The Clown Murders (1976 film)

The Clown Murders is a 1976 Canadian horror film directed by Martyn Burke.
==Synopsis==
Four men kidnap an old girlfriend on Halloween night as a joke to ruin a real estate deal, only to have a very real clown-masked killer stalk them seeking revenge.The Clown Murders - IMDB - Retrieved 24 March 2022
==Cast==
*Stephen Young as Charlie
*Susan Keller as Alison
*Lawrence Dane as Philip Sutherland
*John Candy as Ollie
*Gary Reineke as Rosie
*John Bayliss as Peter Hamilton
*Al Waxman as Police Sergeant
*Michael Magee as Compton
*Cec Linder as the Developer
*William Osler as Harrison
*Philip Craig as Tom
== Notes ==
=== Setting ===
* The setting is clearly Ontario, though beyond Brampton and Caledonia being nearby based on road signs, the location is never stated. Given the development taking place it likely occurred in Mississauga.
=== References ===
* Rosie manages to conflate Haiti and Tahiti.
* Philip mentions Montreal.
* Prior to her kidnapping, Alison mentions her childhood dream of becoming Isadora Duncan.
==Reception==
=== Restrospective ===
Tim Brayton said in 2013 that "Except for some flashes in the last 30 minutes where the inherent creepiness of clowns and whispery voices buys the film some atmosphere, it's got boredom to spare."Summer of Blood: Tragic developments - Tim Brayton - 26 May 2013 - Alternate Ending - Retrieved 24 March 2022
Miranda Corcoran, writing for Diabolique Magazine in 2018, said of the film, "Despite its title, The Clown Murders is neither a brutal response to the frustrations of a devastated culture, nor is it a Grand Guignol of surreal horror like Malatesta’s Carnival of Blood... it is simply a tedious, ugly film; one whose rejection of anything resembling artistic ambition could in itself serve as a treatise on ugliness in cinema." and that "The Clown Murders may evoke disgust and it may repulse the viewer, but it is not creatively nauseating. Its ugliness is woven into the very fabric of the film. Yet, the fundamental substance of this particular cinematic product is vapid and uninspired. Its hideousness does not say anything and serves no function."THE CLOWN MURDERS (1976) AND THE AESTHETICS OF UGLINESS - Miranda Corcoran - 30 December 2018 - Diabolique Magazine - Retrieved 24 March 2022
==Links==
*The Clown Murders on Wikipedia
*The Clown Murders on IMDB
==References==
Category:Fiction
Category:Real films
Category:Real Canadian films
Category:Real horror films
Category:Real Canadian horror films
Category:Real films released in 1976