Killer clown films have been all the rage for a while now, but very few of them have focused on female clowns. That alone makes the aptly-named Super Happy Fun Clown unique, as it presents a killer clown tale from a uniquely female perspective. Director Patrick Rea (Nailbiter, Enclosure, I Am Lisa) and writer Eric Winkler took their short of the same name and turned it into a feature, which recently screened to thunderous applause at FrightFest.
Jennifer Seward appears as Jennifer Sullivan, a bored and frustrated woman who is trapped in a life that is clearly going nowhere. Her thankless, low-paying, dead-end office job barely pays enough to keep her financially secure. To make matters worse, her husband was once a lawyer but was disbarred after an unspeakable crime and now spends almost every waking moment in front of the TV in the living room.
Plus, her mother is a resentful and bitter old reprobate who clearly loathes her daughter with a burning passion. With Jennifer’s situation being so dire, any prospects of a better life have certainly long since vanished out the window.
However, the resolute Jennifer does her best not to let her horrid life drag her down, and she displays incredible talents as a performative clown, something she does for a few extra dollars on the side. The time she spends clowning as her alter ego, ‘Jenn-O The Clown’, for a few extra coins in a nearby park is clearly the only escape she has from her miserable life. Jennifer displays enough talent to make you wish she would do it full-time instead. Seward is certainly a naturally gifted clown performer, making you think the character she plays really is an experienced clown who has been entertaining for years.
Since Jennifer does not talk when she is in her clown outfit, Seward needed to convey her performance through clownish gestures, mannerisms, and expressions, something the actress does remarkably well, making Jennifer seem like an authentic clown who really should be entertaining the masses. Seward also managed to capture the sheer desperation and misery which Jennifer feels throughout her regular life in the scenes where the clown make-up comes off, making you wish that Jennifer would escape from the horror of reality into a world where she is valued and appreciated.
After the frustrations of her daily life become too much to bear, Jennifer eventually decides to imitate the serial killers she admires so much by embarking on an actual killing spree. What follows is a Halloween night of murder and mayhem as Jennifer embraces the maniacal side of her ‘Jenn-O The Clown’ persona and extracts her vengeance on those who wronged her and various others, with nobody being spared from her wrath. Although it was not as gruesome or brutal as the Terrifier movies and the final body count was in the single digits, the kills on display in Super Happy Fun Clown are still violent and satisfying enough. Jennifer shoots, strangles, and maims her foes; her bittersweet vengeance is immensely satisfying to behold.
There’s an extended sequence in a haunted Halloween funhouse attraction, and the creative way in which Jennifer gained entry without speaking will no doubt put a smile on your face. The filmmakers also clearly wanted to pay homage to classic horror movies from yesteryear, with House of Haunted Hill from 1959 being referenced in a fun and creative way. Fans of Nosferatu will also be delighted to see Jennifer encountering an actor dedicated to the role of Orlok, delivering a homage which anyone who respects classic cinema will certainly appreciate.
Nicole Hall and Matt Leisy appeared as Detectives Marshall and Barnes, two police officers who are hot on Jennifer’s trail. The banter between the pair of detectives believably makes them seem like they have been working together for many years.
Credit also needs to be given to Deborah Madick as Jennifer’s ungrateful mother, who comes across as a bitter and resentful sadist who enjoys making others wallow in misery. While Dan Daly did not have a single word of dialogue as Jennifer’s vile husband, the actor still managed to make his character seem repugnant
The brisk, 87-minute runtime meant that the relatively simplistic plot of Super Happy Fun Clown did not overstay its welcome, and the satisfying conclusion to Jennifer’s rampage will no doubt leave you satisfied that revenge was served on all fronts. Seward’s performance makes the film worth watching in itself, and the satisfying way in which Jennifer’s quest for revenge unfolds means that Super Happy Fun Clown ultimately presents viewers with a Halloween night that they’ll never forget.
Summary
Super Happy Fun Clown is a remarkably unique and satisfyingly peculiar tale of a female clown’s quest for vengeance, and it features an exceptional performance from Seward in the titular role.
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