The Clown Murders

The Clown Murders
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Martyn Burke
Written by	Martyn Burke
Produced by	Christopher Dalton,Stephen Stohn
Starring	Stephen Young Lawrence Dane John Candy Cec Linder
Cinematography	Dennis Miller
Music by	John Mills-Cockell
Production company	Magnum Films
Distributed by	Astral Films
Release date	September 1976(1976-09)
Running time	96 minutes
Country	Canada
Language	English
Budget	CAD $135,000

The Clown Murdersis a 1976 Canadianhorror filmdirected byMartyn Burke.It was one of the earliest films in whichJohn Candyappears. The Executive Producer wasStephen Stohn,who later produced theDegrassi: The Next GenerationTV series.

Plot

Four friends hatch a scheme to dress up like clowns on Halloween and kidnap a businessman's wife (Susan Keller) to prevent him from closing a land deal. Though the scheme is intended as a prank, it takes an ugly turn when real violence is used at the kidnapping. As the kidnappers deal with the fallout from their actions, it becomes apparent that an outside party (also in aclowncostume) is stalking them.

Cast

• Stephen Youngas Charlie
• Susan Keller as Alison
• Lawrence Daneas Philip
• John Candyas Ollie
• Gary Reinekeas Rosie
• John Baylissas Peter
• Al Waxmanas Police Sergeant
• William Osleras Harrison
• Philip Craig as Tom

Release

The film was released byAstral Filmsin its native Canada in September 1976.

Home media

In the United States, the film was released onVHSbyTrans World Entertainmentand onDVDon July 12, 2007 byImage Entertainmentunder license from Cinevision International.

Reception

Kurt Dahlke fromDVD Talkgave the film 2.5 out of 5 stars, writing, "The Clown Murdersis almost worth a rent for Canadian Cinema scholars or rabid fans of '70s sleazo-crime dramas in this incarnation, but it stinks so much as is that it's really hard to go out on that limb. "Todd Martin fromHorrorNews.netgave the film a negative review, calling it "mind-numbingly boring" and also criticized the film's lack of scares.Terror Trapawarded the film 1/4 stars, stating that the film "doesn't have the requisite firepower - either in terms of its writing, or its ability to generate dramatic tension - to make for a worthwhile watch."

See also

• List of films set around Halloween

External links

• The Clown MurdersatIMDb
• The Clown MurdersatRotten Tomatoes
• The Clown MurdersatAllMovie

Bibliography

• Vatnsdal, Caelum (2004).They Came From Within: A History of Canadian Horror Cinema.Arbeiter Ring Publishing.ISBN1-894037-21-9.