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202 - Killer Klowns From Outer Space (1988)
59 Plays1 month ago
“Well, you don’t need the police, pal, you need a psychiatrist!”
Our fifth annual Spooky-thon is officially a GO as we take on a true cult classic this week! Join us as we answer the burning questions surrounding this movie like: Is this the ultimate Tucker movie? (Don’t worry - he’ll let you know early and often!) What’s the best format (and network) for a follow-up to this movie? How does the video game factor into the Killer Klowns oeuvre? We get into ALL of this and SO MUCH more on this week’s episode, so don’t miss it!
Watch the Chiodo Bros. collaboration with Tim Burton on YouTube while you can: https://youtu.be/sXeEzpPgCjw?si=54BGVpj9JQWl3jKw
We’re not sure WHAT we’re gonna do with these pies, but go ahead and give us a follow on social media to find out:
- @Disenfranchpod on Bluesky, Facebook, Instagram, Letterboxd, and YouTube.
- Email us your thoughts or requests to [email protected]
- Rate and review us on Apple Podcasts and Spotify!
- Find Stephen at @ChewyWalrus on Bluesky, Instagram, and Letterboxd.
- Check out Stephen’s first novel - Check In, Check Out - on Amazon, now available in paperback or ebook: https://amzn.to/44idk8y
- Find Brett at @sus_warlock on Letterboxd.
- Find Tucker at @icenine09 on YouTube and Instagram and @tuck_mugs on Instagram.
- Join our Patreon for exclusive bonus content, including bi-weekly episodes of What Are We Watching? at https://patreon.com/Disenfranchpod
- Watch our big screen debut in Circle City Supernatural from our buddy J.P. Leck! You can either buy it on BluRay through his website, buy/rent it through Amazon Prime, or watch it free with ads on Tubi!
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Transcript
Introduction and Podcast Theme
00:00:27
Speaker
No, please don't kill me, Mr. Ghostface. I want to be in the sequel.
00:00:38
Speaker
This is a disenfranchised podcast. We're in that podcast all about the franchises of one. I can't sustain that. I wish I could. I can't sustain that. You tried. I did. I put it in the network. We applaud for you. That's all I can do. Applauding is happening right now.
00:00:52
Speaker
It's the disenfranchised podcast. That podcast's all about those franchises. If one, those films that fancy themselves full-fledged franchises before falling flat on their face after the first film, I am your host, Steven Foxworthy. And joining me, as always, the man who will not abide the clown's buffoonery, it's Tucker. Hey, Tucker. Hello, Steven. How's it going? It's going. How about you?
00:01:20
Speaker
Pretty all right. Got a busy evening ahead of me, but ah um I'm having a good time chilling here with you for now. Hell yeah. And we'll make it last as long as we can. Our co-host Brett Wright um went out looking for Debbie's roommates, and but he should be right behind this door. Wait, another door? Okay, one minute. Another door? Another door?
00:01:42
Speaker
another door. Okay, well, this might take a while. So we'll let Brett figure out his own way back.
Kick-off: Spooky-Thon and Horror Film Focus
00:01:48
Speaker
In the meantime, Tucker, we are kicking off our spooky thon. It is the most wonderful time of the year. This is our fifth annual spooky thon. Can you believe we've done this shit five times? Yes. Yes, you can. I mean, that's you remember Do you remember last year when we just did remakes of the Dead trilogy? Yes, because you insisted on it. I like that. Yeah. And it was a lot of fun too. We saw one really good movie, one decent film, and one shitty one. But they were all lots of fun to talk about. I remember those times fondly, and sometimes I re-listen to those episodes more than any others.
00:02:28
Speaker
god We're not doing that this year, though. We have no theme for Spookython, really. In fact, this this year, we're kind of playing into most of them around or at least a couple of them around new releases, including well this one. Go on here. the Actually, these first two kind of like they could both be considered like forms of entertainment like roadside attraction sort of things based on what we're doing next week. right That's also like a thing that you go to to be entertained like a circus. You know what I mean? So those two kind of fit together if you if you if you let me talk you into it a little bit. If you squint and cock your head to the side, yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
Deep Dive: Killer Clowns from Outer Space
00:03:07
Speaker
Yeah, um and but this one actually where is coinciding with the release of another movie about killer clowns with a twisted sense of humor, because you see, ah people dying makes them giggle. um Because of the release of Joker, Falia do a movie I'm not looking forward to at all, but a lot of people are gonna go see. ah We are talking about 1988's killer clowns from outer space.
00:03:32
Speaker
ah directed by Stephen Chiodo, written by ah Charles Stephen and Edward Chiodo, aka the Chiodo brothers. I think I'm pronouncing that right, but I'm probably not. sorry And starring Grant Kramer, Suzanne Snyder, John Allen Nelson, the great John Vernon, ah Michael S. Siegel, Peter Lacasi, Royal Dano. Is that Christopher Titus, I see?
00:04:00
Speaker
Paul's dad. I don't think he's I don't know if he's related to Paul, actually. See, there's some there's some last names that are so unique that I have to assume that everyone's related. Like I saw someone I was looking at some movie and like the the script girl, her last name was Croci. And I was like, well, the only croci I've ever heard about is Jim Croci and Bryce on AJ Croci, who is also a musician. And I've never heard that name anywhere else. So I just assume.
00:04:29
Speaker
because it's such a unique last name, but no, I don't think they're related. And that's why on this, I've never heard, I don't know, I've never heard the surname Dano outside of Paul Dano. So right that's why I have to assume. i didn't either I looked it up and I didn't see anything. So my assumption is that in fact, no. um Could just be a coincidence or could be like a distant relation, like a great uncle or something. ah But Royal Dano was a, um he was ah he was an actor in westerns, a lot of classic westerns.
00:04:58
Speaker
That's what they did back then. yeah You get done with your westerns and you go to horror movies. Mm hmm. You retire in horror movies. That's the old western actors retirement home horror film. But that dude was in like the outlaw Josie Wales and shit. And then he would go on to do like his horror movie output is kind of amazing because he does House two and Ghoulies two.
00:05:22
Speaker
And then Killer Clowns from Outer Space, Spaced Invaders. And he's in two episodes of Twin Peaks. And his last film appearance is in 1993's George A. Romero film, The Dark Half. Wait, who are we talking about? Royal Dano, the actor who plays in Farmer Jean Green in Killer Clowns from Outer Space. OK. All right.
00:05:46
Speaker
The one who says way more than we ever needed him to say. Correct. But he has I kind of love him for that, though. He has way more lines than he ever should have had.
00:05:57
Speaker
not attuned to the act, it's not the actor's fault, it's just the character didn't need all those lines. Can you tell I fucking hate this movie? i We can now. Oh boy, I hate this movie. Go off. so much so much There is one part I like, one part. there there are there There are elements of this movie that I do actually legitimately enjoy, and then the rest of it is just kind of, I mean, it's it's kind of a shrug for me.
00:06:24
Speaker
um I get why people like it. I really do. is This is not like a favorite of mine. I only saw this for the first time ah probably a few years ago when I did my first horror-thon. So like probably 2018, 2019. And um didn't, I mean, it was fine. It was kind of ah a bit of a shrug of a thing. um The thing I really like about this movie is the design though. I love the way it looks. I love the character design. I love the set design. I love the art direction.
00:06:53
Speaker
Here's the thing about all those things you just mentioned. They're good, but I hate them. It's like, it's like the clowns themselves, right? That obviously very talented people spend a long time making those and they look fantastic, but they're also really ugly and I don't like looking at them. And they're disgusting and I have no desire to look at them. And that's fair. That's.
00:07:18
Speaker
ah Like I can, I can respect the craftsmanship that went into it and the artistry, honestly. But, and it's the same, which makes sense as to why Earnest Scared Stupid is my least favorite Earnest movie because the same people made the troll in that actually out of parts from clowns from this movie. I was going to say, they basically just took a couple of, uh, of like spare clown masks and painted them to look like trolls.
00:07:41
Speaker
Yeah, and that's why I always I always hated the troll design in that movie because like technically it's fantastic artistically like wow, but it's so fucking ugly and I do not like looking at it. I mean, they've done a lot of this kind of I mean, ah they did they got their start the. um The Chiodo brothers got their start as puppeteers, basically, and creature designers. They worked on ah The Sword and the Sorcerer in 1982, the Albert Pune film. ah They worked on Screamers, Theodore Rex, that ah that Disney Channel show Adventures in Wonderland that had like all the like cool like puppetry and special like now like cool animatronic shit. Beastmaster three.
00:08:27
Speaker
ah Turbo a Power Rangers movie they were a creature fabricator for that JP lek and I went to see that when it came out in movie theaters so that we can make fun of it okay And then they also did um like Creature Design for Critters and Critters 2. Actually, all the Critters films. Every Critters. All the Critters. Ernest Scared Stupid, which you previously mentioned. ah They also did puppet puppet fabrication for the the Mr. Potato Head show um when that was on. the And they they did the stop motion segments in Elf as well.
00:09:03
Speaker
Another movie. I can't fucking stand now. And they were the the supervisors on Team America World Police. Again, again, Chiodo Brothers, talented as fuck. Like I am not in no way am I saying that they suck in any way. I just cannot aesthetically appreciate anything they've done. Fair. I can respect it because it's damn fine craftsmanship and artistry, but don't like it.
