Sick, twisted and silly the film Gags the Clown fails to become nothing more than a clichéd comedy, a whimper in the horror comedy genre. A mix of several films, the movie does make an effort, but loses with a flat introduction, ho hum second act and a dumb ending. If I were to put the film in a type, it’s a “spoof” on news reporting with a touch of clown alley.
The town of Green Bay, Wisconsin has been set on its ear with the appearance of a clown walking around at night. The TV media have dubbed him Gags and he carries with him a fist full of helium filled black balloons. His appearances have grown to the point where the city is in a frenzy asking why the clown is appearing and what his intensions are.
Some teens to twenties are making fun of the character and even try to get close to him for a better look. Then Gags starts getting evil killing people and making them disappear covering them with a white power that does strange things. Newscasters are vying for the clues so that their station will get exclusives. So much so that the top two stations are taking dangerous chances just to get the story first.
Enter the police who are befuddled over the nuisance and can’t seem to get a grip on who the perpetrator may be. When an ex-millitary local DJ podcaster takes matters into his own hands, the press and the cops try to get to the clown first, before someone gets killed.
Unfortunately, the plot is very cheesy, the direction mediocre, and the acting substandard. It leaves much to be desired for the horror genre audience that’s the target for the film and falls flat. I do like the promotion material and the poster that really looks evil. However, even the script is hackneyed with shades of Killer Klowns from Outer Space, The Clown Murders, All Hallow’s Eve, Clownhouse, Killjoy series, Stitches and so many more that have failed to frighten or entertain.
Gags the Clown has not been rated by the MPAA, but contains extreme violence, language throughout, sex and brief nudity. The film is available September 3 on VOD.
FINAL ANALYSIS: A very low budget silly movie that bottoms out the fright meter. (2 out of 5 Stars)
Additional Film Information:
Cast: Lauren Ashley Carter, Tracey Perez, Evan Gamble, Aaron Christensen
Directed and co-written by: Adam Krause
Genre: Horror, Comedy
MPAA Rating: Not Rated, contains violence, language, bloody
Running Time: 1 hr. 29 min.
Opening Date: September 3, 2019
Distributed by: Music Box Films
Released in: VOD
Writer, critic, film editor John Delia, Sr. has been on all sides of the movie business from publications to film making. He has worked as a film critic with ACED Magazine for more than 20 years and other publications for a total of 40 years. He earned a Bachelor’s degree in communications from the University of Florida. John is a member of the Southeastern Film Critics Association and Critics Association of Central Florida Send John a message at jdelia@acedmagazine.com
