CLOWNHOUSE(1988) Anyone seen it?

[!MorganOnyx!]

PLEASE, if there is anybody out there who has seen CLOWNHOUSE(Victor Salva 1988),please write back all your views on it whether you love it or hate it. It's about three kid brothers left in a big house on their own for the night after going to the circus.The youngest brother is scared of clowns and coincidentally, three lunatics have recently escaped from the asylum.The lunatics kill the 'real' clowns from the circus,dress up exactly like them and proceed to the big house where they terrorise the brothers.

[AntonioDelLago]

CLOWNHOUSE is a far superior horror flick with clowns as the villains, better than THE CLOWN AT MIDNIGHT and KILLER KLOWNS FROM OUTER SPACE.

The clowns were genuinely scary, and that house! WOW! I've never seen a setting as beautiful as that three-story pad!

The lead actor, Nathan Forrest-Winters, was a pretty decent child star...I always wondered why he didn't act in any other films. I hated the oldest brother (Sam Rockwell), and cheered when the lunatic clowns gave him his just deserts.

[This message has been edited by AntonioDelLago (edited 03-16-2001).]

[AntonioDelLago]

The scariest scene in CLOWNHOUSE has GOT to be when Casey (Nathan Forrest-Winters), in the circus audience, sees a sinister clown (behind the scenes) motioning for him to join him...even scarier is the director Victor Salva, motioning for young Winters to join him on the casting couch!!!

[This message has been edited by AntonioDelLago (edited 02-28-2001).]

[Sean]

Yeah,I saw it a couple years ago.I liked it a lot more than I thought I would.It was a cool movie.Clowns freak me out.I always think about John Wayne Gacy.

[jameskilbirnie]

Yes, this is a creepy film, and is deserving of a little more cult status in my opinion (many of us would have to agree that clowns can be very, very frightening). And that twisted circus music in the movie.....scary!!!!

[Bearazz]

Did you ever see the John Wayne Gacy story on TV..talk about creepy! Every time the cut to commerical they always show the sick bastard in the clown make-up. My P's actually lived down the street from him when it all went down. They showed me the house and everything, but now it is a construction site, not sure if they built anything over it, was there about 5 years ago. Thank god i wasn't alive when that happened.

[!MorganOnyx!]

Yo ANTONIO -
Totally agree with what you said (apart from you hated Randy, the eldest brother - i thought he ruled - he thought he was rocky, cracked me up!).
Haven't you heard?! The writer/director of CLOWNHOUSE, VICTOR SALVA was convicted a few years later of molesting NATHAN FORREST-WINTERS whilst shooting the movie (notice also unnecessary 'naked' shots of Casey in the movie).He was sentenced to about 2 years and got out after about 18 months and is on the official child offenders register or whatever it is.FORREST-WINTERS was obviously so traumatised he never made another movie and even went on GERALDO about 5 years ago discussing the events and when POWDER (directed by SALVA) was released he and a gang of protestors urged everybody to boycott the movie at the premiere! SALVA still works but everybody knows about him and as you could imagine, it's not easy finding people willing to hire him.

[Slash]

I've never seen "Clownhouse" but does anyone remember that apparently the director, Victor Salva, was accused of sexually molesting one of the young male stars on the set of that film. That child star (don't know his name) took Salva to court several years later. I don't remember if Salva was convicted or served any jail time for it. In the mid 90's Salva directed the film "Powder", which bombed badly at the box office because the news leaked out right around the time of that film's release. The charges, (whether true or not) destroyed his career and I don't think he's made a film ever since. Does anyone know anything about this?? If the charges are true?? If Salva was convicted?? I'd be interested to know more about the case. If its all true, that would make the film all the more freaky.

[Slash]

Never mind, Morgan just answered my questions. You must have posted a few seconds before mine came in. Thanks Morgan for the info.

[Slash]

An interesting note about "Powder"--- to anyone who's seen the movie, did anyone notice how homo-erotic parts of it were?? I rememember a very unecessary scene in the gym or locker room with all these guys with their shirts off, and there are many close ups of their glistening, sweaty, bodies. He may or may not have molested that child, but he is most definitely gay and obessesed with young male bodies. That is certain.

[!MorganOnyx!]

Yo SLASH -
You MUST get a copy of CLOWNHOUSE! Trust me, it will be worth it, even though your view of the movie will be distorted cos of what happened, it is still a great little horror flick! It's a CRIME (get it?!) that it is not recognised by many!

