Eric Forsberg, the writer and director of Clown, is responsible for some of the most fun titles released by The Asylum, including Mega Piranha. Is it any wonder then that the tie-in title to that Pennywise movie in theaters has style to spare? But that begs the question, why are the characters so bloody obnoxious?
During a long road trip, a group of friends pulls off on the side of the road so that Davy (Taylor Watson Seupel) can relieve himself. Being the inconsiderate dolt that he is, he wanders off for no reason. Wishing to stay on schedule his brother Austin (Adam Elshar), friends Gordy (Sam Lazarus), Sarah (Micavrie Amaia), Chuck (James Jovanich), Marcus (Tayvion Power), along with Sarah’s sister Jillian (Camille Wormser) go searching for the errant man.
“…25-years ago, the circus was not welcome in this town, and a massacre happened…”
It is not long before they stumble upon an abandoned husk of a town, with a rundown gas station and funhouse entrance the only remnants still standing. It is here that trouble rears its fatal head. As the group soon learns, 25-years ago, the circus was not welcome in this town, and a massacre happened, leaving one survivor — a child named Toth, whose mom was a clown. Now, Toth (Dave Klec) haunts, tortures, and slaughters anyone unlucky enough to come too close the funhouse.
Clown features a handful of characters, and most of them are dumber than a brick. Davy is by and large the worst offender. He wanders off for no reason, causing his family members and friends to worry over him. But Davy does not care, as he is more interested in Instagramming desert nature pictures. This horrible introduction to the character leaves the audience at arm’s length. Therefore they are never invested in Davy or his eventual fate at the hands of Toth (which pushes the bulk of the movie forward).
"…haunts, tortures, and slaughters anyone unlucky enough to come too close the funhouse."
For an ultra low budget Asylum film that was shot in eight days, this was a very fair review. Klec was brilliant as the Clown – and believe me, his best stuff was left on the cutting room floor. I Know: I almost cried when it didn’t make it into the movie.