00:09:31
Speaker
Which is fine. That is, that is your right. As an American. Look, Steven, look, look, you can tell how far away we are because look how it's bright outside of your house and it's dark at my house. That sun right there. Far away. Whoa. And then it's dark in my window. Whoa. It's like, it's like ah You're in the past, dude, is what it's like. Almost. Like, I'm an hour. I'm a full-ass hour behind you, sorry. that youre You're back there. I'm in the future, dude. I'm moving ahead. Like, the Devo song. Go forward. Move ahead. Try to detect it. It's not too late. It's not too late to whip it. Whip it good? Yeah. Yeah. And also, it should be mentioned. I don't know for if ah you have a trip planned to a specific corner of the room later. um but ah But there was a video game released of this film earlier this year.
00:10:21
Speaker
Yep, I could say a few words about it. Which is to say that you hate it. Got it. Okay. No, no, I have never played it. I have no desire to play it, but I know what kind of game it is. And I can say a few things, objective things about it. Fair enough. um But yeah, man, um killer clowns from outer space. So like I said, I watched it for the first time a few years ago. When did when did you first um get introduced to those killer clowns from that outer space? Well, people have been trying to subject me to it for years.
00:10:52
Speaker
It does feel like Howard the Duck. It does feel like a Tucker movie. Mm hmm. It's it's a it's a false Tucker movie. It's a it's like it's like like from the outside. It looks like it. But then when you get into it, you're like, oh, yeah, it's not Tucker. So some ingredients there, but they didn't stir it up, right? What makes it not a Tucker movie? I don't know. I don't like it. That's the main qualification.
00:11:22
Speaker
Um, you know, but ah I guess why don't you like it though? Because I mean, like how are the duck and you did this yourself feels like a Tucker movie, but you said it does. It really does because it really does. But I just didn't. I could look like everything about that movie except for the script was fantastic. I loved the design. I thought the the actors were fun and everything was great. But the script was just so bad.
00:11:50
Speaker
And some of that shit was so stupid, I just couldn't just couldn't fucking do it. Now, this movie, it's ugly. The acting sucks. None of the action. I'm sorry. One of the jokes is funny. Can I go ahead and tell you what the one funny joke is? Go for it. It's at the end when the spaceship is leaving. And it turns out that the big top is a big top top. Yeah. I love that. I'm slapping my knee and falling over in my chair.
00:12:19
Speaker
But every other joke in this movie can fuck right off. Like none of it's funny. I don't think the directing is very inspired. I think um it looks cheap, but not in a good way. It looks cheap in a bad way. um I think the special effects are really good, but like I say, it gets canceled out because I think they're all ugly. and I don't want to look at them. And I hate everything about this movie, except for the the big top joke.
00:12:48
Speaker
Everything I am. I hate the song. I hate the theme song. Oh, see, I thought that was a lot of fun. I hate the fact that the sheriff is not Rex Reason, even though he sounds exactly like Rex Reason. No, it's it's John Vernon from Animal House. Yeah, I know. But why is he talking like Rex Reason? Is that just how he talks? I don't like Animal House either. I didn't think that movie was funny either. Oh, damn, dude. Oh, shit.
00:13:17
Speaker
Oh. I just, I just like shocked myself with that one. Whoo. Does everybody take a deep breath? Whoo. I mean, I will say Animal House, hot not a movie that has aged well at all. At all. Again, another movie that all the and ingredient all the ingredients are there, but somebody fucked up when they were stirring that stew.
00:13:40
Speaker
But I mean, nas he he was also in the Outlaw Josie Wales. He was in Dirty Harry. Like dude worked with. But he sounds like Rex Reason. Do you know who I'm talking about, Steven? Are you talking about um this island earth? Oh, OK. The guy who plays Cal. Cal Meacham. This Island Earth can be yours for only 1995.
00:14:10
Speaker
Yeah, dude, I have an interoster as well. Are you boys cooking? No. Are you building an interoster? No.
00:14:21
Speaker
Oh, boy. Oh, that. Yeah, that's that's a fun movie. Maybe we'll cover that movie someday. We should. I love that movie. I know you do. I don't even really consider it's not even a movie, really. It's it's shorter than an episode of the we'll get into it. Put it on the schedule.
00:14:36
Speaker
ah But but it but it released theatrically and therefore in the immortal words of a con still counts. Hey, and you know what? That would could be a very special episode because our outro song is a direct ripoff of the love theme from Mystery Science Theater to the extent that you even call it the love theme for disenfranchised. It's true idea. Complete ripoff. Yeah, just complete. Just like a bandaid, a complete ripoff. Yeah, dude, I have bandaid.
00:15:06
Speaker
I've been they don't have what you do. I burned myself in the oven. I was making a pizza. um Yeah, I'm not a frozen pizza. Like, boy, I made a pizza pizza. OK. Look, i I don't judge frozen. pee I enjoy a good frozen pizza. no I enjoy a good frozen pizza, too. But ah boy, a nothing like homemade pizza. Sure. i I have the only homemade pizzas I ever had were on those like dumbass Boba Lee crusts from like the 90s. Remember that shit?
00:15:36
Speaker
And those were. Yeah, I don't I don't care for that. See, i I prefer thin crust, so I don't buy the dough and and like throw up a pie crust. I buy the ultra thin crust. There's a specific brand that's that's really great. ah They're really good because it's so thin that when you cook it long enough, it gets very crisp, like a pub pizza.
00:16:01
Speaker
It's fantastic. um It's a pretty common brand. I've been able to get it like pretty much every state that I've lived in in the last five years, I've been able to find it pretty easily. But that's what I make all my pizzas on. OK. And it's really good i'm I'm a thin crust guy. I'm a p pizza guy. And see, i I don't do homemade pizza at home enough to really have a preference. I want to make you a pizza, Steven. OK.
00:16:26
Speaker
I'll allow the win. The last time the last time I made a pizza, my sister made the pizza crust and I just threw it on a grill and put stuff on top of it. So grill and pizza grilled pizza is great. And if you've not had grilled pizza, you should have grilled pizza because it's pretty awesome. Fantastic camping meal. Yes. A hundred percent. We do. We do love it.
00:16:52
Speaker
um
00:16:55
Speaker
But yeah, those killer clowns did come from outer space though. We cannot deny this. And the main character of this movie's name is Mike Tobacco. And this is another thing that cannot be denied. And yet for someone named Mike Tobacco, he he doesn't smoke at all. And that just feels like false advertising to me. He doesn't chew tobacco either. You'd think he would at least in some way use or abuse tobacco and he does no such thing.
00:17:24
Speaker
What else can is there any are there and any industrial uses for tobacco, Stephen? Industrial uses for tobacco? I'm not sure that you have. I mean, you have plants like hemp where, you know, you can make ah fabric and paper and all kinds of stuff with it. So I'm wondering if tobacco has some other use besides chewing and smoking and using. I was going to say you can use it as snuff. You can snooze it.
00:17:55
Speaker
I'm googling that question right now because I don't know.
Interesting Tidbits and Production Insights
00:17:59
Speaker
I don't know. It is useful for ah tobacco produces large amounts of sugars and biomass, which are useful for producing food ingredients, bio based industrial raw materials or animal feed. Oh, fantasy, fantasy, fantasizing. That's that's interesting. I was trying to say fantastic and interesting, but I couldn't choose which one, so they just kind of Got in there together. Fantasticing. Yes, fantastic. Fantasticing eyes are rising.
00:18:30
Speaker
um
00:18:34
Speaker
So how old were you when you first watched this movie, Tucker, this kill killer clowns from this outer space? I was forty two years or 41 years and 11 months old when I finally watched the entire film. Oh, you'd never seen the whole movie before.
00:18:52
Speaker
No, because fuck this move. I always tap out. People always try to get me to watch them like no. And if they finally talk me into it, like after about 10 minutes, I'm like, fuck no. And I just leave. So this is the only time for you. I did this for you, Steven. And really, you did it for our list. Just just no, not even my ex-wife when we were married could get me to finish that fucking movie. Damn. Yeah. Yeah. She loves it. She loves it.
00:19:22
Speaker
I mean, look, this for a movie that made spoiler alert less than a fraction of its budget back in the in the worldwide box office. Well, it is the definition of a cult classic for sure. Yeah, this movie has gained such an and incredibly odd cult following. I think it's because like stuff like Gremlins and Critters, it's got that kind of goofy edge to it that makes it a really kind of quintessential gateway horror title. And if if you can stand them for an hour and 40 minutes, ah fantastic special effects, practical special effects, right. And I mean, cutting edge at the time, like the way that the the mouths and the ears and everything move is fantastic. Like it looks stupid, but like it's
00:20:12
Speaker
Fantastic. Just unbelievable puppet work, I agree. They initially wanted Clownzilla, which is what the filmmakers called it at the end of the film, to be a completely stop motion creation, but they just didn't have time to make it work, because these guys are also stop motion animators. So instead of that, they just put the brother Charles in a suit and just made him do it against the green thing. Do some force perspective.
00:20:41
Speaker
Yeah, photography for the giant one at the end. Right. Which is I don't know. I loved that effect. I loved the the strings that made it look like a marionette. Like I just thought that was really well. I can I the the the performances in this movie are stiff as a board. um The and not in a good way. That's the other thing about this movie is that it's a bad movie.