[AntonioDelLago]

I remember the controversy involving CLOWNHOUSE director Victor Salva and Nathan Forrest-Winters when POWDER premiered. It must have tested poorly with preview audiences, as did NINE MONTHS and VOLCANO. What do these three movies have in common? They were all involved in a media-hyped controversy concocted by the films' producers in order to boost box office receipts (Hugh Grant's tryst with Divine Brown; the "outing" of Anne Heche's relationship with Ellen DeGeneres). It was obvious that Victor Salva was a talented horror-fantasy director in the making, but it is also sadly obvious that his films are drenched in homoeroticism (the half-naked actors in POWDER; and Nathan Forrest-Winters, who must have been 12 or 13 at the time CLOWNHOUSE was filmed, appearing nude or semi-nude in at least three scenes). But when Calvin Klein (who is obviously obsessed with the young male form) travels this route, its considered art. Go figure.


[This message has been edited by AntonioDelLago (edited 03-16-2001).]

[!MorganOnyx!]

ANTONIO -
I hear ya. As much as i am disgusted by what Salva did to that poor kid, it is such a waste of talent! I keep thinking about how different things would be if Salva wasn't that way!Nathan Forrest-Winters would still be acting and Salva might've been making more neat little horror flicks like CLOWNHOUSE!

[teenkiller]

This movie has been on my must see list for quite a while now. Especially since fellow schmoe XCoRyX gave me such great words about it. Unfortunately I have yet to see it anywhere. Hopefully a dvd will come out soon. Well thats all for now GOoD JOURNEY my fellow schmoes.

[Doop]

I havent seen it yet but Amazon has it for sale on VHS for $7.99. I havent seen it anywhere else, and Amazon lists it as an "Amazon Exclusive"

[The_Driller_Killer]

Wow, this has to be one of the most talked about movies on this entire forum. But, what's kind of sad is when it's brought up, the disturbing acts behind the scenes are always mentioned as well. I'm pretty sure I've said this before, but what happened was a long time ago. I don't see much point in dwelling on it still to this day. Salva knows what he did was wrong and he served his time (well, most of it). I'm not saying he's completely well now, because I really do think he has serious problems to this day. But, I really think he's an extremely talented filmmaker. I mean, I hold Clownhouse as one of my favorite horror films of all time. It seemed to be kind of a fluke until Jeepers Creepers came out a couple of years ago, which although wasn't as great as it's predoscessor (in my opinion), still a kick-ass flick. Anyways, when mentioning his films, try to stay away from Salva's nasty past and focus on what's really supposed to count the most on this board: his art.

[XCoRyX]

very true words driller....and yes lubic,you still must check this one out....DEFINETLY.....

[Masterbrain]

CLOWNHOUSE kicks ass!!! It is the best horror flick with clowns. And I love clown-as-killer films.

[Lord Crumb]

Moving over to PAST, kids!

[Mojo67821]

Here's a few thoughts...

1. Clownhouse does not kick ass...It was an interesting flick that maybe even was creepy occasionally, but..it was definitely not kick ass.

2. It suffered heavily from the "Made for TV" syndrome. It was made for TV incase you guys didn't know, and it really shows. The violence is choppy and/or nonexistent, and the whole thing just feels bland.

3. The acting in it is pretty bad, the only one I thought did a good job, or was relatable at all was the middle brother. The other two were so far off center that I couldn't wait for them to die.

4. And for the record, the scariest scene is by far in the opening when Salva gives us about a 3 second closeup on that 12 year old kids junk while he's wearing tighty whiteys (his victim by the way). Even if I didn't know what had happened I would have thought something was fucked up with that scene.

Anyways, I didn't hate it. I just don't really get why you guys loved it all that much. It was a sometimes creepy, sometimes bland, rather average horror flick. By the way, I do own it if anyone is interested in a trade.

http://bghorror.topcities.com/clownhouse.html

[The_Driller_Killer]

Firstly, I'm pretty sure this film was a theatrical release. If not, direct to video. It was definitely not made for TV.

Secondly, you're outnumbered on this board. Clownhouse DOES kick-ass. :D:D:D

[jessehart]

i saw this post yesterday and rented it and your right this movie does rule and since i have this obbsession with clowns any ways it just sweetend the pot thanks for writing this post if i havent seen this i would have missed out on a bad ass movie

[countchocula]

Originally posted by The_Driller_Killer
Firstly, I'm pretty sure this film was a theatrical release. If not, direct to video. It was definitely not made for TV.

