‘Always wear a smile’
Clownface is a 2019 British slasher horror film directed by Alex Bourne (The House of Screaming Death) and produced by Mark Adams (My Bloody Banjo).
The Hellbound Media production stars Hannah Douglas (U Want Me 2 Kill Him), Dani Tonks (Parasitic Twin), Richard Bucker (The House of Screaming Death), Thomas Loone (Wuthering Heights) and Philip Bailey (Doctor Who; Carnival of Sorrows). Metal band Lesbian Bed Death also appear and contribute their song ‘Video Nasty’.
Plot:
A year after the abduction of her friend Zoe, Jenna Carter is trying to put her life back together. But the arrival of Owen Reynolds, whose family were slaughtered tens years earlier, brings up the past. Owen is certain that Clownface is real, and has kept Zoe prisoner, the latest subject of the killer’s fascination with finding the perfect flesh.
Jenna, Owen and Zoe must struggle for survival, and to hold onto their own identities, as they are stalked by Clownface…
Reviews:
“As with most unknown, new-to-thespin’ actors in these streamers, the acting is a bit strained in spots; they’re not great, but not awful either. But kudos to Bourne for his killer going the Leatherface-route and making his mask from victims, as opposed to just painting on a crazy clown face (like the recent, lot-of-fun Clown Fear) or wearing a crazy-clown Halloween mask (like The Funhouse).” B&S About Movies
” …Clownface isn’t a film that’s going to wow anyone, but those looking to make the next new slasher franchise success could find some wins and losses. Most viewers will find the poor pacing and acting tiresome long before the movie’s potential becomes clear, and definitely before the film’s payoffs are fully squandered.” HNN
” …a delicious sundae, made with a big, campy scoop of “Masked Stalker Urban Legend” double-dipped in “Killer Clown” iconography, topped with “Badass Heroine” sprinkles, and drizzled with an award-winning score composed by Hans Michael Enselmo Hess […] Clownface uses a menagerie of familiar elements to subvert expectations and keeps you guessing until the thrilling end.” Monsters, Magic and Madness
” …Clownface is fun, it’s messy, it rarely makes logical sense but somehow it still holds together. It’s well-filmed, although the sound mix is occasionally a little muddled, and the enthusiasm of the cast and director carry the film through its odder patches. Hans Michael Enselmo’s score is decent and the female members of the cast carry off the acting honours…” My Bloody Reviews
” …there is something deeper at work in Clownface, a seed of a great movie, it’s just that those particular highlights of the film are lost in a more generic slasher-movie framework. There’s an interesting ending to Clownface too, which is probably one of the most original I’ve seen in a slasher movie[…] but then Bourne and co. throw that out of the window in place of a shocking scene that, again, feels oh, so, familiar.” Nerdly
“Clownface has some solid cinematography to set it into motion and the captive-to-captor spin makes it a solid contender for memorable moments in low budget slasher lore (should such a thing exist), but the pacing of the team-up – especially when the hunt is beginning – is a momentum killer (so random kills are thrown in) and that issue will hurt its longevity…” Reel Reviews
Release:
In the USA, Clownface will be available on DVD and Digital on August 18, 2020, via Wild Eye Releasing.
Cast and characters:
Philip John Bailey … Clownface (as Philip Bailey)
Hannah Douglas … Jenna
Richard Buck … Owen
Thomas Loone … Rick
Dani Tonks … Zoe
Leah Solmaz … Charlotte
Abigail Wisdom … Amy
Chloe Rose Fisher … Evie
Deborah McEwan … Mrs Daley
Matt Allen … Pete
Nigel Buckley … Tom
Finley Baker … Young Owen
Theo Cane Garvey … Youth
Luke Junior … Worker
Jon Vangdal Aamaas … Victim
