The Clown at Midnight

Plot synopsis:
Years ago, opera singer Lorraine Sedgewick (Vicki Marentette) was killed in her dressing room at an opera house, supposedly by Lorenzo Orsini (Jonathan Barrett), one of the lead actors in a performance of Pagliacci. When Orsini was thought to have fled to Europe afterwards, the opera house closed down.
Years later, high school student Kate (Sarah Lassez) is plagued with nightmares after discovering she is Lorraine's daughter. Kate's best friend Monica (Tatyana Ali) convinces Kate to help restore the opera house, and when they arrive they meet the rest of the group including nerdy Cheryl "Walnut" Webber (Melissa Galianos), flamboyant Marty (J. P. Grimard), rebel George (James Duvall), vindictive Ashley (Liz Crawford) and her jock boyfriend Taylor (Ryan Bittle). The group are lectured by their teacher Ms. Gibby (Margot Kidder), however a stage light falls and nearly hits her, drawing the attention of the owner of the opera house Mr. Caruthers (Christopher Plummer). The group deduces it was an accident, however Mr. Caruthers insists the opera house is haunted by Lorraine, upsetting Kate who is comforted by Ms. Gibby. Soon after, Ms. Gibby leaves, allowing the teenagers to lock up, who instead engage in pizza and beers, before investigating Lorraine's murder scene. They find a patch of fresh blood, that causes Kate to have a vivid vision of her mother's death. While everyone else leaves, Monica consoles Kate, before the pair discover Lorenzo is Kate's father.
Ms. Gibby arrives the following morning, but is swiftly murdered with an axe by the killer, who is dressed like the clown that killed Lorraine. When the group arrive they begin cleaning, despite Ms. Gibby's absence. Ashley and Taylor sneak off to have sex, however Taylor ditches Ashley when they get into an argument, before the killer attacks Ashley and strangles her to death. Hearing the attack, Monica begins to investigate, only to find the clown who chases her until she reaches the rest of the group, where it is revealed that George dressed up as the clown to scare her. The group decide to try to locate the missing Ashley and Ms. Gibby, but while in the basement Monica is attacked by the clown who chases her and finally stabs her with a spear. Meanwhile, Kate attempts to phone the school but the phone is cut dead before she discovers they have become locked in the opera house. The group begin to panic and soon after find Ashley hung on the stage. Marty falls through a stage door, and Kate and George rush to save him, however he is electrocuted to death. Meanwhile, Taylor and Cheryl reach the roof to escape, but the clown grabs Taylor and throws him off the roof, killing him while Cheryl flees, however she is soon decapitated.
Kate and George decide Lorenzo is not the killer, before they are split up. Kate runs to the auditorium and is chased by the clown onto a catwalk where she runs into Mr. Caruthers. Mr. Caruthers sends the clown over the catwalk, killing him, but Mr. Caruthers then turns on Kate and knocks her out. Kate awakes tied up in the auditorium with the victims bodies propped up on the seats. It is revealed Mr. Caruthers killed Lorraine because she denied him love, before another clown arrives and attacks him. In the panic, the clown is knocked out, but Kate breaks free and manages to kill Mr. Caruthers. The clown is revealed to be George, who was told by Kate's father, who had been living in the opera house, all about Mr. Caruthers before he had been killed on the catwalk. Kate and George then break free from the opera house.

Tags: violence, murder

Review:
the clown at midnight is a story about  a teenage girl that is going to help clean up an old opera house with her 7 friends even though her mother was murdered in that same opera house 15 years ago once a couple of the student drop the ones left get suspicious and try to escape the masked killer and some of them are murdered in the most slaughteress way, they then try to open the doors and get out alive, this movie is filled with some of todays actors like (sarah lassez),(elizabeth crawford), (ryan bittle), and ( tatyana ali) this movie is a movie not to miss and will have u wondering who will get slaughtered in the most gruesome way.
Like all horror movies it did include a pointless sex scene, but who's complaining?
Ms. Kidder returns in this flick, a rather undistinguished slasher flick concerning a group of college students conscripted by drama teacher Kidder to clean up a previously long-closed theater, owned by Christopher Plummer.
The kids are the usual stock cliches(jock, tramp, gay guy, plain fat girl, loner), and their presence angers a pyscho in a clown costume who lives in the theater.