Nope, it was indeed made for the tube. And I'm with Mojo. Clownhouse has its moments and Salva's direction is tight, but I'm not sure how it became a minor cult classic. The dialogue is forced (especially the profanity), none of the characters are endearing, and the villains are mostly clumsy. It doesn't hold a fucking candle to Killer Klowns From Outer Space.

[Herbert_West]

yeah this movie was a lot better than I thought it was going to be ... I saw it right after Jeepers Creppers came out.

[Mojo67821]

Thank you Count Chocula,

I am in no way dissing you guys who like it, but I'm just saying I don't really get it.

And as Count Chocula confirmed, I"m positive it was a TV movie.

[The_Driller_Killer]

I'm still not convinced this one was made for TV, unless it was made for HBO or some crap. Anyways, I distinctly remember seeing the trailers for this on pay-per-view as a kid. I dunno, I guess it doesn't really matter.

[!MorganOnyx!]

Wow this thread is BACK!

I just want to clear a few things up:

1. It WAS made fot TV. As much as I hate to admit it because I think it deserved a theatrical release. It states so on the IMDB and FRANCIS FORD COPPOLA was one of the producers. I read in an interview ages ago with SALVA that COPPOLA liked the project but only put enough backing into it so that it would have an initial TV release followed by video.

2. MOJO - I disagree with your comments about the acting. Whilst FORREST WINTERS (CASEY - youngest brother) was solid, MCHUGH (GEOFFREY - middle brother) was IMO the one who clearly lacked what it took. In some scenes he was convincing, but in others he was sadly wooden (the scene where RANDY notices CASEY has wet himself, GEOFFREY has his wet bedclothes. RANDY says 'What's this?' GEOFFREY replies 'It's nothing forget it'. I thought he was a robot!)
Leading on to say I thought SAM ROCKWELL was brilliant as the eldest brother RANDY. Even though it wasn't the hardest role to play I really believed he was a bit of a bully who deep down cared for his brothers. And besides, because I was so convinced he deserved to be a big star I followed his career through movies like LAWN DOGS, SAFE MEN, to GALAXY QUEST, CHARLIE'S ANGELS, THE GREEN MILE, HEIST and now CONFESSIONS OF A DANGEROUS MIND, in which he plays the lead, won the BERLIN FILM AWARD for BEST ACTOR and director GEORGE CLOONEY said he deserved an oscar. He is one of my favourite actors.

3. CLOWNHOUSE KICKS ASS!

[XCoRyX]

even if you dont enjoy this one,give it credit for being as good as it was for a made for tv flick?not that i didnt enjoy it as many of you know.

[Jason13thh]

I own it and I was a bit disapointed because all the reviews I read about this film were good however it was not that good.
I mean there was a real potential but it was really too smooth and it could have been certainly more violent and nasty.
I like the relation the three brothers have but not more than that.
The clowns are not very powerful, they are killed too easily to me.
This is very obvious this film was made for tv, u can see that from the very beginning 'til the end.
6/10 not more.

[!MorganOnyx!]

I've just thought of something and I know it's a complete longshot but what if we wrote to ANCHOR BAY pleading the case for this movie??!! I mean it's definately got a cult following, they might EVENTUALLY put it out on DVD. Hey, if the SLEEPAWAY CAMP series can get a release pigs can fly!!! Oh, and TERROR TRAIN - I'm not saying it's bad cos I haven't seen it, but nobody EVER talks about it here. If we talk JAMIE LEE CURTIS, it's either HALLOWEEN, THE FOG, PROM NIGHT etc NEVER TERROR TRAIN!!! What made them think it would sell??!!

[The_Driller_Killer]

Originally posted by !MorganOnyx!
I've just thought of something and I know it's a complete longshot but what if we wrote to ANCHOR BAY pleading the case for this movie??!! I mean it's definately got a cult following, they might EVENTUALLY put it out on DVD. Hey, if the SLEEPAWAY CAMP series can get a release pigs can fly!!! Oh, and TERROR TRAIN - I'm not saying it's bad cos I haven't seen it, but nobody EVER talks about it here. If we talk JAMIE LEE CURTIS, it's either HALLOWEEN, THE FOG, PROM NIGHT etc NEVER TERROR TRAIN!!! What made them think it would sell??!!

Good idea. There's a shitload of movies AB needs to release.

