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Odelecol Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.

StyleSk8r At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

Fella_shibby First saw this on a VHS in the early 90s. Found it to be creepy. Saw this recently on you tube. It hasn't aged well. But there is something creepy bah the clowns n their masks. The story is bah 3 brothers who r alone since their parents r away. The youngest one has coulrophobia. The eldest one, a very young Sam Rockwell takes the middle n the youngest brothers to a circus. Meanwhile 3 escaped mental patients r on the loose. Made on a shoe string budget, Salva did some good job. The body count is low n the gore/violence is minimum but the movie plays more on the fear. Clownhouse does show that Salva actually has talent when it comes to putting together an effective horror movie. The movie has lingering shots of the young actors in their underwear, shirtless, and even changing clothes. N aft knowing Salvas child molestation history, i found those scenes disgusting. What Salva did is truly unforgivable and despicable. People may relate this film to Stephen kings IT n Alone in the dark.

callanvass Casey has a big fear of clowns that seems to consume him at the worst times. The night before Halloween, three brothers are trapped all alone in the house by a bunch of mental patients dressed up as clowns. Casey can see them, but the other two brothers don't believe him, leaving Casey to wonder if he is crazy. I'm not as scared by clowns as others seem to be. That being said, they are definitely eerie when used correctly. This one is all about psychology. The first hour is mostly buildup and atmosphere. Victor Salva does a nice job of adding solid tension throughout, and making the clowns genuinely terrifying at times. Whether they are lurking outside the house, hiding in a closet, it doesn't matter. Their mind games are fun to watch, and add to the tension. The teasing of the "are they real or not" does get a bit redundant after a while, though. The creepy score is effective as well. I also enjoyed the horror homages that are thrown in! Salva clearly did his homework. Don't expect any gore! It's not that kind of movie. The acting is solid. Sam Rockwell shows off his zany style that got him so beloved. His character is a narcissistic bully, but he's a lot of fun to watch. Many people will be begging to see him get his comeuppance. It was a flamboyant showcase for him. Nathan Forrest Winters is excellent as young Casey. It's just a shame his performance is overshadowed by the alleged molestation from Salva. There is a scene where Casey pee's his pants! He may be a talented director, but Salva is a sick puppy. Brian McHugh plays the voice of reason well. Credit to the clowns for being creepyIt begins to peter out after a while, but this is an above average horror film that deserves your time. If you want a suspenseful and thoughtful horror film, this one is for you. 6.7/10

Mr_Ectoplasma "Clownhouse" is a film whose reputation will forever outlive whatever cinematic merit it may actually have. Its reputation is so tarnished that it never made it to theaters; so tarnished that MGM pulled the DVD release from shelves in 2003, and will probably never release it again; so tarnished that I had to pay a ludicrous amount of money to be able to own and watch it. Since we all know what unfortunately happened on the set of the film, I see no point in going into it. The plot is really straightforward here: it follows three brothers (the youngest of whom is mortified by clowns) who wind up being terrorized while home alone by three escaped psychiatric patients dressed up as the clowns from the local circus. The film operates as an exercise and study case in phobias and childhood fears, and expands into a full-fledged horror film in the last half, although the gratuitous violence you may expect is absent— it's a fairly cerebral horror film in that regard.As many others have noted, it is extremely atmospheric, and that may be Victor Salva's greatest achievement here. The house in which the film takes place and its surrounding settings are reminiscent of an "Are You Afraid of the Dark?" episode, but there's something irresistibly fun about that. As somebody who is not afraid of clowns, the clown aspect in and of itself did not bother me while watching this film, though I can see how mortifying it would be for someone who is afraid of them. There is some great photography of the clowns that is actually quite frightening, as well as some playful orchestration of "stalking" scenes that are as amusing as they are wasted potential for legitimate frights.The acting in the film is actually really awful overall— even Sam Rockwell is bad here, but hey, it was his debut, right? As I alluded to before though, the film has an early-'90s TV horror vibe, so the poor acting is permissible here just for the sake of enjoyment. Underneath it all though, "Clownhouse" has truly been overblown into the status of legend because of what occurred onset during its making, and the real truth is that the mythology behind the film perhaps flatters it a bit too much. It's extremely rare and MGM will probably never give it the light of day again, ever, so there's the obscurity factor that draws people to it— it definitely did me— but, when you really shake it down, "Clownhouse" is little more than a moderately fun horror film with some nice concepts and atmosphere, but a plot that is paper-thin, and ultimately a film that is far less spooky than it seems it should be. Or maybe that's just because I'm not scared of clowns. 6/10.

TBJCSKCNRRQTreviews When three brothers(with sibling dynamics that, like everything else, especially the aspects concerning the characters, are credible, developed and human) have to spend the night without their parents(both busy with work - middle class; the father is home the least), even their seemingly safe, suburban house(a lot of this is spent there, only in the company of our 3 leads, making for a very isolated and claustrophobic slasher) can't protect them.Casey(Winters, still afraid - and the theme here is how to deal with that, and whether everyone feels it), the youngest, Geoffrey(McHugh, sympathizes with him and is in general the favorite of the three - that of the parents, and aforementioned kid) the middle one, and Randy(Rockwell in his debut(and yes, you can sense his quirk in a little of it), resents having to be responsible for the other two), the eldest.What is the fear of? Vivid, pale-faced performers. What? No, not KISS... that would risk the boys' souls. They're only at risk of being killed, so calm down, Christians. Yes, your circus-variety harlequin(be honest, they *are* inherently creepy - particularly when completely silent, communicating via miming, using their vastly expressive faces, as is done here) is the threat. Or, rather, a trio of escaped mental patients dressed up as them(and before donning the three distinct sets of make-up and bright, vibrant colors, we only see close-ups of their manically staring eyes). Yes, you *will* be terrorized by the Insane Clown Posse, demanding to know how magnets work.Yes, I know of the director's crime; I will not be going into it in this review. He served his time and I feel we should separate a man's personal life from their career. Of what I've watched(the others being the first two Jeepers Creepers), this is Salva's best, by far. This is quite grounded, and a welcome departure from where horror movies were at this point in time. Rather than outlandish, it sets everything up and it all feels genuine, authentic. This is primarily build-up, low on "action". Death scenes are small-scale but effective. There is almost no blood or violence, it's usually the threat and that which is implied that gets to us, the suspense and atmosphere. What's just off-screen, what's in the dark.This does use clichés, such as the eerie fortune teller - they do tend to work, and this thankfully isn't as loudly 80's as a lot of flicks from the decade. There are few jump-scares, instead we have consistent tension(such as in the use of close-ups, often of hands). In general it's well-filmed, with the opening shots setting the mood and tone impeccably. This is tightly paced and keeps moving throughout, with no scene wasted. It's an hour and 18 minutes sans credits, an hour and 21 minutes with. There is some humor, typically in the dialog - in fact, that's about the only place where it works, as several of the "the guys are having fun" bits are completely off(each time, I honestly thought something else, entirely, was going on), as one of the only things in this. The acting is good from all concerned, with almost no "crappy child actor" curse. Score is well-done.There is some strong language and brief underage male rear nudity in this. I recommend this to any fan of this kind of film. 6/10