Fans of ‘80s comedy horror Killer Klowns From Outer Space have been periodically demanding a follow-up for decades, and now talks have taken place at Netflix to bring this about.
The film sees a band of murderous aliens with the appearances of hideous clowns descend upon a small town with the intention of culling its populace for food, and while on paper this may not seem like the most distinctive of premises, the movie has remained a perennial favorite due to its visual imagination.
And with Netflix’s release of animated seasonal short Alien Xmas, helmed by Killer Klowns director Stephen Chiodo and based on a book by he and his brothers, the filmmakers now have an in with the streaming service, which has apparently resulted in active talks about getting a sequel greenlit.
“We are talking to them,” said Chiodo. “We’re talking all the time. Get this: we’ve been trying to do a sequel since we made the film and fans get angry with us. We don’t mention it too much, because they get angry. They say, ‘Oh, what’s the matter with you guys?’ But we’re trying. The business is just a bear, moves at a glacial pace.”
He went on to add:
“There’s interest, and it wanes and flows. You get some executives who really want to do it, then, all of a sudden, musical chairs. They’re out, a new regime is in, and they don’t get it. We’ll see how Alien Xmas does with the Netflix people. We’ll see if they can embrace our sensibility. We have tons of ideas to really carry that through. I’m amazed that it has stood the test of time, that it’s multi-generational now. Parents who liked it show it to their kids. The kids like it. They show it to their friends. They get married, and they have kids. I am floored that it has lasted as long as it has. So there’ll be hopefully something in the future.”
Although the film received largely positive reviews upon its debut in 1988, limited availability stifled audiences’ ability to actually see it, and it wasn’t until well over a decade later that its home release properly introduced people to the movie’s vibrant lunacy. Of course, its lingering popularity is largely down to the creativity of its special effects work, seeing clown paraphernalia repurposed as weaponry, such as acid cream pies, popcorn bazookas, blood-sucking silly straws and candy floss prison cocoons, while the klowns themselves are mesmerizingly revolting creations that look like homunculi crafted from human flesh tallow and melted wax. It’s just as demented as that sounds, and also just as much fun.
With Netflix’s typical development tactic of throwing everything at the wall and seeing what sticks and the seemingly unending wave of nostalgia for the ‘80s, it could well mean that the Killer Klowns From Outer Space sequel might finally become a reality if fans are willing to clamor loudly enough for it.