00:21:06
Speaker
But it's a bad movie because it's trying to be a bad movie that's good. And that's what makes it bad. I'm sorry, Steven, continue. I just you you brought that right the forefront of my mind. I had to spit it out. I know you're fine. I know I. i Like this the script is not good. The story is, is I mean, this is goofy. shit There's a good 10 minutes of this movie that are just like gags that they added later in production because the studio wanted more clown gags. um And so like all the shit in the in the pharmacy was added after the fact because the original. Grading. Grading.
00:21:47
Speaker
that scene and it kept coming back and it kept coming back and the guy kept making the most of. Why do people make so many annoying noises in this movie like noises just designed to fucking really piss me off?
00:22:07
Speaker
That guy's whole sh- Gag me with a fucking spoon. Get out of here with that shit. Get right out of here. I won't. Mother fuck this movie, Steven. I'm saying it's my official stance.
00:22:27
Speaker
And see, i don't i don't know that i don't I don't know that I would say it's that bad. i'm i'm having therere Like I said, I love the way it looks. There are moments where I'm actually having fun. like it On the whole, it's not a good movie, but i'm I love the way it looks. I really do. I know you said it looks ugly. I think that's intentional. But like all the all the shit of the clowns out reeking mayhem remind me of Gremlins. And I can't hate a movie that reminds me of Gremlins. I can't.
00:22:58
Speaker
ah I'm the exact opposite. If you remind me of a good movie in your shitty movie, I'm going to hate your shitty movie anymore. Even more. Sorry. I don't remind me of some shit that I could be having a good time watching while I'm suffering watching your film. Don't do it. It's not a good tactic. I mean, this movie comes out the same year as Beetlejuice. The Chiodo brothers, I'm pretty sure, have worked with Tim Burton as stop motion animators.
00:23:27
Speaker
like see that that'd be actually be a great pairing please if they haven't get them together no they have they absolutely have um like it's just kind of one of those like oh no they absolutely have worked together um like this comes out the same year as beetle juice so you you have to figure on some level they are like inspired in some way by what Burton is doing on Beetlejuice to do kind of this goofy, crazy, wacky, horror adjacent kind of thing. um You know, by ah with these weird slug aliens that happen to look like clowns.
00:24:09
Speaker
I appreciated. ah See, that's that's the weird thing about this movie. There's so many things that I can appreciate that I still hate. Like I said, the the the effects and the creature design, you know, all things that are objectively fantastic, but I can't fucking stand them. And another thing. Wait, what were we just talking about? I had a thing for that. What were you just saying? um The stop motion animation. No, Tim Burton.
00:24:38
Speaker
I mean, oh, no, I remember. I remember now. OK. Got it. So yes. Sorry about that. I think I hit my pen too many times. So I appreciate like what they were going for with the set design, especially in the spaceship had very like almost German expression is an expressionist sort of vibe to it. I thought that was particularly once you're on the spaceship. Yeah. But also it's ugly.
00:25:05
Speaker
That's the thing. Well, now I would maybe be able to appreciate this movie as much as you do, Steven. If, if my brain would let me, like, this is one of those things that I can't just be like, Oh, I don't want this to, I don't want to see this as ugly anymore. So I'm just going to accept that it's not ugly. I can't do that. My brain doesn't let me enjoy things that it doesn't like. Like I'm not in control of that. It's like, it's like certain color palettes. That's why I don't watch a lot of like movies about medieval times and shit.
00:25:36
Speaker
Cause my brain, no matter how good the movie is, doesn't let me enjoy that color palette. Oh, I can't wait until we do our Arthurian legend theme month. Oh, I can't fucking wait. But that's the same with this movie is even though I think it is at its core, a bad movie, the good things about this movie I can't enjoy because something in my brain prefers the way this looks over the way that looks. Sure. Do you know what I mean? Yeah.
00:26:02
Speaker
I do want to point out that the Shoto brothers worked with um Tim Burton on his made for TV movie in 1983, Hansel and Gretel for the Disney Channel. Oh, fantastic. Yeah, so I mean, I don't think that is something that you can legally find anymore, anywhere.
00:26:22
Speaker
I'm sure you find it somewhere. I'm sure. Yeah, like ah again, I said legally. So I'm sure there there there are ways for you to find that. But yeah, ah they worked ah ah and did stop motion for that one. So I think is pretty rad ah with ah that one had Vincent Price as the host of the. It only aired i said twice. um Yeah, love that. I've seen stills from it. I'm yeah pretty fucking sure I've seen stills from it.
00:26:51
Speaker
You'd like the witch has like a big like candy cane nose or something. Yeah. It's, you know, that fucked up Tim Burton shit that you love. Uh, and they also were, they also worked as animators on his short film, Vincent. Oh, did you know that's my favorite thing that Tim Burton has ever done? That is Vincent. That is such a, such a tucker take. Like, gosh, it's so good. Oh, it's perfect. Everything about like from start to finish. Perfect.
00:27:20
Speaker
Perfect. You've seen it, right? I it's I don't know if I it's if I have, it's been a while. um It's on it's on my um DVD collector's edition of Nightmare Before Christmas. Now, that's not to discount the other things that I like that Tim Burton has done. Like I still like Pee Wee and Beetlejuice and all that stuff. But and Ed Wood specifically, my second favorite thing that Tim Burton has ever done, Ed Wood. But still, Vincent, that's there are a few things in the world more perfect than that film.
00:27:51
Speaker
For me, at least. No. And ah but I mean, yeah, like these guys have kind of made names for themselves is as animators, as special effects designers, as producers, like they're kind of all over Hollywood. This is the only it's on film. I'm sorry, it's on YouTube. The Handsome one Gretel, Tim Burton's Handsome Gretel's on YouTube. Oh, right on. Let let yeah ah send send me the link and I'll put it in the show notes.
00:28:19
Speaker
I got you. I apologize, Steven. I know that was a bad time. like I should have waited, but I just got so fucking excited. You were on a roll there and I apologize. I was saying shit, but you know you were like you were in the middle of some stuff that like made sense and everybody loved it. I was like trying to like talk about this movie. I know. I know you're fighting tooth and nail to keep me from talking about this. I know that I like to talk about this movie. i Like I said, I.
00:28:46
Speaker
There's a lot of cool stuff about this this movie. It's just I fucking hate the cool stuff about this movie. butit Fair. I mean, I'm not saying you got to like it, um but I did want to say like this is the only film that.
00:29:00
Speaker
Steven Shoto, the director of this film, has like the only theatrically released feature that he has directed. He's directed a lot of shorts ah and like a direct-to-video, some episodes of television, ah and a TV special, but like this is the only film he's done. And I think that same also holds true for Charles and Edward, his brothers as well. Like they all kind of tend to work on the same things together. Yeah, I don't see Charles doesn't have a single directorial credit. And I'm looking to see if Edward has one as well.
00:29:40
Speaker
And no, he does not. So there you go. Like this is the only film that they ever directed. And it's kind of one of those things that after they realized what a cult following it had, they've been trying to push a sequel uphill for like third for like the last 12 years. space Yeah. Yeah. I don't know that it's ever going to happen. That's kind of why we're covering this. I think they were hoping that the video game would renew interest, but I think the video games just going to. It's nothing's it's not going to get less or more, really, I think the audience for that game is really. Horror fans, right? Because that's every every horror IP that gets translated into a video game these days is the same game. Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Evil Dead, Halloween.
00:30:40
Speaker
All the characters that are on ah dead ah dead by daylight and killer clowns are all the same game. It's you have a bad guy and you have a killer and you have a group of survivors. And so you have like four survivors. They have to work together to all get out and live. And then another person plays as the killer. And it's an online thing. And that's what all horror IP video games are now. All those ones I listed.
00:31:06
Speaker
I'm not kidding. They're all the exact same game. And so when killer clowns comes out and it's the same as all those other games. I don't think it's it's not going to boost any interest because it's for the people who want to play that game, but with killer clowns, right? So I think it's going to make money, but like, I don't think it's going to really like, oh, now we have to have a sequel. Well, I mean, they've been like to to if the um if If the Wikipedia entry on the planned sequels is any indication, ah they were starting work on one in which was like half remake, half sequel or reboot call or whatever um that they wanted to do that was released in or that was announced in 2012. And it was supposed to involve like Mike tobacco from this film as the town drunk.
00:32:06
Speaker
And then the clowns come back and he's been you know prepping for their return, a la Laurie Strode in the Halloween reboot or remakes or reboots or equals or whatever the fuck. Or Sally in that Netflix Texas chainsaw.
00:32:19
Speaker
Yeah, yeah. Oh, God, I hated that so much. They did. I loved it for but the same reason you hated it. I loved it. steve I know. I know. Same reason. Everything you hated about that movie, I loved. Go go listen to the episode on the pod in the pendulum and and hear why I disliked that movie um ah that we did on that one a few years back.
00:32:42
Speaker
um They they had announced that it was ah officially in post production, but I have a doubt it was ever actually filmed because it was supposed to have been released like 10 years ago and it never happened.
00:32:58
Speaker
um And so then they're like, oh no, we changed it. We wanna do like a trilogy in four parts and we're gonna wanna do it as like a TV series. And yeah, we think it's better suited for television. um And then the last anyone's ever heard of it, it looks like 2018 sci-fi was in talks to license the rights to Killer Clown sequels. um And you know of course we know sci-fi those bastions and purveyors of fine quality entertainment for the world.
