Film
Killer Klowns from Outer Space
1988
UK Quad (30" x 40") Single Sided
UK / British
Near mint minus; originally rolled (as issued)
Stephen Chiodo
Grant Cramer, John Allen Nelson, John Vernon, Michael S. Siegel, Peter Licassi, Royal Dano, Suzanne Snyder
“It’s Craaazy! … big top … big shoes … big teeth!!”
If you were looking for a film to define cult classic, and you don’t suffer from coulrophobia, look no further than the Chiodo Brothers’ 1988 sci-fi, comedy, horror “Killer Klowns From Outer Space”. From the incredible Tom Simpson artwork on the British Quad to the premise that a gang of aliens looking like grotesque, colourful circus clowns have come to Earth to terrorise and murder us by cocooning their victims in candy floss, it has everything a cult film fan could want. Regarded as one of the scarcest posters from the period and of the genre, this is a full size 30″ x 40″ (76 x 102 cm) from the very limited cinema release and not one of the smaller posters produced with the same artwork when it released on video in Great Britain. An incredibly hard film poster with very few printed with only an extremely small number to have survived. The U.S. one sheet with bland artwork is pretty scarce and finding this original English poster featuring Tom Simpson artwork is almost impossible.. especially in this excellent unrestored rolled (as issued) condition. It represents one of the funnest and coolest items of original cinematic movie memorabilia we have ever offered for sale…“In Space No One Can Eat Ice Cream!”
Trivia: The popcorn gun include a compressor inside that would fire real popcorn. It was the most expensive prop in the movie, costing $7,000 and taking six weeks to build.
Watch the Trailer HERE
…more detailVintage Movie Posters Grading Criteria... read more +
“When a small town is invaded by aliens from outer space who are capturing and killing the townspeople, no one takes them seriously. Why? The aliens all look like circus clowns, use weapons that look clown like, and all have painted on smiles. Only a few of the young people in the town realize the danger and of course no one believes them. Armed with an ice cream truck they try and rescue their friends.”
“Killer Klowns from Outer Space” begins in the small college town of Crescent Cove with two young lovers by the name of “Mike Tobacco” (Grant Cramer) and “Debbie Stone” (Suzanne Snyder) hanging out one night at a popular make-out spot in order to become better acquainted. While there, they happen to see an unidentified flying object in the sky above and apparently coming down to earth not too far away from them. Naturally, being quite curious, they immediately drive over to that area to see what might have landed there. To their surprise, when they get there they notice a carnival tent in the middle of the forest and cautiously go inside to further investigate. To their horror, they discover aliens dressed as clowns who have armed themselves with ray guns which, not only kills their intended target, but also envelopes their human prey in a cocoon to be consumed at a later time. However, when they rush to the police station to inform them of what they have seen, the policeman on duty named “Officer Curtis Mooney” (John Vernon) dismisses their story as a prank and threatens to arrest them. To his credit, the other officer on duty by the name of “Dave Hanson” (John Allen Nelson) agrees to investigate and, after dropping Debbie off at her house, goes with Mike to the area in question. Unfortunately, by this time the killer klowns have relocated–and they’ve chosen Crescent Cove as their new hunting ground. Now, rather than reveal any more, I will just say that, despite the low budget and rather goofy plot, this film turned out to be rather enjoyable. At least, I found it to be somewhat amusing. Admittedly, the horror elements are offset to a great degree by the comedy, but even so, it is a very entertaining and enjoyable watch.
Some people see “Killer Klowns” as a great bad movie, but in spite of its low budget and iffy casting I rate this as a genuine good movie. Here we have a film that reimagines every aspect of the carnival clown, circuses, puppet shows, cotton candy, balloon animals — in terms of homicidal aliens. The level of ingenuity is remarkable, and parts of it are quite funny. This film deserves far more fame that it’s gotten and I think it’s sad that the Chiodo Brothers never made anything else.
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Mint
A poster that has never been used or displayed and may show the most minor signs of age and wear. The poster should have no holes or tears.
