children. Andy Powers plays Kent, the unlucky son-of-a-bitch that adorns the found garment to appease his son Jack who is awaiting a cancelled clown at his backyard birthday party. But after applying the suit and make-up, Kent finds the outfit impossible to remove. He also finds an increasing appetite that is appeased when a child is devoured while straying from his campgrounds.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eKent attempts to remove himself from his family life and seclude himself to where he may be a lesser threat to those around him. But as the demon begins to take hold, Kentu0026#39;s cravings for violence extended outside his given will and even the help of someone who has history with the suit, Karlsson played by the always reliable Peter Stormare, might not be enough to help stop the demonu0026#39;s rampage on the youth of his stalked community.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eI was intrigued by the idea behind Christopher D. Ford and Jon Wattsu0026#39; screenplay and the idea did feel fresh and at times inspired. Jon Watts does double duty behind the camera and executes the fine line of dealing with a serial killer of children with diplomacy. But itu0026#39;s the diplomacy that grounds the film from really taking flight. Unfortunately, the kills are largely off-screen with only the bloody after affects represented after the deed is completed. I am sure this was done to keep censors edit happy but if the gore was to match say, Eli Rothu0026#39;s Hostel II, in this format, we might be talking about Clown being the horror movie to see if 2015. A particular chapter where our morphing demon ends up at a ChuckeCheese was a particular waste of a fantastic opportunity to showcase unmuted violence in an extraordinary setting.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eStill, Clown was an above average horror film for its ilk. It follows some of the horror film handbook u0026#39;To Dou0026#39;su0026#39; that are as aggravating as they are accepted, but there is enough freshness and commitment to the overall goal to keep Clownu0026#39;s head above the recommendation waters.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eAnd now back to Mr. Roth. Although Clown is hardly Silence of the Lambs it does provide a definite upswing on the Roth career chart that was beginning to resemble my investments circa 2009. Letu0026#39;s hope the momentum continues and I can update the first sentence of this review in short time.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003ewww.killerreviews.com”