Dixon’s screenplay does forget to give the Harvey family members any form of depth. This translates to them being present only as kill count fodder. But, Jody-Ann, Sheriff Kale, and the clowns themselves are very interesting characters. Jody-Ann’s steadfastness to stop the killings, risking her sanity and life, is well handled. These convictions make Jody-Ann a genuinely noble person, and there is something sweet about such a trait surrounded by all the mayhem.
Cleaver’s bloodlust and twisted sense of family are equally well developed. His interactions with Mary-Beth come across like a proud father watching their kid ride a bike on their own. It is unsettling and lends a particular sense of melancholy to their actions. This is especially true of the end, which works beautifully. But where’s the fun in spoiling that?
M.J. Dixon’s direction of Cleavers: Killer Clowns is not quite as strong as his writing, but is effective nonetheless. The biggest stumbling block is the editing, which lacks finesse. Scene transitions are often clunky, which hurts the momentum. This flaw does dissipate after a while; mainly once the two main storylines converge. But the film takes a while to fully immerse because of the editing.
“Cleaver’s bloodlust and twisted sense of family are equally well developed.”
Beyond that, Dixon proves most capable. The atmosphere is foreboding and ominous at all times. The shot composition elicits scares from the movement of shadows quite well. The use of music adds to the eeriness nicely, and the whole thing just oozes creepy. Plus, he gets the most of a talented cast.
Paul Rogers is very effective and nasty as Cleaver. He is relishing the dark role and makes for a great bad guy. Smibert is fantastic as Jody-Ann. Her determination to stop Cleaver is never in question. Her acknowledgment to Sheriff Kale about how this hunt may all be for naught is filled with heartbreak but courage. Smibert owns this scene, allowing all the emotions to pour out organically. For his part as Kale, Manning is pretty good. He is the most passive character here, but Manning sells the logical and reserved manner of Kale believably.
Cleavers: Killer Clowns is a true scare-fest thorough and thorough. While the editing isn’t the best, everything else about this film works wonderfully. The cast is excellent, the screenplay gives depth to its villains and lead character, and the directing keeps the sinister atmosphere quite intense. While this was my first foray into the Mycho universe, it will certainly not be my last.
"…a true scare-fest thorough and thorough."
You seem to be a fan of the guy. I don’t fault you for it.
If you knew them better, you would probably change your tune about it.
The wife commandeers it all, from the messages that her husband receives, who he can reply to, how he can reply to them, to the people that they can keep on a close leash to use them and their time to help.
She is entitled, tantrumy, arrogant, backbiting and ghosting when she does not get anything going on her way, or when she dislikes people who have done nothing to her, but only want to help.
She lacks planning, and shifts the blame onto the person who did not show up, or the way that a person acts, because she read it somewhere, rather than trust that the movie will have a following of its own.
She boasts about non existant achievements in her life, downplays miscarriages but she acts panicked and projects her insecurities onto others, because she cannot take neither critiques, or advice on how to promote the movies that her husband makes.
She stands there on set, doing nothing, while other people do everything for her husband.
She goes as far as to diminish his contribution to the household’s income, or his work, by telling people that she is the one doing it all.
She rides on her husband’s achievements, for status.
She believes that having a marriage gives her the moral high ground to judge others, with no insight on what boundaries that she breaks to make the people around her less than she is.
They had 6 MONTHS to make it. They waited until the last moment to film it, so that they could present it to a festival.
She made a very close, longtime friend, be dependent on her advice, and ruined his life, and manipulated his judgement, just so that he could serve her on the movie sets for free.
He is not coming back to help them.
And the worst in all this is the people giving them money on kickstarter and indiegogo.
I do not blame them for believing in the projects, and they deliver.
They just buy themselves furniture with the cash that they get from it.
I would have no problem with the free help because you need to start somewhere.
I have no issue with the director, if he was less fearful of his wife and more independent from her narcissistic attitude on social situations.
They sell the perfect couple up front.
Behind the scenes, there is bound to be some stress, of course, but that does not warrant anyone to talk crap about anyone else that is not there to defend themselves for it.
Worse, using a mental illness to excuse the behavior invalidates this the moment that you use it as a tool to instigate drama within someone else’s life per pure jealousy.
I have never seen a future lawyer advise domestic abuse behavior to a friend, so that he would detach from his partner, just because she needs to control the friend also.
Do you still like Mycho now?
When can we get these films in Australia?
They sound fantastic.
Glad you enjoyed your First Mycho film – few more due out over the next 12 months – and thank you for the kind words, I look forward to the next Cleaver film, I for one can not wait!
Sounds like a must see! Great review!