Near Mint
A generally unused poster with fresh, saturated colors. May have minimal tears at folds. Has no significant holes, no paper loss, may have minor tears along edges, may have fine pin holes.
Very Fine
A poster with bright colour and crisp overall appearance. It may have very general signs of use including slight fold separation and fold wear. It may have pin holes or very minor tears. This is the highest grade allowed for a poster that has been restored either on linen or on paper.
Fine
A poster with good colors and overall clean appearance. It may have minor tears small paper loss and minor stains. It may have some fold seperation.
Good
An average poster with overall fresh color. May have tears, minor paper loss, minor hazing. Paper may be brittle due to age, may have minor stains. May have a small amount of writing in an unobtrusive place. May have medium or major restoration.
Fair
A poster with faded colors and brittle paper, showing significant signs of use. May have tears and paper loss. May have tape, writing, stains in image area. In need of restoration or had major restoration.
Poor
A poster that is worn, torn, and/or damaged. May have staining, cracking, dry rot, and/or large tears. May be heavily soiled, may have pieces missing. In need of major restoration.
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LOBBY CARD
11 x 14″ printed on heavy stock paper. Used as display in theatre lobbies. Originally made in sets of eight. Some sets have a title card, which contains credits and artwork, essentially a mini-poster. The remaining seven cards are coloured photographic credits and poster artwork showing different scenes from the movie.
WINDOW CARD
14 x 22″ printed on heavy stock paper with the top 4-6 inches usually left blank for the local cinema owner to fill in the cinema and the date it was due to play. Largely discontinued during the 1970’s.
HALF SHEET
22 x 28″ printed on heavy stock paper. The image displayed is normally a smaller version of the main poster, although some do have different artworks and sometimes come in two versions.
INSERT
14 x 36″ printed on heavy stock paper. Inserts usually have the same artwork as a one sheet. Popular with collectors since they are smaller and easier to frame. Normally come tri folded or rolled.
STYLE Y/FORTY BY SIXTY
40 x 60″ printed on heavy stock paper. Rare since they were primarily used for major motion pictures only. Designed to be used outside the theatre, on an easel, normally at a drive-in movie theatre.
ONE-SHEET
27 x 41″ printed on paper. This is the most common size of poster, intended to be displayed in a glass “marquee” case. It is the most sought after size by collectors. Since the 1980’s most posters are sent to the theatre rolled and maybe slightly smaller measuring 27″ by 40″ and with the advent of backlit light boxes a growing number of modern movie posters are available double-sided and the more traditional single-sided.
THREE-SHEET
41 x 81″ printed on paper. These were printed on two or three separate sheets designed to overlap, few survive. Used for larger advertising spaces, normally posted on walls, perfect for huge movie theatres the drive-in, where people could see them from a distance. From the 1970’s on, three-sheets were sometimes printed in one piece and issued as “international” versions to be used abroad.
BRITISH QUAD
30 x 40″ Most common poster size used in the UK. British Quads are horizontal and may have different artwork to the US one sheet. Like a US one sheet they normally come in two versions. Like a US one sheet they are usually supplied single-sided or more commonly now as a double sided poster.
BRITISH ONE-SHEET
27 X 40″, printed on paper. Very rarely used size.
ITALIAN LOCANDINA
13 x 28″ six inches shorter than the US insert, very nice size to frame. Italian poster illustrators are some of the best in the industry.
ITALIAN PHOTOBUSTA
18 x 26″ Glossy, high quality, used as lobby cards in Italy. Size may vary, either vertical or horizontal format. There are also double Photobusta or mini Photobusta.
2-FOGLIO (DUE)
(DUE): 39 x 55″ This is the standard poster size used in Italy. Italian poster illustrators are some of the best in the industry.
4-FOGLIO
(QUATTRO) 55 x 79″ Very large Italian poster printed in two pieces, often contains very beautiful artwork.
FRENCH
47 x 63″ (GRANDE) or 24 x 33″ (PETITE) French movie posters normally come with different artwork to either the US or the UK. Like the Italian’s some of the artwork is extrememly beautiful.