00:33:27
Speaker
And not at all cheap Canadian made crap. Well, that's right. That's what I think. That's why I think actually a lot of series that got their start in the mid to late 80s, like cult series like Critters, for example, and even Tremors have had TV shows on sci fi and they've kind of met them where they were at because these are not like high caliber.
00:33:49
Speaker
productions, these movies that they're basing these series on. Right. This isn't how you stretch the imagination. There was even a Critters series on sci-fi. And it's perfect for that channel. It's perfect. Even Tremors. I loved that show because it was what the films were at that time. They met them exactly where they were at. And so I honestly for a movie like this, if I'm trying to see it from a perspective from someone who likes the things about this movie that I hate, sci-fi would be a perfect place for it. I feel like. Yeah, I agree.
00:34:19
Speaker
I don't think it would be good, but I was I i take that because I thought was parched was partial producer on the Chucky series, which I enjoyed when I saw of the checkman show, I did enjoy. ah You know, I had a feeling they were going to cancel it after this season because like the first two seasons were good. But then after a while, we need new main characters. I just got really bored with those kids. Like those kids were great. I love the actors. They all did a really good job. But You can't have the same characters too many times in that much that many hours of a horror franchise. Right. You got to switch it up a bit. Got to switch it up. I got real bored with those kids after about the first episode of season three. I was like, I don't fucking it care. I don't care. I used to, but I don't anymore. Bye. Oh, one of that. I still cared. If only anyone still cared. We got more Fiona Dorf. Yeah.
00:35:18
Speaker
Yeah, I mean, we did get a lot of her, but like if maybe the third season should have focused on her i would have and made the kids like side characters. See, that's how you switch it up and still keep the same characters. Don Mancini listening to this shit.
00:35:33
Speaker
Well, I mean, you got to switch it up. You could also do what they did with ah Devin Sawa and just keep casting him as different characters. That's the thing I
Discussion: Horror Franchises and Actor Performances
00:35:41
Speaker
really loved. I do. i I am sad that I missed his death in this series, and I don't know if he came back as a different. I don't know how many characters he plays in season three. I was enjoying him as the president, but that was like the only thing that was keeping me watching. Yeah, I mean, that's totally fair.
00:35:57
Speaker
ah But no, I agree. i Like, to your point, I think killer clowns and sci fi feels like a really good match. and And probably would meet like a similar quality level. Like this movie was late made for less than $2 million. dollars Like this is not a huge budget, even even for the 80s. That's the late 80s. It's not a huge budget. So like we're We're still fine. And it doesn't have to be like you don't really have to be limited by budget on sci-fi. You think of sci-fi as kind of a low budget network and it is. It doesn't have deep pockets, but its daddy does. And in the instance with Chucky, like that was the sci-fi and USA combined effort because does it make sense for it to be on sci-fi? Absolutely. But sci-fi don't have that kind of money. So it has to talk to its brother.
00:36:48
Speaker
a USA and see if he wants to get in on that shit. So if they really needed a certain amount of money for killer clowns, like it wouldn't be off the table to go above and beyond sci-fi's budget if they thought that it would be lucrative, which they obviously did with Chucky and they were right for two seasons.
00:37:03
Speaker
Right. Yeah. And um for Chucky, yeah, absolutely. They would be. I don't think the audience for Chucky is there for killer clowns from outer space, unfortunately. I mean, there's some overlap, but I agree with you. i Yes. obviously I mean, obviously. and And they're both kind of strike a similar balance of kind of, you know, goofy 80s originated like horror like and I mean those didn't those child's play movies did not start goofy but they got pretty damn goofy pretty damn quick like the original child's play is very scary but by child's play too ah the the conclusion of that is in a fucking like warehouse of like just like fun house warehouse basically that's what I liked so much about Curse of Chucky and Cult of Chucky which I think are the two
00:37:55
Speaker
best singular things in the franchise, because the the first three are straight horror. The next two are just comedies. They're just comedies with gore. Right of Chucky is my favorite of the franchise. I will throw that out. I do like I do like all of them. But I'm saying Curse and Cult are the best because that's when Don Mancini figured out how to do both. Yeah. And made some really scary fucked up movies that have some jokes in them. Curse is the one with Fiona Doris in the house, right? And then Colt is when she's in the because she's paralyzed. She's in the hospital. And Chucky starts like multiplying himself. And that's right. Yeah, those two movies. Those are the two best in the series because that's that's peak. That's where he figures out how to balance the two things that work best for the series into one like cohesive thing.
00:38:53
Speaker
Right. It's it's wonderful to see. And you think of beauty is what I'm saying. Yeah, no, you you do. You'd love to see it. You really do. I how did I write that one? Oh, I need to rewatch that one because I remember that liking that one a lot more than I rated it when I first watched it back in 2021. So is it time for Steven to revisit the Child's Play Chucky franchise? It might be. It might be. You know what else it's probably time for plot and 60.
00:39:22
Speaker
Straight up plot 60 Segundos. Let's do this thing. So the plot in 60 seconds. For those of you just joining us for our killer clowns from outer space episode, ah we apologize. The Tucker has been so um just. I'm a nice guy. Awful toward this. I'm the nicest person I know. Like and genuinely nice, not like.
00:39:47
Speaker
Not like fake nice, like I'm actually nice. Like i I care about you. I love you, listener. I only want the best for you. That's that's real. And unfortunately, the best for you does not include this movie that you love.
00:40:01
Speaker
um oh But um this is the part of the show where we have to behest of the coin of justice, which is a actual coin of actual justice from Gibraltar. From Gibraltar. It has literally a lady justice on the front and the Gibraltar crest on the back. It is one pound sterling and who fucking cares? It literally fucking says one pound sterling, dude. That's so right. No, I know. yeah I know that.
00:40:32
Speaker
I know, I know. But here we go. ah We will recount the plot of this film, Killer Clowns from Outer Space, 1988, directed by Steven Chiodo in 60 seconds or less. I will flip the coin. Tucker, you call it in the air. OK, Tails. It is heads. Does that mean I have to do it? That means you have to do it.
00:40:57
Speaker
OK, I'm putting 60 seconds on the official disenfranchised podcast egg timer, and I'm going to hit start when I start speaking. ah So there's these kids and they're straight making out at the make out spot like you used to do back in the day. And ah it's weird that they all wanted to be up there together, though, like I feel like I'd want some privacy, like in all the movies that have that trope. I'm like, why would you motherfuckers want to all be up there together, like staring at each other from the back seats of each other's car like locking eyes with the motherfucker while he's getting into it. Like that just seems weird to me. But anyway, a comic comes down and spaceship full of clowns and they suck and they kill everybody 30 seconds. ah And like ah the one cop guy who's the good cop guy, even though everybody in this fucking movie sucks, there's like no good characters. They all fucking suck. And this gal and her boyfriend, they go and they well, the girlfriend gets caught by the clowns and they go and rescue her.
00:41:56
Speaker
And it turns out that the big top is a big motherfucking top. Only joke in the movie that's any good. And that's time.
00:42:09
Speaker
That was good, right? That was a lot, basically. Basically, you you miss the fact that she takes the world's longest shower. Oh, yeah. That's like 20 minutes of screen time. So we have to assume it's like.
Recap and Personal Reflections
00:42:22
Speaker
four or five hours i'm assuming she had a shower beer like my shower you gotta tack ah a good five minutes onto my shower because i have a shower beer still with even five minutes like how fucking long is that gonna be like good god Well, she was a classy gal. She probably would have had a excuse you. Calm down. World's smallest penis driven by my apartment there. Good Lord. Not that there's anything wrong with that. If you're a person who's a listener that has a baby dick, we don't think that we don't think any less of you. No, unless you drive your car like that. Unless you drive your car like that. And then we absolutely think less of you. Yeah. Otherwise we love you. Because if you're driving your car like that, you're clearly compensating for something.
00:43:05
Speaker
Yeah, dude. Maybe you know what? Maybe he's got a massive wang and just a terrible personality. That's I feel like that's more likely. Or I admit that has massive wangs have been like ah massive douchebags. I met some dudes with massive wangs, Stephen. More than two, which is weird. The fact that you know, that is is also very bizarre. Is it? I don't know that it is, but I'll take your word for it. I mean, I tend to not know people's wang size, but yeah.
00:43:35
Speaker
and Well, you have never showered in a room with like 30 other dudes. And I straight up have. So I mean, I've gone to college. OK, what's that have to do with anything that community hours in college, in college, community, showers what how kind of college you go to, Stephen, ah a very conservative Christian college that didn't update any of their facilities since the 30s. Mm hmm. OK, if I got in a shower like that, I expect Freddy Krueger to come out of the drain, man.
00:44:05
Speaker
You see that Nightmare on Elm Street part two best. se I have seen all the Nightmare on Elm Street films. It's the best sequel of the bunch. I don't consider New Nightmare a sequel. It's like it's its own thing outside of the continuity. So who's the best sequel? I don't. Freddy versus Jason isn't a sequel either because it's its own thing because it's part of both franchises. Best sequel. In that series. So Killer Clowns, let's talk about um Let's talk about ah what kind of stuff we talk about on this podcast, Stephen. Let's talk about who wrote this. We talked about those guys. We jo talked about the Chiodo brothers. Is anything any do they not have their hand in anything in this movie? We could talk about someone that's not a Chiodo brother. We talk about, I mean, we can like this is the the first screen appearance of comedian Christopher Titus.