P.S., Terror Train sucks more than George Michael in a mens room.

[XCoRyX]

anchor bay would be the best bet i guess....doubt it will happen though.

[!MorganOnyx!]

DRILLER KILLER -

Shit dude! Don't tell me I've gone and bought another SLEEPAWAY CAMP?!! Like, ok, I may have been a little hard on it, but I wouldn't call it a proper slasher and thats what fucked me off about it!! I'm a sucker for them though! I'll buy any slasher I haven't already seen - especially if it's from the 80's!

P.S. - About the CLOWNHOUSE dvd, does ANCHOR BAY have a posting site for fans or anything? If it does we should BOMBARD it to fuck!!! Cool.

[XCoRyX]

im of course up for the plaguing anchor bay idea.anything for clownhouse and cheezo more importantly.i dont see many extras being on the dvd though if it was to be made...maybe the trailer and thats it.it would be AWESOME to see sam rockwell talk about it or such,and maybe get tree or karl heinz teuber,whom are all still in the biz,to do a bit of a behind the scenes talking minus the nathan forrest winters bit,which wouldnt happen.

[!MorganOnyx!]

I just want to see it remastered, besides my video tape is wearing out from all the times I've seen it! But yeah - extras would definately be cool. I've always wondered what SAM ROCKWELL would have to say about the film, especially whether he knew about you know what going on! I know CLOWNHOUSE isn't the kind of movie he's going to talk about in interviews, but it's NEVER been mentioned to him by anyone! Not even in a "So CLOWNHOUSE was your first movie when you were still in high school..." etc. Even CRISPIN GLOVER has been asked about FRIDAY THE 13th PART 4 even though his career is blossoming and has been for some time. He said it's a role he's (quote) "NOT UNPROUD OF"

[7 Zark 7]

I could tell Sam was a great actor at the instant I saw him backing up in front of the window after the clown mimicked him running across it in the same way.

You guys are right though, AB has released Sleepaway Camp, Hell Night, and dozens of other minors and im sure the rights for it wouldnt be too expensive especially considering it's a tv movie, knowwhutimsaying?

[!MorganOnyx!]

7 ZARK 7 -

I dig that. CLOWNHOUSE NEEDS the dvd treatment!!! And whatever happened to CLOWNHOUSE 2???!! It was announced on the IMDB shortly after the success of JEEPERS CREEPERS. There wasn't much info, it just said that VICTOR SALVA was writing and directing. After a couple of weeks, it was gone. No CLOWNHOUSE 2 (cue violin playing, crying sounds)!!!!

Sometimes the world sucks.

[countchocula]

There will never be a sequel to Clownhouse, much less a sequel directed by Salva. Do you honestly think that he would want to return to those waters? It would only dredge up his past scandal. I can see a DVD release happening, but it would be devoid of any extras.

[XCoRyX]

yeah you've got it right,there will never be anything in sequel or remake of the film,mayeb films with a nod in clownhouses direction (he hm,my screenplay in the works) but salva isnt dumb enough to go back to them dark days.

[!MorganOnyx!]

Well no, before it showed up on the IMDB, I didn't think for a second SALVA would be attached to a sequel, but that's from a negative point of view. But why would the IMDB lie?? It has no reason to, and it wouldn't be regarded as a good prank because hardly anybody has heard of the original anyway, so nobody would even notice. There must've been some element of truth in it.

Ok, so just imagine he does direct it. All news articles etc would say " SALVA, infamous for what happened on set during the filming of the original etc etc "

He has to put up with that on every film he makes (POWDER wasn't even in the same genre). I read constant reports about him during JEEPERS CREEPERS. So what is he supposed to do, quit directing?!!!

I still say, if somebody let him do a sequel, he'd do it. He's got to make a living.

[countchocula]

Originally posted by !MorganOnyx!
But why would the IMDB lie??

Anyone can post information on the IMDb. It's not a trustworthy source for information on upcoming films. It's true that Salva gets heat whenever he makes a movie, regardless of the genre, but doing a sequel to Clownhouse would be traveling too close to the epicenter.

[XCoRyX]

asking why the imdb lies,is different then asking why people lie,many idiots like to try and stir rumors or anticipate people for amusement maybe,by doing things like this,i remember feeling very excited and such,but i believe that was also the same night i learned the truth of imdb,still im a very frequent visitor to the site.and as for now,salva doesnt need to do it,hes making enough cash with jeepers creepers and i feel he'd much rather do them,and make cash without THAT many news and headlines as such about the incident rather then actually doing the same films sequel or remake.

