Many people have real fear of clowns, while others are convinced that Earth will experience an alien invasion – the Chiodo brothers are responsible for combining these two fears into the cult classic film, Killer Klowns from Outer Space.
A family affair, all three siblings are special effects artists but took on other roles behind the scenes. Stephen Chiodo directed, wrote and produced; Charles Chiodo wrote and directed; and Edward Chiodo produced the film.
With a May 1988 release, just a few months after I was born, there’s been talks of a possible sequel for the entirety of my life, however with so many movies, particularly those in the horror genre, it still remains in development hell.
In the decades since, the trio have lent their skills to other projects such as making clay animation segments for five episodes of The Simpsons, and worked on other movies including the Critters franchise, Elf, Team America: World Police, and Pee-wee’s Big Adventure.
Landing on Earth in their circus-tent shaped spaceship, the Klowns wreak havoc on the unsuspecting residents of Crescent Cove, performing and killing people with circus acts, or using their ray guns to turn them into cotton candy-like cocoons, sucking blood out of their victims with curly straws to sustain themselves.
In Buffy, vampires die by a wooden stake to the heart and turn to dust. When Klowns are killed, after being hit in their red nose, they instead explode into confetti.
Killer Klowns from Outer Space has such colourful and creative sets and costumes for the Klowns, a stark difference to many other franchises where the villains wear dark clothing and stalk their victims in the dark of night. You could settle on a black and grey or a full-on blackwork piece for your tattoo, but this certainly could be your opportunity to go all out with the whole spectrum of colour.
Remember not to steal any designs featured here, otherwise Shorty will want to have a boxing match with you.
The Tattooed Archivist 
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