The genesis of "Clown" started in 2010 with a fake trailer and a really cool idea. The 77-second video, purported to be for a horror film directed by Eli Roth but really the work of aspiring filmmaker Jon Watts, took the web by storm and caught the attention of Roth himself. Agreeing to produce, the "Hostel"/"Cabin Fever" helmer attached his name to the project and gave Watts and co-writer Christopher Ford the opportunity to adapt the trailer into a full-length feature. The results live up to the early hype. "Clown" is imaginatively wicked, but its subjective ghastliness never gets in the way of its subversive sense of fun. Coulrophobics, however, will be less than thrilled.
When the clown hired for son Jack's (Christian Distefano) birthday party abruptly cancels, realtor Kent McCoy (Andy Powers) is determined not to disappoint the little fellow. Rifling through a closet in the house he is currently showing to potential buyers, he comes upon the perfect old costume and promptly slips it on. The party goes off without a hitch, which is more than can be said for Kent's white facial make-up, red nose and rainbow-colored wig. No matter how hard he scrubs and pulls, the clown garb appears to be fastened tightly to his body. Wife Meg (Laura Allen) is initially amused, then frightened as she watches her husband begin to physically and mentally transform. As Kent sets out to track down the origin of the costume and break the curse he is under, he is gradually overcome by an insatiable hunger for children.
See Dustin Putman, TheFilmFile.com. for full review
