Killjoy is an American horror film franchise created by Charles Band that focuses on the titular Killjoy, a demonic clown who is summoned to assist revenge plots in all three films, only to prove too overwhelming for each character who calls him.
Produced by Full Moon Features, the series was established in 2000 with the eponymous first instalment, starring Ángel Vargas. A sequel, Killjoy 2: Deliverance from Evil, followed in 2002, which saw Trent Haaga replace Vargas for the role of Killjoy due to Vargas being busy with other projects. In spite of the negative reception of both films, Full Moon filmed a third instalment while shooting Puppet Master: Axis of Evil in China, and in 2010 Killjoy 3 was released. Haaga reprised his role for Killjoy 3, eight years after the release of the previous film.
The original film was essentially an effort in the blaxploitation genre, and this was carried over to a lesser extent in Deliverance from Evil. Both of these films consisted of a largely African American cast, however this element was greatly diminished for Killjoy 3, which was presented as something of a teen-slasher film.
The titular character, as a clown, makes a number of crude jokes throughout the first two instalments, however Killjoy 3 appears to be a genuine effort in black comedy. The third movie was also a first in establishing that Killjoy can be summoned through a blood pact; two different spoken rituals are used in the earlier films. The first film had a significantly more generous budget than its sequel, at a projected $150,000, dwarfing the $30,000 budget of Deliverance from Evil.
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Killjoy
Killjoy is the title baddie, a demonic trash-talking clown who’s summoned by a constantly picked-on guy and heads-out to kill of the gang members three years after they’ve killed off his summoner. He proceeds to drag them all into alternate realities, kill them off, and crack a slew of one-liners.
“Perhaps the best thing that can be said about Killjoy is that it knows when to quit. Clocking it at barely 70 minutes long, it manages to get in and out before you realize how bad it is.” Black Horror Movies
Killjoy 2: Deliverance from Evil
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A group of street kids are being taken out of the city by their detention officers to renovate a building as their community service, but their vehicle breaks down in the middle of nowhere. Whilst trying to find a phone, one of the kids is shot by a local and the group seeks refuge in a house owned by a voodoo priestess. However, this is just the beginning of a nightmare as, when they start to fool around with the voodoo paraphernalia in the house, they manage to bring Killjoy, the deadly clown, back…
“The acting, script and plot holes makes this damn near unwatchable and just when I was about to shut the damn thing off, Trent Haaga as Killjoy appeared to making it barely viewable to the very end.” Blood Brothers
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Killjoy 3
The demon clown Killjoy is resurrected once again, but this time he is not given the name of his victim and is trapped in his realm. Using a magic mirror he lures four unsuspecting college students into his realm where he can have his macabre fun! A mysterious man returns and we finally discover who Killjoy’s true target is!
“Finally, a film that is a solid reversal of the ten-year downward-trend that’s been evident in the vast majority of Charles Band production. Not only is this a really fun movie, but it’s what the original “Killjoy” film SHOULD have been!” The Charles Band Collection
Killjoy Goes to Hell
Killjoy is back in the fourth instalment of the demonic clown series. This time Killjoy is being accused of not being evil, since he let one of his victims (Sandie) get away. Killjoy must rely on his only chance of proving how evil he really is… get Sandie into hell as his witness. “The bad clown is going down!”
“It’s nice to see Lechago and company try something new. Even though it doesn’t quite pay off, the film is still miles better than the first two. If you were a fan of Killjoy 3, you will certainly get a kick out of Killjoy Goes to Hell, as it is very much an extension of its predecessor.” HNN
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