Killer Klowns From Outer Space (Limited 35th Anniversary Steelbook) [4K Ultra HD]

Director: Stephen Chiodo

Cast: Grant Cramer, Suzanne Snyder, John Allen Nelson

Release Date: May 14, 2024

A Review By: Kevin Lovell

Disc Rating: 8/10

Synopsis:

In Killer Klowns from Outer Space, a spaceship looking like a circus tent lands in a field near a small town, signaling the attack of deviant, red-nosed, balloon-twisting psychos from another world who plan to annihilate mankind by turning people into cotton candy! Luckily, the town’s teen citizenry decides to fight back and teach the cosmic bozos a lesson. But these klowns are no klutzes, turning popcorn, peanuts and caramel corn into playful but deadly weapons of madcap destruction and mayhem!

The out of this world cult classic ‘Killer Klowns from Outer Space’ follows the residents of a small town who find their community turned upside down after a mysterious spaceship crashes on the edge of town and appears to be a randomly erected circus tent with clowns hiding within. But when the clowns start killing people in town and trapping their bodies in cotton candy cocoons and a couple of local teenagers witness the results, they must convince the local authorities to believe their seemingly ridiculous story before it’s too late and the entire town is eradicated by these deadly invaders.

The extremely ‘80s classic is directed by Stephen Chiodo from a screenplay written by Edward Chiodo, Stephen Chiodo and Charles Chiodo, and Stephen does a nice job at the helm of ‘Killer Klowns from Outer Space’ fully embracing and complementing the goofy tone and style throughout. The film’s cast includes Grant Cramer, Suzanne Snyder, John Allen Nelson, Royal Dano and John Vernon who each contribute decent and fitting performances for the most part in their respective roles.

‘Killer Klowns from Outer Space’ was first unleashed upon moviegoers in 1988 and while it didn’t really take off during its theatrical run, the film gained a massive cult following from its home video release and various late night screenings in subsequent years, only gaining in popularity before becoming a well-known B-movie that had plenty for folks to appreciate thanks to its quirky and somewhat dark sense of humor and its ability to serve up some clever kills and even a bit of gore. For those who enjoy a well-constructed horror-like film that never tries too hard to move past its goofy tone and silly plot, ‘Killer Klowns from Outer Space’ is an absolute blast that never seems to get old and even becomes more amusing as it ages in many regards.

The film still manages to provide a ridiculously enjoyable viewing experience today, more than thirty-five years after its initial release and while some elements within have become more silly as technology has improved over the years, certain elements such as the fun kills, tongue-in-cheek vibe and the clown costumes and makeup still shine in the best way possible. If you enjoy similar films and have never had the pleasure of ‘Killer Klowns from Outer Space’ then I would strongly encourage going out of your way to change that whenever possible because this goofy cult classic remains a beloved gem that is difficult not to love and appreciate.

Scream Factory brings home the fan-favorite cult classic ‘Killer Klowns from Outer Space’ on 4K Ultra HD for the first time ever. The new release features the film in a gorgeous new Ultra High Definition video presentation with Dolby Vision and HDR-10 which comes from  a new 4K Scan of The Original Camera Negative and looks far better than any of us ever probably expected this film to. The tremendous new 4K video presentation is paired with a decent though at times mildly problematic 5.1 DTS-HD MA soundtrack and a nice collection of previously released extras which as a whole will probably make this one a must own for any fans of the goofy classic that are fully 4K capable. In addition to a standard 4K UHD release, Scream Factory is also offering a limited edition Steelbook release which was the version sent to me for review and fans of the film will fall in love with this cleverly decorated steelbook edition. If you’re a fan of the film and already contemplating a purchase, then this new 4K release of ‘Killer Klowns from Outer Space’ is definitely recommended.

VIDEO:

The Scream Factory 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray release of ‘Killer Klowns from Outer Space’ features a full 2160p Ultra High Definition presentation with Dolby Vision and HDR-10, with the film’s original 1.85:1 Aspect Ratio, featuring a new 4K Scan of The Original Camera Negative. The video presentation looks fantastic as a whole and provides a remarkably clean, sharp and beautifully detailed presentation from start to finish that never suffers from any noticeable issues or glitches along the way. Detail is outstanding throughout with character faces, clothing and the clown makeup and effects looking better than ever before, while the outdoor city areas along with indoor settings and the interior of the clown tent all look sharp and pristine. The Dolby Vision HDR addition nicely boosts the coloring on the clowns, the vibrantly colored tent and plenty more throughout, while black levels are deep, clean and problem free. Overall, this is a wonderful Ultra High Definition video presentation that brings the cult classic home looking better than ever by a substantial margin and fans of the film should be thrilled.

AUDIO:

The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray release features a 5.1 channel DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack. This multichannel soundtrack does its job fairly well for the most part and offers a clean, crisp and at times somewhat immersive audio presentation throughout, although at times the coordination of certain sounds don’t seem aligned quite properly, such as footsteps and keys jingling for a character onscreen that seep into all five channels, while a few lines of dialogue also seem to jump between the front and center channels without reason as opposed to staying centered. Fortunately these little hiccups are not a constant and only noticeable on a few key moments, while the soundtrack also takes advantage of all five available channels throughout in order to send music, along with some action and clown effects and more spreading into the rear channels when fitting. All dialogue and other audio elements remain clean and sharp as well and never allow anything to become problematic or inaudible. Overall, this is a decent 5.1 DTS-HD MA soundtrack that may not be perfect but should keep fans largely content for the most part.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

The Scream Factory 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray release of ‘Killer Klowns from Outer Space’ features a nice offering of previously released extras which can all be found on the included Blu-ray disc. Included on both the 4K UHD and Blu-ray disc is an ‘Audio Commentary with the Chiodo Brothers’, while the Blu-ray disc additionally includes some Behind the Scenes Featurettes including ‘The Making of Killer Klowns’ (running approximately 22 minutes in length), ‘Komposing Klowns’ (running approximately 13 minutes), ‘Visual Effects with Gene Warren Jr.’ (approximately 15 minutes) and ‘Kreating Klowns’ (13 minutes). Also included are ‘2 Deleted Scenes with Optional Commentary’ (approximately 3 minutes combined), plus ‘Bloopers’ (3 minutes), a look at the ‘Chiodo Brothers’ Earliest Films’ (7 minutes) and the ‘Trailer’ for the film (2 minutes).

*Please note that the above images are taken from the Remastered Blu-Ray disc included in the release and resized. They do not represent the quality of the 4K Ultra HD disc itself and will additionally suffer quality loss as a result of .jpg compression. Larger versions of each image can be viewed by clicking on the image. All images and content included on this Blu-Ray release are the property of their respective owners.

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Disc Rating: 8/10

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‘Killer Klowns From Outer Space’ is Now Available to Own in a 2-Disc Collector’s Edition 4K Ultra HD/Blu-ray Set & Limited Edition Steelbook from Scream Factory!

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You can purchase your copy of the ‘Killer Klowns From Outer Space: 4K UHD Steelbook’ on Amazon HERE or purchase it directly from Shout HERE!

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