Common Sense Media Review
By Jeffrey M. Anderson
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Gruesome killer-clown movie is mean, unfunny, not scary.
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Clown
Parent and Kid Reviews
Based on 6 parent reviews
Based on 16 kid reviews
Kids say that the movie is quite disturbing and features graphic violence, making it unsuitable for younger viewers, with many recommending it for those aged 13 and up. Despite its mixed reviews, some viewers appreciated the unique storyline and found it genuinely scary, while others criticized it for being cheesy and overly gory.
- disturbing content
- age recommendation
- unique storyline
- graphic violence
- mixed reviews
Summarized with AI
Summarized with AI
What's the Story?
When a hired clown fails to show up for his son's birthday party, real estate agent Kent McCoy (Andy Powers) happens to find an old clown costume in a trunk at one of his properties. He dons it, saves the day, and then falls asleep with the suit on -- only to find in the morning that he can't get it off. His wife, Meg (Laura Allen), manages to remove the nose, but it takes a chunk of skin along with it. After more failed attempts, Kent finds the suit's previous owner, Herbert Karlsson (Peter Stormare), and discovers the truth: Kent has been possessed by a demon, and he must feed on children before the suit can come off. Will Kent succumb to the demon's wishes?
Is It Any Good?
While clowns are scary to many, filmmakers Christopher Ford and Jon Watts give the white-faced subject matter behind this loathsome horror movie only a cursory exploration; the result isn't much fun. (Frankly, the story behind Clown is actually better than the movie itself: Apparently director/writer Watts and co-writer Ford -- who later made Cop Car -- created a fake trailer for a non-existent movie, crediting it to Eli Roth. Roth saw it and commissioned an actual movie ... and also played a clown.)
The story could have been funny, which it isn't, or it could have been scary, which it also isn't. It could have been original, but it isn't that, either; it more or less uses the same historical idea as the terrific Krampus, about an evil demon morphing into a children's favorite. Instead, it callously focuses on grown-ups terrorizing children, particularly a father terrorizing his own child. It's no wonder this sat on the shelf for years.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about Clown's violence. How did it make you feel? What's the impact of media violence on kids?
Is the movie scary? What's the appeal of scary movies?
Does the fact that this movie's victims are children change anything? Is it more or less scary?
Why do you think some people like clowns, while others are afraid of them?
At first the clown's wife tries to help him by doing something terrible; do you agree with what she did? Would you have done the same thing, or something different?
Movie Details
- In theaters : June 17, 2016
- On DVD or streaming : August 23, 2016
- Cast : Peter Stormare , Andy Powers , Laura Allen
- Director : Jon Watts
- Studios : Dimension , The Weinstein Company
- Genre : Horror
- Run time : 100 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- MPAA explanation : horror violence and gore, and for language
- Last updated : October 9, 2025
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