Klown Kamp Massacre (2007)

Directed by Philip Gunn [Other horror films: N/A] & David Carlos Valdez [Other horror films: N/A]

When I first saw this comedy/horror film, I remember enjoying it. I don’t know if I was high or not, but while it can be an amusing movie, it doesn’t hold up at all seeing it again, and just feels far too goofy for me to really get into.

Of course, a comedy horror movie taking place at a clown camp is ripe for goofiness, so I don’t hold that against them, but it’s just not my thing. From having someone survive an injury that one couldn’t possibly survive to having a nerdy clown (complete with glasses and a high-pitched voice) to having a drill sergeant clown instructing on how to best throw a pie to a monkey that speaks Chinese and knows kung-fu, there’s just too much in here that I can’t deal with. Oh, and there’s also a clown who’s a Juggalo – he even raps for a bit.

I’ll give it that the kills are generally decent. There’s a violent scalping, complete with brain matter (which pops up throughout the film, such as a scene in which someone’s head gets stomped on), there’s a pie in the face, and more importantly, a knife shoved through the pie afterwards. We have a guy falling into a hay baler, along with someone eating a pie that had a bomb in it (reminding me a bit of a kill from Funny Man). Perhaps my favorite was seltzer that’s been replaced with acid, so when it was sprayed in someone’s face, they did not have a good time.

Also, the ending contains a somewhat ballsy twist. The execution could have used some work, but I think the idea isn’t too shabby. It’s not enough to make up for everything I didn’t care for beforehand, but at least it keeps things moderately interesting.

As far as the performances go, most of the central cast were fine for the characters they were playing. Isaac Kappy (who committed suicide in 2019) did decent, though his character was one of the more annoying ones. Ross Kelly (Army of the Dead) was a bit generic, but he had his moments. Kerri Daube was one of the more interesting characters, but I didn’t care for the route she took, and Chris Payne, while I liked his character the most, didn’t really add much. Oh, and Lloyd Kaufman popped up near the end, and he’s always a pleasure to see.

When it comes down to it, Klown Kamp Massacre is an okay movie for what it is (it was distributed by Troma, so that should give you an idea), but it’s way too silly for me, and though I was okay with it the first time I saw it, I really can’t say it’s my type of thing at all with this viewing.

5/10