00:44:55
Speaker
Oh, that guy had that show. It was called Titus. Yep. Very originally named show. That was kind of a thing that we did for a while is if that's the thing we still do. We get shows and just their names, just their name. Yeah. Even the the Cosby show. His last name wasn't even Cosby. There's no Cosby's in that show. No, no. ah But Christopher Titus, I think his name, his actual name or his name on the show was Titus, I believe.
00:45:23
Speaker
ah so Titus McGee, though, they turned it into his first name, right? Titus? No, it says no. He says Christopher Titus. Because he's Irish. Oh, OK. I don't know where I'm going with any of this. His dad was Stacey Keach, which I think is. Oh, I think that's great, too. I love Stacey Keach. We are president of the Stacey Keach fan club. We do love Stacey Keach on this show. We stand a legend, Stacey. Stacey Keach.
00:45:47
Speaker
If anybody wants the P.O. box to the Stanley Keats fan club, Lord, how big a fan are you? Well, I was just thinking about actually while I was saying that, I was thinking about this video on Instagram that Stanley Tucci had where he was reheating pasta that he had like a professional chef make. I don't know why I was thinking about that, but that's why I said Stanley.
00:46:09
Speaker
Stanley Tucci's online presence now is pretty much just him making pasta. And I like I love him because he's classy, so fucking classy without being like I don't feel like he's condescending to me. Right. You know what I mean? He's like he would hang out with us. Right.
00:46:28
Speaker
But he's still that fucking fancy. Yeah. That's what I love about the tooch. That's why I got to love the tooch. You love it. And he's he's married to Emily Blunt's sister. And yeah. And so like there's videos of him and like John Krasinski, like just that's not one other. Yeah. Your boy tootch with two blunts. Yeah. He's a bad dude. He's a bad mofo. um He really is. But Christopher Titus is he was having leftover pasta for breakfast, Steven.
00:46:58
Speaker
Like, did you see that no one? No, I didn't. He was like, you know, we had this last night. I couldn't figure out what to have for breakfast. So, you know, I did a little bit of this and a little bit of that it made it all brand new. And it's my breakfast. Do you know the coolest thing about being an adult for me?
00:47:13
Speaker
Uh, knowing who Stanley Tucci is. No, I mean, it's it's the fact that anything can be breakfast. Anything can be lunch and anything can be dinner. That's, that's what I tell people. If they, if I have to tell them I'm an adult, I say, I can, I can have ice cream in bed if I want it. I can, you know what? If I wanted cake for breakfast, I could do that.
00:47:40
Speaker
my favorite breakfast, freedom um my favorite breakfast and it's not one that I've been able to have and set for since I started being an adult. I have a one day a year. It's the day after Thanksgiving. It's a slice of pecan pie and it's a black cup of hot coffee. That is my favorite breakfast. Look, look, I don't like pecan pie and I don't generally like breakfast. But I feel like some pecan pie and a cup of coffee, like within an hour of when I woke up, I think I'd be way into that. It's amazing. It's actually legitimately amazing. And pecan pie isn't like, it's not the most like, I mean, it's not chocolate cake.
00:48:15
Speaker
It's my favorite pecans, which is good for you I'm saying it's not like a terrible thing to have for breakfast. Like, I mean, there's that layer of sugar between the pecans and the and the the crust, but negligible, man. You're having pancakes. You have syrup like fucking whatever, you know, it's breakfast. You're supposed to eat like shit. That's what breakfast is for. Get that out of the way before you get too tired in the middle of the day. Right. Carbo load, baby. Yeah, dude.
00:48:42
Speaker
I want pecan pie and coffee. Steve and I hate pecan pie, but I want that shit right now. I don't know how you could hate my favorite pie in the world. I just don't like pecans. It's the pecan of it all. Oh, OK. I mean, you can do it with a nut you like. Honestly, the texture is like walnuts if you want. It's like it's like biting a tree.
00:49:00
Speaker
a pecan for me, biting a tree. And I don't I don't like it. I don't find that because you get like that taste is good. You get like the sugar crust on the outside of them if you do it right. And so they don't have that woodiness to them. And honestly, if it's the texture thing, just chop up the pecans, just like dice them up real fine. Oh, make like a paste out of them even. Yeah. And you could just mix that in with your like syrup layer, like your butter. Because you have like almond butter and.
00:49:29
Speaker
Um, fucking fucking, you know, all those butters. Macadamia nut butter and hazel nut butter. Oh, cookie butter. Get out of here. I can't get cookie butter. I eat it all in one sitting. That's the same. And that's a problem because I've got I got the betas. Yeah, they do have pecan butter, dude. Oh, I might have to get some of that because I do love the flags that texture. I can't I can't anywhere from 13 to 20 bucks for a jar. But they have here. I probably I mean, it would probably last me a while.
00:49:59
Speaker
Honestly, man, because it's probably got a lot of sugar in it. You know, it would be a really good idea for a restaurant.
00:50:07
Speaker
um exotic quesadillas, like Italian ones and breakfast ones and Philly cheesesteak quesadillas and like cheeseburger quesadilla, like basically anything you could do but a quesadilla. See, I was thinking about a bo jelly restaurant where you just have like a bunch of different like nut butters and like a bunch of different like sweet toppings like honey and ah marshmallow fluff. And like that's what I was thinking. Yeah, I mean, that's a pretty cool idea. Well, that's more like a dessert cart or like a little cafe.
00:50:38
Speaker
You know what I mean? Where you do something like that. I don't know, man, people love peanut butter and jelly. And then you serve like it feels like lower of a snack. You serve like little like like like pints of milk that you can you can buy too. And like peanut butter and jelly in a glass of milk. Like what the fuck? Yeah. And and we'll get we'll get the ah the original recipe from planners to make the original cheese balls. The greasy ones have those as a side.
00:51:07
Speaker
Because even when they came back, they weren't them. I was so disappointed when they back. I was like, no, this isn't it. I'm sorry. Fuck you. I had to I had to stop myself from buying them. I had to stop myself from buying them, even though I really want to get anything. Yeah, because of health stuff. But yeah, they tasted like every other fucking cheese ball on the market, which is to say nothing like you want it to taste. I loved those things. Me too. They were so good. And I have so many like like ah like big core memories, like from my childhood and growing up and stuff that involve planners cheese balls. I believe that. Yeah, it's probably my favorite stack of all time, which is why I got very angry when they finally brought them back.
00:51:53
Speaker
And they weren't they weren the same. Speaking of cheese balls, Tucker, that you have no idea how great a segue that was. um the actors who played the You didn't. ah The actors that played the Terenzi brothers, aka the characters you're going to use if you're going to make a sequel to this movie, um were on a TV movie. They were an established comedy pair at the Groundlings.
00:52:17
Speaker
Um, they were, they came like Phil Hartman, John Paragon from the groundlings, trust McNeil, past guyss Paul, Paul Rubens. Um, they were ah established comedy duo from the groundlings. Their first film appearance was a movie, a TV movie called cheese ball presents.
00:52:35
Speaker
Yeah, dude, I knew that. That's why I was talking about cheese balls. Sure, sure it was. I did not know that. Disclaimer, I did not know that. I think that's obvious. um But yeah, they were they worked together in the groundlings and were on this TV show. And this is, I think after that, I think their next movie together. Yeah, they were in a.
00:52:55
Speaker
They were in a TV show ah called Comedy Club as billed as Lacasi and Siegel, and then appeared as the Terenzi brothers in this movie. um I liked them. I wish they had been a little better scripted in this movie. Yeah, they they obviously have good chemistry as actors, but nothing they did was funny.
00:53:21
Speaker
I like the idea of two guys getting an ice cream truck as a way to pick up girls. I think that's hilarious. I do like that. Yeah. And then the girls they pick up, they're like, what do you think? Like, no.
00:53:33
Speaker
Fuck off. Yeah. what Well, you think we're just going to like just strip for you just because you give us ice cream kind of girls. You think we are. Fuck you. um Like I. Yeah, too funny. I think it's absolutely hilarious. I think that's again, that's a and and that apparently is something that the real life Terenzi brothers who were friends of the Shoto brothers, they actually did that.
00:53:58
Speaker
They actually got a a ice cream truck to meet women. Now, it makes it it kind of makes me a little concerned when you buy an ice cream truck to meet women, when you consider um what the the age range of female humans that normally are patrons of ice cream trucks. Right. No, I think that's why it's a funny. I i think that's why it's a funny idea, because you clearly they did not think it through.
00:54:25
Speaker
um Like yeah and you're saying they're it's the innocence. It's the it's the J of J and Silent Bob or Ernest P. Worrell kind of correct. Yeah, or they can do anything and it doesn't matter because they're stupid, but then they're sweet and they're stupid. But sometimes they do shitty stuff because they're so stupid.
00:54:42
Speaker
Yeah, they're man children. I mean, they're very clearly man children. So I think that I think that works. I think that applies here.