[XpatrickX]

Everything is pretty spoiled already by previous posts, but I rented this film a fewm onths back and just thought it was pretty boring. When I was much younger this movie scared the SHIT out of me, but now it's just not very impressive =) Some pedophilia is in there though....the director was a bit of a perv....

[XCoRyX]

obviously....

[!MorganOnyx!]

Ok ok I've searched the forum hoping that somebody would've pointed or (more importantly) screamed it out, but it doesn't look like anyone has noticed. And if they have...Shame on you for not knocking on my door and telling me - If ever I heard a greater sin!!! (stay with me)

I found out about this about a week ago (I've been unconscious until now). I just stumbled across it in a UK dvd magazine. XCORYX I hope you're listening...........



CLOWNHOUSE IS BEING RELEASED ON DVD!!!!!


It's true! It's true!! From MGM AUGUST 26th. Chances are it'll be a no frills disk with just a trailer as an extra, but I really feel that this is down to us!!!!! We go on and on about this movie - they've finally listened!

I'm so happy I could shit!

[Beluga jelly]

Morgan, Im a huge fan of this movie as well. Cant wait for it!! Id like to know WHY you are such a big fan of this movie though, why is it your favorite? What does this movie have that others do not? I'm sincerely interested if your appreciation of the film matches mine.

[!MorganOnyx!]

BELUGA JELLY -

I was about ten years old and had been into horror films since I was about seven. I loved them so much my Dad used to let me rent one every week and sometimes more. Anyway, I was in the video shop one day when I saw the creepy clown on the front cover of this video ( the artwork is different on the UK version - more creepy). I was hooked straight away, because killer clowns were something I loved!
I took the film home, watched it, thought it was brilliant and carried on with my life. About three or four years later (I had grown into a bigger and bigger horror movie fan by the day) I began thinking about it again. I really wanted to see it again as I realised I loved it that much. So I rented it again and made a pirate copy to show all of my friends. Most were unimpressed (or they pretended to be - maybe they were scared and were acting tough!!) But one dude claimed he had seen it (later admitted he hadn't) and joined me in writing sequel after sequel (all starring me and my friends of course!)
Move on another couple of years and somehow I lost the tape. The video store I rented it from had got rid of their copy and I tried everywhere before finding an ex rental copy in an old run down store. That's the copy I still have today because it's impossible to find brand new (I'm 21 now and I bought the ex rental when I was about 16).
CLOWNHOUSE is my favourite film of all time. It's simple - that's why it works so well. What I love about it the most is that it deals with issues that had certain effects on me whilst I was young, mainly fear, and relationships with family members and friends. It's original in it's own way. The 'victims' are very young and male, not mid-twenty year old women playing teenage girls. This worked as well, because it made you realise these clowns are completely nuts as they were willing to kill kids. Actual kids!
The cast is quite strong, and the brothers are very believable. I know loads of brothers who act that way towards each other, so I found the dialogue great. I really rooted for them, even the eldest brother Randy, because you knew he was only playing tough, and deep down he loved his brothers.
The film doesn't focus on violence, and it doesn't need to. I liked the fact the director knew that a clown creeping around in the shadows is scary enough. The whole isolation aspect gave it an extra edge too. The mother and father were away. Three boys left alone in a big house in the middle of nowhere is the sort of thing I used to think about when I was a kid. How scary it would be and the whole 'what would I do?' kind of thing.
But the absolute main reason why I love this film is because:

1. I dig scary ass clowns ('their faces are fake - big smile, big happy eyes. You never know what they really are.')

2. Fear is with you everywhere. You never truly escape it (see message at end of film). The kids nightmare came to life and came after him. It makes you think that as long as you are scared of something there is always that possibility it might jump up and bite you on the ass! That is exactly what happens to Casey. I used to imagine it happening all the time. I was scared of THE WOMAN IN BLACK for about 10 years. It scarred me! I've only just recovered, and not fully. No shit!


Your turn.

[Jason13thh]

I think it was a good film ( own it ) however there was really a good potential but Salva did not use it, that was spoiled I think.
I like the relations the three brothers have throughout the movie.

[XCoRyX]

sorry for not putting up the news of it being released on dvd,i could have sworn i did,sorry guess not.however yes i was mighty happy when i heard this tidbit as well.