Clown Kill is a British slasher that puts a dark psychological twist on the killer clown subgenre. The story centers on Jenny, a determined advertising executive who, after being assaulted by a clown at a work party, takes a six-month leave to recover from the trauma. Seeking a return to normalcy, she agrees to spend the night in her office to meet an urgent deadline. However, the nightmare isn’t over—Jenny soon finds herself trapped inside the office block, stalked and terrorized by the same sadistic clown who attacked her months earlier.
Clownhouse is a standout entry in the killer clown horror subgenre, known for its intense suspense and early appearance by Oscar-winning actor Sam Rockwell in his film debut. The story unfolds just before Halloween, focusing on three brothers—Casey, Geoffrey, and Randy—who are left home alone and decide to visit a local circus despite Casey’s crippling fear of clowns. Meanwhile, three escaped mental patients murder circus performers and steal their clown costumes, morphing into the menacing Cheezo, Bippo, and Dippo. When the boys return home, the killer clowns follow, turning their isolated farmhouse into a nightmarish battleground.
A rare blend of psychological thriller and early slasher, The Clown Murders is a Canadian horror film that stands out for its unique premise and notable cast. The story follows four old friends—Charlie, Ollie, Philip, and Rosie—who, under the guise of a prank, don clown costumes on Halloween to kidnap their former friend Alison. Their motive is to sabotage a lucrative real estate deal involving Alison's husband, but what starts as a "harmless" joke soon descends into terror. As the group tries to manage the fallout of their actions inside a rural farmhouse, they realize they are being stalked by a mysterious clown-masked killer with a deadly agenda of their own.
Director Colin Krawchuck has made a series of documentaries featuring the sinister character of the jester, and this is his first feature film. The Jester follows two sisters who, after drifting apart due to their father's death, must deal with a malevolent entity haunting their town on Halloween night. The violence is not overly graphic, and its plot addresses themes such as guilt and repentance, making it more suitable for those who prefer psychologically dense horror films over visually brutal ones.
Among the cult films of the 80s, we must mention Killer Klowns from Outer Space, whose title promises exactly what it states. The plot is set in a small American town that witnesses the arrival of a spaceship, which lands right on top of a circus. Why? Because the invaders look like clowns and use clown powers to unleash their wave of killings. It’s an absurd, low-budget film, typical of the trash cinema of the time, but it has a sense of humor that works due to its obviousness and enormous creativity in executing the idea of using, well, clown humor against their victims.