Humor and Cultural Commentary
00:54:49
Speaker
I was I didn't remember this film very well, and I was hoping the ice cream would play like more of a role than the how how they would defeat the ah the clowns. I actually thought they were a much bigger part of this movie than they actually ended up being. um Although I do. Here's my here's my take on the end of this movie. So initially the the no.
00:55:11
Speaker
OK, sorry, that's my take. i We know you made that clear over and over again. You can't stop making that clear, Tucker. You can't help yourself, but make that clear. Look, when I hate everything about this movie, except for one joke, I don't really have much to say. So I feel like, you know, I'm going to kind of just keep reiterating that same point in different as as differently as I can. I'm going to try and say it differently, but I don't know how many times, how many different ways can I say it fucking sucks?
00:55:41
Speaker
I've tried to explain it and I just feel like it's like it doesn't matter. It's just. Yeah, so what I'm saying is I don't have a lot to say about this movie, so I'm probably going to be saying the same thing a lot. I'll try to I'll try to switch it up and make it sound different. That's what I've been trying to do, but obviously I've kind of.
00:55:57
Speaker
failed at that. um What was I saying? I was saying something. Oh, so the original ending of this movie had um had ah had ex-boyfriend cop. That was he was her ex-boyfriend. Right. That was the thing. Yeah. OK. Yeah. Yeah. And she was she was still in high school at the time of this movie. Yeah. Mm hmm. Just throwing that out there as well. Right. There's that. Yeah. Anyway. And the um I mean, they again, kind of parallels Gremlins in a weird way that you've got, you know, Phoebe Cates and ah Judge Reinhold, who's significantly older than her, kind of trying to smack on her. So I mean, it shades of that. um Hello, Gerald. Except ah Judge Reinhold is fucking creep ass in that movie. Yeah, I like that. I love his performance in that movie, though. Oh, I do, too. He's so good in her. Absolutely amazing. I'm sad he didn't come back to the second one, honestly.
00:56:53
Speaker
Gremlins and um Beverly Hills Cop both come out in 1984. Both movies have Judge Reinhold and Jonathan Banks. yes Gremlins has ah Judge Reinhold in a villainous role and Jonathan Banks as a cop. Beverly Hills Cop has Jonathan Banks in a villainous role and Judge Reinhold as a cop.
00:57:15
Speaker
Yes. Wapping them around. A little puppy dog of a cop. That's why I was loved about his characters in the Beverly Hills. He had all the fucking um dogs. He did have all the guns, but he had all the fucking guns. He's have you seen Axel F yet, Steven? Oh, you check it out. I think you'd appreciate it. There's a lot of there's a lot of callbacks, but they don't smack you in the face with them like a Ghostbusters movie. I i appreciate that. I would want to I would want to rewatch the trilogy first before I got into that.
00:57:44
Speaker
And yes, I do. make a trickery I mean, I know I can. get it There's no reason. i um But yeah, you're a completionist. I understand. I am. It's it's my nature and it's one of the most annoying things about me. And I understand that. I agree. I don't. I mean, there's things about you that are way more annoying than that, Steve.
00:58:03
Speaker
I'm just kidding. Stephen, I'm just kidding. You left you. Look, I like I said, I don't have a lot of things to say about this movie, so I'm on high alert for you setting me up for jokes and you set me up for one right there. So I had to take it, you know, I mean, that was like that was right over the plate. I couldn't expect you not to swing at that. um Anyway, ex-boyfriend cop was supposed to die on the spaceship, which would have made it really convenient for our main couple to get together at the end. But instead, and the thing I noticed, like he shoots the balloon and her boyfriend's like they're like patting her back and she's like hugging the cop.
00:58:36
Speaker
And I'm like, there's still something going on between those two and like boyfriend, like current boyfriend, Mike tobacco is like kind of looking like the cuck here. And then at the end, like they're all hugging each other. And I'm like, fuck, they're a, threat they're a, they're a, they're a poly. They're a. thrplere they're a thrple And, and it works because of how close.
00:58:56
Speaker
Because those two guys spent the second half of the movie together until they got her back. They were buddy, buddy, like in there. What's what's the thing that makes them love for her? Like, well, yeah. And they did. They did it in a way like you do in a comic book where they have to fight first and then they realize that they're on the same side and they become best buds. Mm hmm. Like a Batman V Superman situation. Exactly. Yeah. Mike tobacco's all like, why did you say that name?
00:59:29
Speaker
Because I dated her first asshole. Yeah. Yeah. Right. Yeah. She was a freshman when I dated her. I was a cop still. Right. Right. To be clear. I was I was I was fresh out of the academy. I'm an adult cop. Yeah. And have been for years. I mean, it's that's that's what he likes about those high school girls. He keeps getting older. They stay the same age. Yeah. du yeah All right. All right. All right.
00:59:58
Speaker
Yeah, dude, be a whole lot cooler if you did. um But yeah, that's that was my big take is that they are 100 percent like that's a throttle. Right. And I'm kind of I kind of support that because I even though I didn't like the writing, and I didn't like the acting. I did like the idea of those two guys becoming good friends for the sake or lovers for the narrative or even, you know. Well, as so as the Lonely Island,
01:00:28
Speaker
Famously said it ain't gay in a three-way Steven and you know what even if it is gay who cares? That's what I'm saying. I'm just saying, you can't just because just because it's threesome, you can't imply either. It's what I well and um i mean. You know, it's a throuple that, they did you know, it it gave goes any direction, man. That's that's that's what a throuple is. So for my dimension, I just wanted to mention that Lonely Island song because everybody forgets about that one because it's the third in the Dick in the Box series. Right. The third and final. They haven't done one since then.
01:00:59
Speaker
Uh, I think they showed up in the there was the 100th or whatever that they did where they brought a bunch of the characters back. They showed up in that, but they haven't had there's been an official one. That's what I thought. since Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, dudes. Mother lovers. Good one, though, too. I like that one. It is Susan Sarandon. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Who's the other gal? I can never think of her name. It's um it's from the thing. ah Patricia Clarkson.
01:01:30
Speaker
Maybe. I'm a mother, love your mother, love. We should fuck each other's mothers, fuck each other's wives. Yes, it's Patty Clarkson, Patricia Clarkson. Yeah, i they're great in that. And then they're in the the third one, too. Yeah, right at the beginning. But this lady Gaga and she's great in that third one. She is. yeah She's great. Like she really.
01:01:56
Speaker
She's doing the thing. She's doing the Leslie Nielsen thing. It's funny because she's taking it fucking seriously. like right I believe that she's about to eat both of those guys. I believe it. I believe it. And that's that comedy is funny if it's real. Yeah, dude. Which is, I think the to to hear them say it was the reason that they wanted to have ah um Dave, which is the the ex-boyfriend cop, dies because they wanted a more realistic ending. And I'm like, first of all, fuck you. real There's no no no no part of this movie has been realistic. How dare you? Yeah. ah But the studios were like, no, we want an upbeat ending. Make him live. And I love it for the throuple of it. Like I do. I think that's very progressive for 1988. I like I like that they were all hugging and stuff, and it wasn't just like they hugged each other. They hugged. It was a group hug. Yeah.
01:02:49
Speaker
Group hugging quite enjoyed the security guard. ah The Shoto brothers originally wanted Supey Sales to play the security. like a Dick Miller role. Come on, guys. I mean, yes, but they didn't get him either. um They wanted to be sales because he was the almost pie in the face guy.
01:03:08
Speaker
Like, oh, yeah, he sales was the pie in the face guy. But the studio is like, is anyone going to know who Supey Sales is? And they're like, we know who he is. And they're like, who fucking cares? He's going to cost as much as this next dude. Like, who gives a fuck? like Exactly. Can we just write him a letter? Fuck off.
01:03:25
Speaker
ah The original opening of the film featured the character they reference constantly. um What was this, John? What's his face? um The first guy they find wrapped in cotton candy.
01:03:42
Speaker
um They it was going to feature the killer clowns like driving up in a car and like pushing driving his car off the bridge. um So that car that we see was originally supposed to be his. oh yeah Yeah. And that was how that was how he died. And that was the original conceit of the film was to have ah Um, was the, the Steven Shoto was talking about the thing that would terrify him the most was driving down a dark road and having a car come up at behind beside you and knock you off the road. And that was the genesis of killer clowns from outer space, which feels like a really weird way to get to a movie about killer clowns from outer space. That's so a weird scene to start on to build a movie around like what? Yeah. How do we get there from here? How do we get here from there? So I'm trying to say.
01:04:34
Speaker
Right. That is my question. um and And you know what? Valid question. Very valid question. um But yeah, Tucker, this movie opened um on May 27th, 1988. You've been like champing at the bit for this moment, the whole fucking episode. I have had fun. I'm just like, I don't know what else to say.
01:04:59
Speaker
Anyway, 1988, you said 1988. Correct. It opens May 27th. It um on a budget. No, I'll hold off before I tell you, it does not place on the bill on the on the the box office charts. um Opening at number one in its first weekend is Crocodile Dundee to part park two Yeah. do um Another sequel in second place um to one of the most a sequel to one of the most wild sequels ever made, a sequel that pretty much ignores the entire premise of the first movie. It's a Rambo three. Yeah, also one of those franchises with a really fucked up naming convention.
