The Chiodo Brothers left their mark on ‘80s and ‘90s makeup and animation with work on flicks like Critters, Killer Klowns from Outer Space and Ernest Scared Stupid. So distinct was their work that there developed a rumor that still circulates today: that the Killer Klowns were later recycled to make the Trolls in Ernest Scared Stupid. Well, sorry, Booger Lips, we’re here to debunk it once and for all.
We have to admit that the Trolls that terrorize Ernest and his adolescent friends (it’s cool, he’s a garbage man or something) do look strikingly similar to the ones from Killer Klowns from Outer Space, particularly Fatso and Slim (the ones who deliver a fake valentine and devour citizens with shadow puppets, respectively). And while it would be cool to think that there is some shared prosthetic DNA, the notion has been debunked by Edward Chiodo.
In a social media post (as per Friday-the-13th.net), Chiodo wrote, “Once again, the Klown heads were not reused in Ernest Scared Stupid. The Troll heads were not cast from the klown molds either. The original Klown head molds were destroyed shortly after the production of the movie. We did have some ear molds that were were probably used on some of the background trolls. What did happen, is we pulled some snaps of portions from castings we had at the shop to flesh out Charlie’s designs during the sculpture phase. He designed both the Klowns and Trolls, so they are similar. We hope this settles it once and for all.”
Fellow Chiodo Stephen also reportedly shut this down in 2023. And while we hate to spoil your Bulgarian miak – since it is a fun behind-the-scenes tidbit to share (before knowing it’s false) – we have to support the Chiodo Brothers here in the effort to shut down the rumor.
Today, Killer Klowns from Outer Space is a bonafide cult horror classic, becoming an annual favorite at Spirit Halloween…which does beg the question: Where’s all the Ernest Scared Stupid merch?! Come on, those Trolls are ripe for costumes, while the wooden dolls would make awesome display pieces!
And now the only question is: am I watching Killer Klowns from Outer Space or Ernest Scared Stupid tonight? You decide in the comments section below. Knowhutimean?
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