The Clown Murders

The Clown Murders is a 1976 Canadian horror film directed by Martyn Burke. It was one of the earliest films in which John Candy appears. The Executive Producer was Stephen Stohn, who later produced the Degrassi: The Next Generation TV series.

Plot
Four friends hatch a scheme to dress up like clowns on Halloween and kidnap a businessman's wife (Susan Keller) to prevent him from closing a land deal. Though the scheme is intended as a prank, it takes an ugly turn when real violence is used at the kidnapping. As the kidnappers deal with the fallout from their actions, it becomes apparent that an outside party (also in a clown costume) is stalking them.

Cast

 * Stephen Young as Charlie
 * Susan Keller as Alison
 * Lawrence Dane as Philip
 * John Candy as Ollie
 * Gary Reineke as Rosie
 * John Bayliss as Peter
 * Al Waxman as Police Sergeant
 * William Osler as Harrison
 * Philip Craig as Tom

Release
The film was released by Astral Films in its native Canada on September 1976.

Home media
In the United States, the film was released on VHS by Trans World Entertainment and on DVD on July 12, 2007 by Image Entertainment under license from Cinevision International.

Reception
Kurt Dahlke from DVD Talk gave the film 2.5 out of 5 stars, writing, "The Clown Murders is almost worth a rent for Canadian Cinema scholars or rabid fans of '70s sleazo-crime dramas in this incarnation, but it stinks so much as is that it's really hard to go out on that limb." Todd Martin from HorrorNews.net gave the film a negative review, calling it "mind-numbingly boring" and also criticized the film's lack of scares. Terror Trap awarded the film 1/4 stars, stating that the film "doesn't have the requisite firepower - either in terms of its writing, or its ability to generate dramatic tension - to make for a worthwhile watch."