01:05:55
Speaker
Yeah, you've got first blood, first blood, Rambo, first blood, blood to and then Rambo three. And then ah it's John Rambo, right? No, it's just Rambo. Oh, it is. You're right. I always love Dennis John Rambo. It's so the quality is so fluctuating in that franchise. The last one is Last Blood is called Last Blood. Oh, yeah, you're right. OK, so um It's wild because there are two movies in that franchise that are genuinely good films. Obviously, the first one, First Blood is really, really good. And John Rambo or whatever it's fucking called, the the one that's called Rambo. And I want to I always think it's called John Rambo because of ra Rocky Balboa.
01:06:51
Speaker
And I think that's why it was good because Stallone was kind of doing a thing where he was kind of bringing those characters back after a a long, long time. And he was successful on both fronts, more so even on Rocky. That's the second best film in that series is Rocky Balboa. I'm always gonna stand for Rambo 2, for First Blood 2, just because of how insanely excessive it is.
01:07:19
Speaker
Like it is it's it's it becomes the quintessential 80s action film. Well, and that's what that's what makes um the fourth one Rambo, the sort of not the reboot, but the like we're bringing it back. like Yeah. Yeah. What makes it so good is because a lot like Curse and Cult of Chucky, they figured out how to put those two together. yeah They've got like the serious tone and like actual emotional stakes of First Blood with the violent excess of Parts two and three. Right. And it's it's perfect. And then it gets really stupid in that last one. I don't know how how you go from Rambo to Last breath Blood. Last Blood is one of the worst movies I've ever seen in my life. It's Sylvester Stallone. Let his ah they let him infuse his his conservative politics. And I try not to think about that because I love the man so fucking much. It's a fucking bummer, for sure. It's like it's like when your parent, he's like to me, it feels like a parent that has shitty views. Right. what I think because I like I still love him, but I'm like, come on, man. Like, you know, I love you, but also you fucked up. Yeah. That's how I feel about semester slowed right now. Yeah. um In opening or in third place, the first of two films in the top five that we've covered on this podcast previously, oh word willow.
01:08:41
Speaker
See our previous episode on Willow in its second weekend. It's gained. It's earned eighteen point six million dollars. do In fourth place, a movie called Colors in its seventh week, it's got thirty seven point nine. I don't know what colors is. I've never seen colors. It's that ah it's got the the one guy in it.
01:09:03
Speaker
Glenn Plummer, Robert Duvall, Sean Penn, Seymour Cassell, all those guys. They're all beyond Damon Wayans, Don Cheadle, Maria Conchita, Alonzo, directed by Dennis Hopper. And things happen in the movie. Yeah, it's colors, man. You know colors. Come on. Everybody has colors. Come on.
01:09:24
Speaker
ah my My knowledge of Dennis Hopper's filmography is pretty limited. ah but if yeah yes Dennis Hopper is a director, yes. Did I not clarify that? I'm sorry. He's my favorite thing about Land of the Dead and there's a lot of really good things about Land of the Dead, but he's just fantastic.
01:09:42
Speaker
in that movie, he really understood the assignment. Sorry, anyway, number four at the box office. That was number four, colors. Okay, number five at the box office. Number five at the box office, another movie we've covered before. In fact, we've covered it in our first year and we covered it again recently. Tim which in its ninth week has already gained, or earned almost $62 million dollars in its nine weeks. so So kind of like what's been happening recently with the sequel, right?
01:10:11
Speaker
Like, look, I did not particularly I'm not a huge fan of that movie. I'll probably watch it again when it comes on streaming because it was good enough to make me want to check it out again. But I'm really glad it's doing well, despite the fact that I did not really like it that much. I'm really happy that it's making a lot of money. um And then rounding out the top 10 in sixth place, Friday, the 13th, part seven, The New Blood, my favorite Friday. Yeah. Yeah. The Crispin Glover one, right? No, no, I think that's four.
01:10:41
Speaker
Are you sure? I'm pretty sure. Are you sure? No, um seven is um is Jason versus Karen. Oh, yeah, that gal. Yeah. No, Crispin Glover mixed up because I don't but as a franchise, there are points in that franchise that I appreciate, but as a franchise, I'm not a huge fan. Crispin Glover, Friday the 13th, the final chapter, which is but part four.
01:11:10
Speaker
Knife in the eye of the mask, man. Correct. And then five is new beginning, which is the fifth one. And then six is Jason lives. And then seven is the new blood, which is opening the same weekend as killer clowns from outer space. That is my favorite one.
Movie Reviews and Critic Scores
01:11:26
Speaker
It is widely regarded as one of the worst ones. I disagree with those people. They are wrong. I don't I like I've I've seen them all a couple of times. I guess said I don't really care for those movies that much. sure In seventh place, a phenomenal movie, Moonstruck. Nicholas Cage and Cher, that movie be fucking rules. Yeah, dude. Dude, yes it does. I always forget about it, though. Like, now I'm getting really excited because I haven't been beat and existed. Yeah. That's fantastic. In eighth place, Good Morning, Vietnam. Oh, hey, everybody loves that movie. I thought it was all right. I've never seen it. I need to watch it pretty at some point. right It's pretty all right. It's worth watching, Steven.
01:12:03
Speaker
of In ninth place, Biloxi Blues holding steady at ninth place. um It's earned 40 million dollars in 10 weeks. Neil's Neil Simon's Biloxi Blues. And then in 10th place, a film was the original directed by this person I'm thinking of. Yes, it was a film directed by Mr. Spock himself, Leonard Nimoy, Leonard Nimoy, three men and a baby. Yeah, dude. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
01:12:32
Speaker
When I started getting into when I started getting into Star Trek, when I was a teenager and like I started learning who everybody was, I was like, wait, so the Spock is the guy who directed three men and a baby. Yeah. And this is like 14 year old me figuring this all out. Right. It was mind blowing. Right.
01:12:52
Speaker
ah The Tomatometer score is a 78% for Killer Clowns ah from Outer Space, the critics consensus Killer Clowns from Outer Space's title promises darkly goofy fun, and more often than not, the movie delivers.
01:13:08
Speaker
ah The meta score is a 43%. That is a wildly disparate based on four critical reviews, mixture average, and the letterbox score. Tucker wanna take a guess, look the letterbox score on this one. This one's gonna be the bane of your existence, I'm sure. But it's gonna be between 2.9 and 3.4. It is 3.3.
01:13:34
Speaker
Fair. No, not I mean, not fair, but like for letterboxed, fair. Excuse you, kidding. Now, cats are doing cat things. yeah um So i I don't feel like I need to ask Tucker, but how do you rate killer? um Whoa, whoa. There he goes again. He's back. You sound like a machine gun. um Out of five stars, Tucker, how do you rate 1988's killer clowns from outer space? Well, actually, Stephen, this discussion has actually brought my rating
01:14:09
Speaker
up because initially, well, initially it was zero stars until the, the big top joke, and then it got a half a star. And then discussing the whole threeple thing with you has earned it another half star. So one star. Okay. Um, I did not hate it as much as you did. I gave it, uh, I gave it two and a half. I feel like that's a pretty, pretty average consensus. That's the,
01:14:37
Speaker
most people would probably give it about, even if they like it a lot, like objectively, that's probably what they'd give it, I feel like. Yeah. So, so yeah, that is our rating of.
01:14:49
Speaker
1988's Killer Clowns from Outer Space.
Spooky-Thon Announcements and Future Plans
01:14:53
Speaker
um And that is the first episode of our fifth annual Spooky-Thon. We are excited to be doing another Spooky-Thon for you. We've got some fun stuff planned for this month and we hope you dig it. ah The first ever Spooky-Thon straight up actually is coming up this month. I'm excited about that. Get hype. We're excited about the film too.
01:15:17
Speaker
Yeah, you are. It took you a long time to decide that one. I will give you one clue. It's Peter Weller related. I'll give you another clue, that man. It's. Oh, damn it, Stephen. No, I have to go leave it. You son of a bitch. I just think that's such a funny joke. And I love that we're doing that now. Oh, yeah. I would love you to go back and.
01:15:44
Speaker
and am Hold on. so Like an hour. Okay. Golly. She's Louise. um Yeah, fun. Fun is fun as hell, dude. Love it. um Anyway, that we have been the disenfranchised podcast. You can find us on a couple forms of social media these days. um And while while you're there, why don't you on the internet? Why don't you find us on your podcatcher of choice? Leave us a five star rating. And while you're doing that, leave us a review as well. ah We always love to see it when that happens. And when you do that, hey, we'll do you.
01:16:19
Speaker
a solid and we'll we'll read what you write on the actual podcast. So there you go. While you're on the Internet, if you don't want to do that, which why shouldn't you? It's free. If you want to throw money our way, like Tucker, when before he was ah a regular host on the show, he was begging to give us money, ah literally begging to give us money. That is a thing you did. I'm still a five dollar patron. You are. I'm essentially giving myself five dollars every month. You are.
01:16:48
Speaker
I can't even afford to do that right now. That's where I'm at. Because I was for a while too. Yeah, dude. um But um at the five dollar level, we've got you've got access to just so much content. Oh, so much content that we give you behind that paywall. Extra shows and ah commentaries. um So much stuff. So much stuff. And and you know what? I'd I'd like to call out and thank the people who have forgotten that they're patrons of us, that we still get money from every month, which is
01:17:25
Speaker
all but about two of you. So thank you for forgetting that you're paying us five dollars every month. Keep forgetting more than you know. Keep forgetting. It's like I mean, it's it's the Superman three scam. You know, it's just like pennies on the dollar. It's not it's not we're not taking a lot. You don't have to remember. You don't have to listen to the podcast. Just forget that you're paying us. And we appreciate that. Yeah, we we do. And we always will. So thank you. Thank you. Always. Thank you.
