A campy horror-comedy premise, incomparably cheesy monster designs from the famous Chiodo Brothers and a kick-ass theme song by The Dickies are three things that could only have come together in a movie made in the ’80s, and that’s exactly when Killer Klowns From Outer Space was produced, a fact that is abundantly clear in every second of its runtime. And luckily for subscribers, we’re not making an early April Fool’s joke when we say that the cult classic hit has been confirmed to make its triumphant return to Netflix after a prolonged absence on April 1st.
The film hit theaters on May 27th, 1988 and has enjoyed a healthy variety of releases on VHS, DVD and Blu-Ray, building a reputation as a campy classic and arguably one of the most iconic titles in the prolific legacy of legendary horror special effects artists Stephen, Charles and Edward Chiodo, collectively known as the Chiodo Brothers. Their other notable works include Critters, Ernest Scared Stupid and Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure, among others.
Speaking of the Chiodo Brothers, they have had a few more words on the fate of the Killer Klowns From Outer Space franchise beyond its forthcoming Netflix appearance, saying the following a few years back:
“We’ve been working on a sequel since the day after we made [Killer Klowns from Outer Space]. I mean we have tons of ideas on different directions we can take it. There’s been a lot of legal issues, a lot of financial difficulties. We’ve had deals people presented us with that we weren’t really interested in. There is something that’s going to happen. We are currently working on something. But it doesn’t mean that it’s coming out next week.”
More good news came a few years afterwards at Son of Monsterpalooza, when they said:
“I used to say don’t hold your breath, but things have been happening right now… I would say you can hold your breath now,” they said, now speaking as a group. “The success of IT recently has kind of educated some of the people in the industry that… clowns are cool, clowns are scary… they’re looking at horror properties now more seriously than ever. I can say, something will be happening with Killer Klowns from Outer Space in the near future. Absolutely.”
Unfortunately, these statements were made when the intellectual property was still owned by 20th Century Fox and their acquisition by Disney last year may have thrown a wrench into plans for a sequel. Mind you, the Chiodos were able to revive their Critters series with a film and Shudder-original show last year, which will hopefully be enough of a precedent to justify further projects to investors. And even if no sequels see the light of day, we’ll still all be able to enjoy the original Killer Klowns from Outer Space when it drops on Netflix on April 1st.