Lots of killings in creative ways, which is about all you can say about this movie, except that Margot Kidder and Chris Plummer are in it..
A good slasher movies for horror fans..
All the performances are exceptional for a made for video film and the directing is just plain creepy; especially on the dream sequences.
The opening to this film is exceptional...It delivers a very creepy atmosphere, that continues through the first death scene...The thought of a film set in an old theater, of course, gives this the Phantom of the Opera feel, but It really doesn't feel that way when watching it.
The stalking scenes, are at times, silly and predictable...and should be able to be avoided by the character, but nonetheless, people got to die in horror movies.Written by Kenneth J.
However, it really delivers more than one would expect from a DTV (direct to video) horror film.My big Gripe!
The use of the standard Horror movie characters:  The Jock, The bitchy Princess, The black girl, The gay Guy, the creepy guy no one can figure out, the weird lesbo-type girl into the paranormal, and a dim-witted teacher....and of course the basket-case main character...They follow all the stereotypes for their characters, and it tends to sway from the story, and make utter nonesense.Tatayan Ali, in my opinion is best performer in the film...Her death scene, however, leaves much to be desired (the girl just didn't Die well).
Corny, predicatable Dialouge, slow, but creepy paced...the film really isn't that bad...but I disagree with one review saying this is a HOrror film for true horror fans...It is a decent slasher, but nothing we haven't seen before....The end, was no big surprise...but I didn't quite figure out everything until almost the very end....Enjoyable watch....I plan on watching it again...7 out of 10.
Occasionally, in the 90's, a worthy horror film would pop up, but with the release of 1996's blockbuster "SCREAM", the genre got the well deserved regain in popularity that it needed.
The charm and effect of the 80's slasher was lost in the huge Hollywood budgets and hip young casts that have become fixtures of recent horror films.
With a relatively unknown cast of teens (the exception is "French Prince of Bel-Air) actress Tatayani Ali) and a foreboding setup, it manages to develop into a well crafted, well acted, creepy horror film that evokes the atmosphere and effectiveness of some of the best slashers of the 80's.
Well, needless to say, an unpleasant time awaits each of them as a killer dressed as a clown locks them in the downright creepy building and kills them in very grim ways.The Good: The film looks great.
Better yet, they are actually teenagers and not thirty year olds trying to act like teenagers.
It really is one of the better post-"Scream" slasher films that actually is extremely competent and enjoyable.The Bad: Very little, actually.
Last horror films Don´t scary me but this it do it.I watch the film after the midnight with my friends and when the film finish we have fright.This strange but films like SCREAM or I KNOW WHAT...
SENTENCE FOR THE CLOWN AT MIDNIGHT:Excellent Horror Film.
Ok, we all know this is direct-to-video, but it is actually pretty good considering.
At times I even think that the direct-to-video flicks are better than some horror films that manage to go to theaters.
"The Clown At Midnight" is a slasher film that brings you back to the 80s, when horror movies were trying to be fun, and occasionally scary.
First off, unlike some direct-to-video slasher films, this movie has some potential.
We are actually given actors that we might have heard of somewhere out of the horror realm: Margot Kidder (well...), Christopher Plummer, Tatyana Ali, James Duvall, etc.Second, the story is reasonably good.
Maybe it's just my general paranoia of clowns, but I actually found the movie creepy.
At times, the movie actually delivers some pretty good scares.
30," characters in horror movies were just meant to show up, have sex, and get killed.
we're in a creepy old theater house where people were murdered before and, as far as we know, the killer was never found.
Some teens work to clean up an old theater that has been closed for about fourteen years, ever since an opera star was killed there.
What isn't explained is why two characters who are not the murderer are wearing the clown costume in the final events of the film, and why one of them is there at all.
One character comes across one of the people dressed as the clown, who runs at her, and she runs away screaming.
Competent, simple Clown Slasher film; Nothing special, but entertaining and fairly well done....
If you can put up with the usual personality types in a 'Teen' Slasher film like this, then you should enjoy it somewhat.
You have your common character types that you would expect in a classic Slasher film; the dialog is pretty lame in many parts, but grading it on the very common curve of the Retro Slasher film, it's certainly average and not as awful as many of them where the acting literally makes you want to kill them yourself.Another reviewer scornfully criticized this film saying that it took itself 'too seriously'.
Well, if you are like me, you pretty much have had your fill of 'cute', self-referential Slasher films; I sure have.
