One fun thing about the movie club is that we’re really willing to watch almost anyone’s movie pick, no matter how off the beaten path it is. Previous highlights include For Y’ur Height Only (1981) and The Holy Mountain (1973); we get to see movies we’d sometimes never otherwise watch because the decision is made by a different person each week. This week, it was my turn to pick a movie, and I continued the theme of facing our fears, taking on my fear of clowns with Killjoy (2000). This twisted tale of an evil (drug dealing?) clown carrying out the revenge of a high school outcast came to my attention when Youtuber Brutalmoose made a video review about it a few years ago, and I was happy to have an excuse to finally sit down and watch it. Sure, there are plenty of other, perhaps more frightening, clown movies that I could have gone for, but something about the low budget, early 2000’s filmmaking called to me, and this rotating seat is a dictatorship, not a democracy. Hey, it was between this and Halloweentown 4; read on to see if the gangster-capping clown left us laughing or crying!

The following contains spoilers for Killjoy (2000)
Before I attempt to summarize the story, I need to call out that Killjoy is estimated to have had a budget of about $150,000, and it’s immediately apparent from the moment the movie starts that this was a very small production. The entire movie is lit very dimly, likely with lighting found on location, and the cast is small, with few extras to speak of. The video quality is that of a made for TV film, but despite that, the film’s star really manages to shine (through several layers of makeup).

The movie starts with local loser Michael striking out with Jada, a girl who goes to school with him. Expository dialogue ham-fistedly establishes that Jada is dating T-Bone, a local thug who rolls into the scene as if summoned by his name, and makes it clear that Michael should stay away if he knows what’s good for him. In a normal film, Michael is our protagonist, right? A bullied nerd trying to get the girl. I mean, T-Bone has goons for crying out loud, he’s clearly the hometown bully. However, we cut instead to Michael performing a black magic ritual in a circle of candles, a clown doll raised in his hands: “Come alive, Killjoy! Come alive!” Honestly, I can’t imagine having a much different response in high school myself. Michael’s incantations are interrupted however, when T-Bone’s crew shows up outside, and forces Michael to get in the car with them. Baby Boy and Lorenzo say that they only mean to intimidate him, but T-Bone takes things too far, and ends up shooting Michael, killing him on the spot.

What follows is a series of scenes in which T-Bone’s gang are taken out one by one by the clown spirit of vengeance himself, Killjoy. Killjoy doesn’t simply murder his victims, however. That would be far too straightforward, and Killjoy relishes in the irony that is a clown being threatening and scary. No, Killjoy descends upon his victims in an ice cream truck, calling himself a drug dealer, and tricking them into entering his domain through the back of his van. Killjoy’s domain, like a TARDIS, is larger on the inside, taking the form of a run-down warehouse that looks like it hosts paintball tournaments on weekends. It honestly looks like a very fun set to explore, but we do see it a lot by the end of the movie.

Killjoy’s terror doesn’t end with Michael’s bullies however, as Jada, and her friends Monique and Jamal find themselves drawn into Killjoy’s domain to put the evil spirit to rest. Only by identifying Killjoy to be Michael and performing a ritual of their own can they hope to stop Killjoy. At least, I think that’s what happened. There’s also a homeless guy who I missed in the first scene but came back around to be very important; despite having no lines of dialogue in the scene he’s introduced in, the audience is expected to recognize him by his voice.

Killjoy clocks in at about 71 minutes, and it doesn’t waste any time. It is by far the shortest ‘feature-length’ film we’ve screened as a group, but honestly, I don’t think I’d want it to spend any time in the places it doesn’t choose to. The movie never gets scarier than an episode of Goosebumps from the 90’s, although it doesn’t shy away from showing its home-made violence when it does. Killjoy knows what it is, and on a shoestring budget, it aims to deliver R-rated laughs that might even leave the audience rooting for the killer clown. Ángel Vargas’ performance as the titular movie monster is particularly impressive, bringing a cartoony and slapstick villain to life, while still sustaining an air of creepiness. His face still manages to be animated and elastic, despite being completely covered in makeup. I was honestly surprised that Vargas didn’t have a robust voice acting career when I pulled up his IMDB profile, as he clearly takes center stage with his larger than life performance, pitch-perfect for a demonic evil clown.

The ending, unfortunately is where Killjoy runs out of steam. Our boy’s a sprinter, not a distance runner. Jada and the gang find themselves fleeing for their lives as they try to escape the ice cream truck, pursued by Killjoy and undead versions of T-Bone and company. Jada finally agrees to give Killjoy a kiss if he’ll let them go and promise to never return to their world. Killjoy accepts, transforming into Michael and confessing that he did everything for her before Jada seizes the opportunity to stab him with a hidden knife. Killjoy’s domain shatters, T-Bone and his posse get vaporized, and we see a ghostly projection of Killjoy’s head devour Michael.

In the final scene, Jada and friends go out to eat, and meet Ray (a cameo appearance by screenwriter Carl Washington) from Jada’s English class. Ray reveals that he got into the club they’re eating in for free because… his brother is Killjoy! She turns to see the demonic clown himself, kicking it back with the undead T-Bone. Confused? Don’t be, it’s only a dream, revealing Jada is safe in her bed, next to Jamal. The two begin to playfully begin to snuggle… only for Killjoy to jump out from under the covers before fading to black! Forgiving the “it was all a dream” trope, the movie meanders its way to a conclusion. I couldn’t tell you where it should have ended, but I can definitely tell you it felt like the last few scenes didn’t know where they were going. I certainly don’t see how this movie went on to spawn an entire film franchise… but I’m glad that it did!

Even with a lackluster ending, I couldn’t be disappointed in Killjoy. The movie had barely asked me to invest more than an hour in it, but still managed to charm me. I think the low budget endeared the movie a lot to me; I love things that look like a group of friends filmed it in a weekend. That isn’t to say Killjoy doesn’t have production value, but the scope of the production is apparent. Killjoy may disappoint those looking for a full-length film to scare them this season, but if you’re just looking to clown around with something a little spooky and offbeat, Killjoy might be just what you’re looking for.