Killer Klowns from Outer Space

At first, their form of architecture is mistaken for “that New Wave European circus, Circus Fantastique.” It’s a spaceship shaped like a circus tent, mistaken by Royal Dano for Halley’s Comet (the klowns kill and eat his hound dog, Pooh Bear). It lands outside a college town, and before long has the townspeople and students captive, suspended inside large balloons (the klowns suck the contents through giant krazy straws).

John Vernon is a cop who hates the students and a young cop who’s been to the Academy. Vernon winds up as a dummy on a klown’s lap, while the Academy grad leads a handful of students and two ice cream men against the killer klowns.

The ending of this masterpiece with its fairground atmosphere (klowns are sown with popcorn, like dragon’s teeth) pays homage to King Kong in a battle royal between a king-size klown and an ice cream truck, then brings to mind The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms, as the cops close in.

“Do you really think it’s over?”, one student asks another, and they all look up at the sky, which rains pies on their upturned faces.

Events, of course, have proven Killer Klowns from Outer Space prophetic, witness the transformation of UCLA architecturally into a Klown Kollege.