And when a simple, obviously low-budget effort like this opts to 'take itself seriously' I find it a HELL of a lot more entertaining because it is frigg'n TRYING to be a true Slasher film.
Now, that is not to say that I don't like a well made Comedy / Horror movie; those can be great!
I feel that the mood and atmosphere picked up quite a bit as you progress through the film and as others have said here, the director did a pretty decent job considering what he had to work with.
Nothing stunning, but decent...So, I would say that if you like simple Killer Clown movies, and your expectations are appropriate, and you can be forgiving of some of the REALLY Cheeeeeezy lines, you should find this movie fairly entertaining..
For some people (or even a lot of people - including me) clowns are scary, full stop.One of the better lines in the movie explains that "a clown in a circus setting is normal, but imagine if your doorbell rang at midnight and you opened it to find a clown standing there in full costume" - it would scare the bejeezus out of you.
There's a revelation at the end which totally confused me (I understood it, but it doesn't make any practical sense), but by then you don't care.This film passes the time, and there are small a handful of shots/dialogue which are actually quite clever.
A group of kids are methodically stalked by a killer in clown makeup while they are cleaning up an old opera house.
Group of college students restoring an old run down theater fall victim to a killer dressed in a clown costume from an old opera production.
Spooky, creepy slasher flick isn't as cliched as usual and features a very appealing cast, but some of the gruesome death scenes that emphasize torture are a bit tough to sit through.Rated R; Torture, Extreme Violence, Profanity, Nudity, and Sexual Situations..
When I saw the cover of the video of "The Clown at Midnight", I decided to give myself a chance to look at the film.
The young cast stars James Duvall, Tatyana Ali (who portrayed Will Smith's cousin on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air) as one of the students who are trapped trying fight off a psychopath dressed up as a clown.
"The Clown at Midnight" is an enjoyable slasher,which owes a lot to Michele Soavi's brilliant "Deliria"(1987).It has some genuinely creepy moments,a scary looking clown killer plus a pretty gruesome death scenes.It's well-acted and competently made,unfortunately any traces of originality are completely gone.There's also not enough gore for my liking.The mystery element isn't spectacular either!All in all,I still enjoyed this one-it's certainly better than such crap like "I Know What You Did Last Summer","School's Out" or "Urban Legend",but I wouldn't go so far to call this one a masterpiece.It's a solid piece of horror-nothing more,nothing less!6 out of 10..
What a bizarre movie...With a simple plot and standard horror shocks, it still manages at times to be genuinely scary...Or maybe its just the clown that kills people...A mismatched group of schoolkids get bumped off, in a variety of amusing ways, and Lois Lane from the Superman movies gets an axe in her head.
Someone is dressed like a clown and is ready to strike...it's almost midnight.Audio/Video: Quality is excellent.Extras: Nothing.Fianl Thoughts: This is a pretty average late 90's slasher flick.
Once again video-store top shelves were filled with endless low budget knock-offs, so many so in fact that Blockbuster Video reported that it was receiving four times the amount of Horror films from 1998 to 2004 that it had since the organisation's birth in 1985.
Never have I watched a slasher film and disliked the entire cast, which proved to be short-sighted character development from the script-writers.
The young lady I was dating at the time was a huge fan of 'Scream' and was the kind of girl that would flinch at every jolt in the soundtrack of a scary movie.
After watching her reaction, I remember feeling that The Clown at Midnight must have been good to have that kind of effect on her, even if she was something of a vulnerable viewer.
Unfortunately after watching the film again seven years later, I was disappointed with not only its mediocre quality, but also with my ability at that time to judge a decent performance.
But a huge amount of gore would not subtract from the poor level of performances on display in The Clown at Midnight and with the finances that Pellerin had at his disposal, this really should have been better.
I agree, there are not enough killer clown movies in existence, but the excellent 'The House on Sorority Row' deserves to be seen over this..
Let me explain.I have a history of renting terrible horror movies simply to make up for the terrible scheduling of Mystery Science Theater 3000.
I nearly did, or wish I might have.In case this is confusing those who actually liked this movie (I mean this with the least spite possible), let me summarize my position: This is among the worst films ever made.