01:17:56
Speaker
Um, and, uh, and yeah, uh, if you don't want to give us money, then you can join for free and still be a part of the official conversation of the disenfranchised
New Projects and Musical Enhancements
01:18:04
Speaker
podcast. Uh, we released this episode, our main feed episodes to that feed a free feed every week. And if you are a free patron, you will get those every week and get to comment and generally have conversations with Tucker. I sometimes come along after the fact, if I've got something to add, but usually it's Tucker.
01:18:20
Speaker
Um, and yeah, join us there. Absolutely. We've got, um, tons of people joined at that level, uh, who would also could also be part of that conversation as well. Past guests of the show. Um, so yeah, fun times, uh, had by.
01:18:36
Speaker
Oh, I am your host, Stephen Foxworthy. You can find me on what is it? um I don't know. I'm on the red. I'm not. I don't know. Fine. Yeah, I don't know. Use your and use your knowledge and and find me. I'm out there somewhere. um And at Chewy Walrus, that's my handle. um You can also. um I don't know. You can buy my book check and check out.
01:19:06
Speaker
ah that I wrote. Wish I could recommend it. but Yeah. Fucking recommend. I wish it so much, Stephen. One day you will. One day you're going to recommend it so hard. I wish I could recommend it. um And and I should both go ahead and make this announcement. Now we are. I'm in the process of starting a new podcast project.
01:19:29
Speaker
um that Tucker and and Brett are very upset about, um that ah with a friend of the show, Hope Lichtner, past and future guest, Hope Lichtner, she and I are doing a deep dive of one of our favorite filmmakers, favorite historical figures, um among the most fascinating individuals. Isn't she from that podcast high on cartoons, Steven? Yes, she is. And also that's The Matrix Reclamations.
01:19:56
Speaker
And the DuckTales one too, right? DuckTakes is a high on cartoons production, yes. Fantastic. That's my 30s radio announcer voice. Oh, nice. ah And speaking of 30s radio announcers, we're going to be covering Orson Miles. It's called going to be called the Well's You podcast. ah We're working on that now ah release date to be determined. it's We're kind of working through ah research and recording now just to kind of figure out how that's going to work. But that coming coming hopefully before the end of this year, if not the beginning of next. So we're we're very much looking forward to sharing that with you.
01:20:35
Speaker
Who's editing it, Steven? Hope is editing it. Would you like to? and Would you like to come on as editor? Maybe. I don't know. Maybe we'll talk about it later. Maybe we won't. Maybe go fuck yourself. OK, I can do that, too. yeah Say hi to your mother for me. Say hi to your mother for me. Exactly where you were going with that. um I feel like this is as good a time as any to just drop in.
01:21:03
Speaker
Don't forget to put on the the Halloween spooky theme. Oh, shit. Yeah, OK. I think you forgot like last year, like every episode last year. yeahmit You know what? Look, here's the thing. So Stylophone, which is a synthesizer company, they put out um a theremin and it's a theremin that it it operates as a standard theremin. But you can also do all kinds of extra stuff with it. It has its own kind of synthesizer built in. And and I preordered it um Uh, two months ago, I was supposed to get an eight weeks. Um, the pre-order process, the website broke down and it took me, I'm not kidding you, Steven. I had to sit and refresh my phone for five hours to get one.
01:21:47
Speaker
And so I was really hoping I would get that theremin before spooky thon so that I could take the new theme and add an actual theremin instead of me, like approximating one by adjusting the synthesizers on garage band.
01:22:02
Speaker
Right. and But I mean, I don't know. I don't know what I'm going to do. But yeah, I'll remember some some variation of the spooky on theme will be at the beginning of this. OK. Fuck, what am I going to do? Damn. It's not about the old one. You always figure it out, Tucker, and you always do such a great job figuring it out. Yeah, I can't. just I can't wait to add the jingle bells for the but the Christmas ones. Yeah. Yeah.
01:22:29
Speaker
Um, ah Brett, uh, he's not here. Another door. Um, but he's, uh, you can find him on Instagram and letterbox sometimes at sus underscore warlock. Uh, Tucker, what about you? Where can we find you these days? Uh, I'd like to just add really quickly before I list my socials that if you're like me and you fucking hated this movie, may I suggest because that's basically this movie.
01:22:57
Speaker
if it were really fucking good and like every lie it kind of surprised you didn't pick that movie for your first spook horror spooky thon or spooky thon straight up. Look, I don't I don't like to I don't mind like like kind of sneaking by the format, but I'm not going to s spit in its fucking face, Steven. But that's the whole the whole point of of straight up is that you get to talk about whatever the fuck you want.
Conversations and Closing Remarks
01:23:21
Speaker
Well, you've convinced me we're doing instead of.
01:23:27
Speaker
Now you got to beep all that. George Clooney, George Clooney must see TV. George Clooney. And Sean ah and Sean Astin, not Sean Astin. Who played Gomez in the TV show? John Astin. John Astin. Thank you. I'm like Sean Astin. I'm like, no, that's fucking the fingers on John Astin. My ectoplasm is all dried up. Yeah, he's great in that, but he's really great in
01:23:59
Speaker
You gotta you gotta go through and beep all this out, man. That's fine, whatever. Comes out the same year as this movie, I will say. That's that's fun.
01:24:10
Speaker
So can we for real change it? I already have. Oh, well, look, we're going to have to start scheduling with Brett now anytime between now and then that he can do it. We have to do it because I have to have Brett on that one. OK, I have to. It's important. It means something. They all do, though, don't they?
01:24:25
Speaker
Every, every straight up to you. Yes, they do. I love straight up. I love it. So the rest of us. No, but that's the important thing is, is that I get to show you my favorite stuff. Right. Whether you like it or not, like you, I get to be like, look, you guys look. That's why we let you fly in the face of the format once, four times a year.
01:24:48
Speaker
I love straight up. Anyway, I'm on Instagram and YouTube as ice 909. That's I C E N I N E the number zero and the number nine. Tuck mugs has had a recent post. ah My social media manager finally figured his shit out, I guess. And we got that post up, which is rad. Like I guarantee everybody is not. OK, well, temporarily for the for a moment that he had his shit together. So we got that post. I'm still ah So I had to get off the line pretty quickly after the last recording with Kat. And so I wasn't able to talk to her about her guest mug that that she committed to in a very legal and binding way. So I need your help. Need your help, Stephen, getting hold of her, see if we can get that guest mug from her. So I really like that to be the next one. I now have a more convenient means of getting in touch with her. So that fantastic. Fucking love that, Stephen. That's great.
01:25:46
Speaker
Yeah. So tuck mugs tuck underscore months. We just had a guest mug from Jimmy featuring the mug that was featured in his most recent music video, which is pretty rad. ah Jimmy also sent me last night, I think it was night before last. No, it was last night. He said, no, it was. It was Friday night. Sorry. It was two nights ago. He said he always sends me when he finishes the song, he sends it to me first because we're brothers and um This record, man, it sounded really good. I can't wait till it comes out. I think he's shooting for January. For the release, so I'll have to have him on. Right on when that drops, for sure. January is pretty full, but we've got a couple of spots in February open. Well, we'll see when the album drops. I yeah. We'll see. And we've got ah we've got another straight up in.
01:26:46
Speaker
It's a straight up. It's me. Yes, it is me. Straight up, number seven, double oh seven, which is where you're going to cover your favorite James Bond. ah That'd be a real good trick. Well, i don't like any of those motherfuckers, not even casino royal. No, fuck them all. I mean, the original casino royal with Woody Allen shit. Nope. Peter, so especially not, especially not anything Woody Allen related, so.
01:27:18
Speaker
David Niven. You're David Niven. So anyway, tuck mugs, tuck underscore mugs. It's a really great great place on Instagram for mugs and stuff. And actually, um I was watching the Amoeba YouTube show that they have where um the famous musicians come in and they get a bunch of stuff and they talk about like what they have and what's in my bag. It's called What's in My Bag and Common, a famous Chicago rapper, Common and actor.
01:27:49
Speaker
ah was on there with Pete Rock, producer extraordinaire Pete Rock. And they were showing off the stuff they got from ameba and Amoeba and he got a Prince sm mug and he said that he collects mugs. So I'm hoping that my people can get in touch with Commons people and get Common to do a guest mug. I'm not promising a Common guest mug. I mean i can't promise that, but just know I'm working on it.
01:28:17
Speaker
It could happen. Stranger things. Is it OK show? Stranger things. It fluctuates in quality. It it does it wildly in point of. view Yeah. Yeah.
01:28:32
Speaker
Oh, that's really funny. That's it. That's all I got. That's my social medias is. That's it. it So, hey, bye. Oh, no, dude. No, wait, I'm just kidding. We're friends. So that is our episode. That is our episode on 1988's killer clowns from outer space. I didn't say it earlier. So what a cast, what a picture until next time or I'm your host, Stephen Fox, really from my co-host Tucker and the absent Brett Wright until next time.