The plot = A group of teenagers spends they're time after school fixing up an old theatre, where years ago a young woman got murdered by a clown and now the teenagers start to get picked off one by one.One of the better straight to video slashers to come out of the post scream boom of the late nineties and strangely enough never been released on DVD but yet crap like (Do You Wanna Know A Secret and Lover's Lane) has, odd in my opinion.
Okay it's not perfect it does have a few flaws like the acting is a bit ropey and the plot is rather thin and rather muddled at times especially when multiple characters tries on the clown outfit, but however though fun characters the film has ability to win the audience.
There is almost a sense of sadness when a majority of the likable teens die.Mainly a cast of unknowns apart from screen veterans Christopher Plummer and Margot Kidder neither has enough screen time, especially Margot Kidder, her character I rather like but every time she's in a horror she dies (Black Christmas and Someone's Watching Me) and this one's no different, but she dies way too soon in this.
But sadly the ending was a bit of a disappointment, it didn't go off with bang like I hoped for more of a whimper.All in all a fun entertaining little movie that won't turn anyone in this into big stars, I mean where are they all now, but never the less still a fun waste of time and should be released on DVD..
"The Clown at Midnight" is a pretty bad movie; plain and simple.
It had potential to be a relatively decent horror film, especially if you're someone like me that finds clowns to be creepy and unnerving.
In fact, the ONE good part about this film is that the Clown is actually scary looking and menacing.
And I'm afraid that all of the other young actors and actresses that portray the teenagers in this film fall along the same lines as James Duval; they're not convincing one bit, and they give some of the poorest acting performances out there.
But the worst part has to be the fact that Margot Kidder and Chris Plummer are in "The Clown at Midnight".
The sad part is seeing two people that we widely loved in other roles (Margot Kidder in the "Superman" movies and of course Plummer in "The Sound of Music") at a point in their careers where they're stuck doing cheap horror flicks.
Yes, it is a common horror-movie lover's ability to be able to predict the upcoming death of a character, but "The Clown at Midnight" makes it too easy.
Seven college students including Kate have signed up to help clean up the old Walker Theatre which the head of drama Ms. Gibby (Margot Kidder) has had a grant to reopen, it's not long before Kate is getting freaked out because the Walker is the very theatre where her mom was murdered by a psychotic in a clown costume & he's on the prowl again as he locks the theatre up & begins to kill the teens off one-by-one...This Canadian production was directed by Jean Pellerin & guess what?
There is a distinct lack of gore, in fact this is one of the driest slashers I've seen & considering it was made in 1998 when special effects were very advanced there's no excuse, it wouldn't be so bad if the character's made up for it but they don't because their all rubbish & the dialogue is poor too.
You know it's over 40 minutes before the clown kills someone, that's 40 minutes of dullsville I'd rather be doing something fun like watching paint dry.
For a start why did George go back & get dressed like the clown when he could have been saving Kate?
You know slasher films have moved on since 1978 when Halloween came out but you'd never have guessed it watching Clown at Midnight.
The violence & gore is tame with no imagination to the kills, someone gets a spear through the stomach, someone is strangled, someone is thrown off the roof, someone is electrocuted, someone is impaled on what looks like spikes although I don't know why someone would keep a load of spikes under a trap door on a theatre stage & someone is decapitated, seen it all before & done better as well.Technically the film is pretty good actually & the best thing that can be said about it overall is that it's well made with decent production values.
I take it Chirstopher Plummer & Margot Kidder need the money to agree to appear in this.Clown at Midnight is a dull slasher film with a low body count, next to no gore, annoying teen character's & a very predictable twist ending which I predicted within 30 minutes, poor all round then really.
The Clown at Midnight is a horror film which came out in the late 1990's and it is better than your average slasher film.*Spoliers Ahead* What i enjoyed most about this film was that it did not just have a horror element to it yet there was suspense in a dark,atmospheric opera house and some comedy in it as well, with the range of personalities.Several of the films characters are immediately recognisable which included Tatyana Ali and Margot Kidder,both of there roles were good and fun although the characters could have got a little more screen time before there gruesome demises.The character of Ashley added some bitchiness to the film, her character was insensitive to Kate and had an attitude towards others,it would have been good to see her get a slap although when she finally meets the grim reaper it is with little sympathy.*End of spoilers* This film is only independently available but if you can get hold of a copy then i would recommend that you go and see it, 6 out of 10..
By the end none of this makes sense, least of all how they figured out that a clown was killing people.
If you're a fan of bad horror movies, check it out.